The Second Chance

Posted by Christian St John in Movies & TV | 1 comment

Podcast coming soon…

Steve Taylor and Michael W Smith; two names you would normally associate with the contemporary Christian music scene. And rightly so. Between them Mr’s Taylor and Smith have influenced the CCM scene as much as Stryper has influenced the Christian rock scene, and their music has won them many awards, as well as many fans. So when the announcement came that they were working together on a movie project you can bet that many people got excited at the prospect that Mr’s Taylor and Smith could also play a hand in influencing the Christian movie scene.

The Second Chance is a realistic and often gritty drama, well made on every level. First time director Taylor takes the helm behind the camera, while Mr Smith takes the helm in front of the camera in his first starring role. And to be honest, they both do admirable jobs.

The Second Chance follows the lives of two pastors, one from a struggling inner city church, whose main focus is helping people, the other from a big budget, mega church, whose main focus is the financial bottom line. Two pastors who minister in the same city, but may as well come from two different worlds. That is until, through a series of events, they find themselves having to work together. I don’t want to ruin the movie for you, but let’s say things get a little interesting from this point on.

This movie has had it’s fair share of negative critiques which surprises me (IMDB.com & ChristianSpotlight). Some called the movie out because of its depiction of one of the pastors swearing from the pulpit. To those people I just want to say that some pastor’s actually do struggle with bad language, much in the same way they struggle with lust, pride, arrogance, greed, and so on, as not all pastor’s are born into the Christian lifestyle – not to mention that all pastor’s are 100% human.

The movie was also critiqued for “slamming” mega churches and airing the churches dirty laundry in public. On this point I want to give kudos to Mr. Taylor for being willing to show the church as it really is. For too long now, the church has become more focused on meeting the budget than meeting people’s needs, which is one of the main underlying stories in this movie.

One review on IMDB.com lambasted this movie because the name of Jesus is only mentioned once, and therefore could not safely be deemed a “Christian” movie. Well, again, as a preacher and minister of the Gospel, I personally don’t go around with “Jesus” and “biblical” quotes coming out of my mouth 24/7. As well as preaching Gospel truth, I try to show Jesus in everything that I do, something this movie portrays well and should be commended for, not critiqued.

There are some highly emotional scenes in this movie. For example, in an act of humility one of the pastor’s gets down on his knees and washes the feet of the other pastor. In another scene a young man steps up to a street gang and willing takes a violent beating intended for a younger boy.

I also liked the way the film did not have an overly happy or soppy ending, although the main characters had found peace and joy, and I was left wanting more. Long after the movie finished, I was asking questions raised by this movie—deeply profound questions as to the “realness” of my own ministry, and the ministry of the “church” in general. One of the questions that came to mind was, how interested are we in the plight of those around us? We say we care and then say a quick prayer or write a cheque thinking this is enough. But what of the woman caught in the vicious circle of a life of prostitution who needs to hear that God loves her? What of the man who has just lost his family and needs friends around him? And what of the child who longs for a loving home? These scenarios and more are tackled in The Second Chance and the question I keep asking myself is, “Would I be willing to leave my comfort zone to help these people, people that God loves, his children, my brothers and sisters?”

Although I would have liked to have seen a few more chances taken to add a little more authenticity, such as the filmmakers including some “bad” language and maybe showing a little more on-screen violence (most of the violence happens off screen), I really liked this movie and I would even go as a far as to say that it’s close to becoming one of my favorite movies (and I have a very high standard for my “favorite” movies). The soundtrack, the direction, the camera-work, the writing, and the acting, all of these were way above par for a “Christian” film.

I feel kind of sad for those who don’t get this film (because they feel it’s not made, or marketed, as a safe “Christian” movie, and isn’t overly “preachy”) as they are missing out on an exceptional, and truly parabolic movie.

Christian St John
January, 2009

Buy The Second Chance on DVD