Moving Music and Acting - "Preacher's Kid"

The music and acting in "Preacher's Kid" truly moved me and kept my attention for the entire time I watched. This is a very well-written story and a well-directed movie full of actors and actresses, singers and musicians who are experienced and excellent. It is a feature film production that premiered this past week and started showing in major theaters just yesterday.

Since it was our 10th anniversary, this film gave us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate at the AMC theater at Southlake mall in Morrow, GA on Friday. The listing of theaters is on the preacherskidmovie website.

As I watched, I kept seeing faces that I recognized and was pleasantly surprised that some less famous actors (from my church) were also in this blessed film. I also enjoyed seeing some familiar locations in this film from my city, Atlanta.

I am providing my honest feedback on this film so that picky movie-goers, like me, will know what to expect; and I don't plan to spoil it for you all, so don't be afraid to keep on reading.

The cast in this film was a mixture of familiar and less well-known faces. Evenso, the acting was above par, compared to other films I have seen that included such a mix of actors. Apparently, the director, Stan Foster, is skilled at helping his cast to mesh together and form one cohesive unit that flows well together and in their individual roles. I am not saying that every bit of acting in this movie was great, but I am saying that, overall, they did a great job.

The storyline is familiar to many Christian movie-goers: the story of a prodigal child. This is no surprise and is the main premise used in the promos for this show. So, no spoiler here. 8)

However, the story has a few twists and turns that I haven't seen in many other Christian movies who try to get the PG rating. This film is PG-13 for a reason. I won't say much more than that on this topic. 8)

Because the film is delivered in a more detailed and complex way than some similar Christian films, it held my interest from beginning to end. I feel that they did a great job, in the cutting room, of not leaving out important scenes that build the detail to support the storyline and to keep me emotionally engaged. (I get bored with most movies easily.) I have seen so many movies that I feel cut out too many scenes and leave out too much detail, so BRAVO to Gener8xion Entertainment in this regard.

The lead actress playing Angie King, is the singer LeToya, a well-known R and B singer-songwriter (currently solo and formerly of Destiny's Child). She has been building her acting career for several years, however this is her first lead in a feature film. She has the voice of an angel, is beautiful, and is talented at connecting with her co-cast members and the audience. Though she's not as experienced as some of the other actors in this film, she carries the lead role with excellence. According to an insider's blog, she was not the original pic for the lead role, though, obviously, she was the right lead in the end.

One of the main supporting actresses, Essence Atkins, is a familiar face from tv and movies since the '80's. She's most well-known as the cute and spoiled younger sister of two half-sisters in the UPN show "Half and Half", currently in syndication on CW. Her role, as the new best friend (Peaches) of the prodigal daughter, is vital to this film. The connection between these two young ladies helps to infuse us with hope as we see the prodigal progress through her trials.

The lead male actor, the preacher and father of the prodigal, is also a well-known actor, Gregalan Williams. He is most well-known from "The District" tv show as the boyfriend of the character played by the late and very great actress and activist Lynn Thigpen. He was also hailed as a hero by the Los Angeles media for saving someone during the LA riots many years ago. In addition to being an accomplished actor, he is a very good writer and maintains his own blog. Check out his insider's view on the film on his blog.

The second male lead, the new boyfriend Devlin, is played by Tank (Durrell Babbs) a well-known recording artist, musician and producer in the R and B industry. He is very believable and does a great job of pulling the audience deeply into the storyline.

The main male supporting character, the old boyfriend Wynton, was played by Sharif Atkins. Sharif is well-known from the later seasons of ER as Dr. Michael Gallant who went off to join the military and died in the Iraq war. He is also one of my homeboys - he's from Chicago. In this film, he delivers a performance that I feel is well worthy of an Oscar-nomination. I would not be surprised if we hear of several nominations for different awards soon. He has big talent and is truly overdue to be recognized for it on a larger scale. In this film, for the first time that I know of, Sharif is able to showcase his strong vocal and musical abilities. This man can blow! That was a great surprise.

One of the most familiar faces was that of Clifton Powell (actor-comedian) who played the character of Ike - the tough producer-director of the gospel show. As usual, he delivered a very believable and excellent performance. His character was another that, at times, supported and helped the prodigal on her journey, though in more of a "tough love" kind of way -- so he became more like her "new father" on the road.

Overall, "Preacher's Kid" is a very believable Christian film for adult movie-goers who enjoy a storyline with substance that also promotes Bible-based values, in addition to common sense. I like that combination because it is more real than some of the more ethereal Christian movies which sometimes feel a bit too utopic / unrealistic / unauthentic in their approach to promoting Bible-based values.

Some might call this an African-American or Black movie. Despite this, many people of many kinds of backgrounds would easily be able to relate to this film because all Christians are God's children and prone to wander. However, the Lord Jesus' blood has given us all THE way back to God, when we are willing to repent. God sent Jesus for us all. (See John 3:16)

One thing that has been a disappointment to me during my research of this great film: they don't seem to have released the soundtrack separately from the film. Also, I have seen no mention of whether or not they plan to release it in any form. If you know any information along these lines, feel free to leave a comment on this blog post, along with a relevant link. [Not an invitation for spam. 8) ]

That is my two-cents-worth for now, however, you really need to go see it for yourself and form your own opinions. Check out the theater listings on the movie website.

View the movie trailer for "Preacher's Kid" below:




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