God's Country (2012)
Meghan Doherty is a young, talented executive who neglects her mother and close friends to focus on one goal MAKING MONEY. After closing a multi-million dollar deal Meghan is asked by Mr. Randolph Whitaker (her boss/CEO) to close a deal of a lifetime. She's taking her talent to the Mojave Desert in hopes of getting a Christian land owner to turn over his land before auction. With a $100 million dollar potential deal looming, there is nothing that will stand in the way of her getting what she needs to further her career. Not even GOD? The foreclosed land in question, called God's Country, is owned by Eden Graham, a minister who runs a youth camp there, along with his wife and son, Jake. Upon arrival at the camp in her Ferrari and designer clothes, Meghan is clearly not a good fit, but Eden persuades her to stay; he promises to sign over the property to her if, during her weeklong sojourn there at the camp, she is not convinced of the value of what they are doing.
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I don't write reviews (this is my first!), but I feel compelled because the obviously shill reviews for this movie convinced our family to waste our time to watch this movie. We enjoy faith-based movies - have seen some really good ones (War Room, Love Comes Softly series, Facing The Giants, Flywheel, God's Not Dead series, Hoovey, The Grace Card, To Save A Life, The Secret's of Jonathan Sperry, Believe Me, A Matter of Faith, to name just a few). We've also seen some really bad ones, but this may be the worst! The acting is painful and cringe-worthy. The writing and directing just awkward and disjointed. The "Christian" lines inserted in this movie make it seem like an attempt to "Christianize" a film to sell to Christians! Our family agreed - watching a movie like this gave us an appreciation for the art of making a watchable movie, let alone a good or great movie.Most of all, we feel cheated by whomever wrote all these "outstanding" reviews, and wasted our time on this movie. "Outstanding" compared to what?! We can account for different tastes in movie appreciation and reviews, but this is clearly not even close to an "outstanding" movie, and in fact - compared to the films listed above - not even passable. If this even was an earnest attempt at a Christian film (and that is in great doubt), the phoniness of acting, lines, plot guarantees delivering nothing "moving" about this film. The Spirit definitely "passed over" this one!
Looking for an uplifting, family-friendly film with a great lesson we can all learn from? Then look no further than God's Country! Director, Chris Armstrong, has truly "Hit it out of the Park" in his film directorial debut here! Chris' eye for capturing true emotion within any given moment is incredible! The locations and cinematography are just amazing and just plain beautiful to look at and enjoy! The entire cast featured are very talented and engaging throughout. Truly, the standout performance for me and our family, was by Jenn Gotzon! She has a strong, incredibly natural and relatable delivery throughout! It is very emotionally rewarding to see her character transition from being a highly self-focused woman to one who then finds the greatest value in putting other's needs before her own. God's Country is a breath of fresh air, reminding us that independent Christian films can be made with superior excellence and they certainly have incredibly inspiring stories to tell. God's Country is a must see film and one that every person should definitely have as a integral part of their personal family collection!
If you're looking for a great evening of quality family entertainment you need look no further than 'God's Country". It is inspirational and moving - a movie that you will want to watch many times. Chris Armstrong's (in his first directing venture) does an exceptional job, especially with the breath-taking scenery. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. And the cast is superb. Jenn Gotzon really shines in this film and shows why she was voted Best Actress at both the Global Art Film Festival and the 168 Film Festival. Her portrayal of Meghan Doherty as a money obsessed worldly bank executive transformed by love and the power of God is brilliant and inspiring. The supporting cast is excellent as well - Gib Gerard (Jake Graham), Michael Toland (Eden Graham), and Daniel Hugh Kelly (Mr.Whittaker). Does Daniel Hugh Kelly ever age? Kelvin Brown's infectious humor as Lenny and Stephanie Barne's innocent (yet perky) portrayal of Geri are noteworthy as well.But the story of God's Country also speaks to something bigger. It demonstrates the contrast between materialism and spirituality. What the human heart seeks will not be found in riches, jewelery, or Ferrari's (as Meghan discovered) but in the simple truth of God's love for us and our love for one another through community. The people of "God's Country" had found this truth and their acceptance of Meghan in love transforms her. We should seek to emulate this in our own lives.The Apostle Paul wrote 2,000 years ago "...brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Those words are still relevant today and "God's Country" exceeds each one of those standards. I know you will be blessed by this wonderful film as I was.
5.0 out of 5 stars God's Country, an Excellent Film of Inspiration, April 21, 2013 By Dr. Fred "Dr. Fred" (Salem, VA) - One of the things that plagues independently made films of faith is that without big studio backing there will be problems with such things as lighting, editing, music and sadly even acting. There is no such problem with this film, it is positively brilliant and I have had the privilege of reviewing faith based and family films for years. This is a film that should have been featured in theaters as there is a wide open expanse of beauty that harks back to the great old days of the John Ford epics. Of course this is not a Western though it takes place in Western style territory. There are also scenes in the metropolis of LA and here is one of the areas the film shines in. You are taken back and forth from city to country, intercutting between scenes in a style often over looked in films today. Certainly the director Chris Armstrong, who put this together, deserves credit for knowing his craft. However, I have to single out one element in particular. Though the over all cast is good, this is a Jenn Gotzon film and were this theatrical we would be talking Oscar. Jenn Gotzon plays a top notch business woman who knows the art of the deal and is at the pinnacle of the ladder of success. Her assignment is to talk a preacher and his family into giving up his land, his dream, which is used as a campo for young people. The preacher challenges Jenn to wait six days and during this time... well I don't want to be a spoiler. I will just say that seldom has an actress had to make herself believable in so many settings and she pulls it off in the style of the great actresses during Hollywood's Golden Age. Of course it is a faith based film and you will see the hand of God throughout the story. The film is a miracle itself and I am thankful it was shown in a special preview screening. I will say I am not alone in my opinion as the film drew the audience in a way I have seldom heard of and there was applause at the end.