Greetings,
I sometimes have trouble with movies that have a built in audience, where people will see certain types of films no matter what. I think it can, on occasion, make some filmmakers not try as hard as they could. Sadly, I also think that faith films, as they are called, at times, can fall into this category. Some of them, but certainly not all of them. And certainly not the one I'm talking about today, I Can Only Imagine.
I Can Only Imagine is a 2018 film that tells the story of a man named Bart Millard and also the story of a song he wrote which became something of a phenomenon. The same song that shares the title of the movie. So, it is a biopic of a person as well as a piece of music. And something I like about it is that it's obviously about music, but it also doesn't shy away from discussing some difficult things.
We see that Bart did not grow up living an easy life. His mother left and his father was very abusive to him. Yet, he starts playing football to try and please his father. His hopes of a career are cut short, however, and he ends up in an unlikely place - the school musical. There, he realizes that he has quite a gift for singing and develops a love of music.
He eventually joins a band and tries hard to get them signed. Things look hopeful as he is introduced to some musicians who inspired him greatly, like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. but they never seem to be good enough. So, he pretty much gives up. Upon returning home, a bit dejected, he finds his father to be a changed man, something he is initially skeptical of, but all of the experiences he lives through while coming home lead him to write the song for which he became famous, along with his band, MercyMe. It was a song that crossed over genres and was heard and loved by millions of people, something no one expected, certainly not the man who wrote it. But he let the difficult things he was put through in life inspire him to make his art.
As I said, this story delves into some harsh issues, but that is the way this man's life went. So it must be told as it is. And the conveying of that story is greatly enhanced by the cast. J. Michael Finley plays the lead and he does a fantastic job. I believe this was his first role in a movie and that he did all the singing in it, which is impressive. We also have Madeline Carroll as Shannon, Bart's longtime girlfriend, Trace Adkins as MercyMe's manager and the legendary Cloris Leachman as Bart's grandmother. But who steals the show is Dennis Quaid as Arthur, Bart's abusive father. He has a way of making us despise him for the way he treats his son, but we also find ourselves rooting for his redemption. Altogether, I'd say the cast did a very good job of telling this story.
Again, I know people have issues with films like this for many reasons, and I can understand that. But I do believe that this film was one of the better ones in the genre. I've even heard people, who constantly bash these kinds of movies, say that it wasn't that bad. I found the story quite compelling and overall the film seemed much more personal than others I've seen. It tells about a real man who went through real experiences and how he made it through. I understand that not everyone will be into this movie, but I Can Only Imagine is about as uplifting as you can get.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
