Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) grew up under a drunken abusive father who hides his violence using religion. Mack is married to religious Nan (Radha Mitchell) with three kids. Willie (Tim McGraw) is his best friend. His religious doubts are pushed to the limits when his youngest Missy goes missing. A child killer is suspected and evidence leads to a rundown shack. Missy is assumed killed and his family is shattered. Then he gets a mysterious letter from papa inviting him to the shack. There he meets Papa (Octavia Spencer), Jesus, and Sarayu as well as others such as Sophia (Alice Braga) and Male Papa (Graham Greene).
I bought into most of the first hour as a kind of modified biblical Job story. While it's nothing special, it does seem like it's building up to something better and more poignant. Then the movie goes on for over another hour and it's a slough. We're stuck with sad sack Sam Worthington and the magical black character. It becomes a lot of religious psychobabble and melodramatic tea service. The story should climax to a poignant and enlightening resolution. Instead, it rambles on and on endlessly. Even walking on water leaves one bored to death. It might be filled with religious significance and debate but it's done in a terribly boring way. As an aside, I would change the name Mackenzie Phillips or just simply use Mack as Mack. It's a little odd to use Mackenzie Phillips. It's like using John Wayne but make no references to John Wayne.
I bought into most of the first hour as a kind of modified biblical Job story. While it's nothing special, it does seem like it's building up to something better and more poignant. Then the movie goes on for over another hour and it's a slough. We're stuck with sad sack Sam Worthington and the magical black character. It becomes a lot of religious psychobabble and melodramatic tea service. The story should climax to a poignant and enlightening resolution. Instead, it rambles on and on endlessly. Even walking on water leaves one bored to death. It might be filled with religious significance and debate but it's done in a terribly boring way. As an aside, I would change the name Mackenzie Phillips or just simply use Mack as Mack. It's a little odd to use Mackenzie Phillips. It's like using John Wayne but make no references to John Wayne.