User Reviews

Call me old-fashioned, but I just love to see movies where the hero rides off into the sunset with the girl. I guess that's why I enjoyed all the Indiana Jones movies, and I purposely stay away from movies that I know don't end well.

I know "real" film critics seem to enjoy movies where the hero is struggling with all kinds of addictions, and everyone dies at the end, and sure, that movie will be nominated for an Oscar, but that is not my kind of movie.

The world is full of enough problems without me having to go and pay to watch someone with more problems.

Facing the Giants is a great movie for people like me. To see someone fight their way through terrible problems that a lot of folks can relate to, and with the help of God, come through with flying colors leaves you feeling hopeful for the future.

If there is something wrong with that, well, I don't really care. I think we all could use a breath of fresh air from time to time, and this film provides that.

As a youth pastor I heard good things about this movie. Then I watched it. The acting wasn't the best. That's forgivable. It's the message that's not: Give Jesus your life and everything will change - you'll tackle better, make amazing catches, stop fumbling, start making touchdown passes, and even make the playoffs. All because Jesus magically turns horrible undersized weaklings into All-American athletes. I laughed out loud when a coach quoted scripture to explain to the kicker why he was missing field goals. But wait, that's not all. You'll get a brand new truck, a $6000 raise, and you and your wife's struggle with infertility will suddenly end in pregnancy - twice. THEN you'll win the state championship because God helps a weakling kick the winning field goal 12 yards further than he's ever kicked before - and into the wind, no less - all because "God wanted him to make it." Then you'll win the state championship again the next year. None of this good stuff would have happened if the team hadn't chosen to follow Jesus will all their hearts.

Here's what I took away from the movie: God can do anything he wants to do whenever he wants to do it - and it's all about making our lives better, easier, and more enjoyable. He chooses his favorite team and helps them win games. Which bible is this story based on? I'll bet Saint Stephen wished he'd known the keys to such a safe life before he was stoned to death. Someone should have made this movie before 10 of the 11 apostles were killed for following Jesus. It would have saved them all a lot of trouble.

I rented this movie because I hoped it would be one the whole family would enjoy. Although the movie is family friendly, my family did not enjoy it because it gives a false view of God. If you obey God and follow Him, you are not guaranteed success. Your football team won't always win. You won't magically get better grades. Infertility isn't always cured. You won't always get a raise. Sometimes, you'll be stuck with the old car.

God does not exist to meet our every whim. Rather, we were created to glorify Him. Sometimes we glorify Him most when things seem to be going bad for us. To live is Christ; to die is gain.

I watched this film in youth group, where my otherwise intuitive youth leader and his wife squeed over it. Then some adult couple at a church-related Christmas party misled themselves into giving a copy of this movie to every single family in attendance, and now my household is stuck with the film (though it thankfully still remains in its shrinkwrap). I cried bitter tears over these sad events, and here's why: First off: this film has good intentions, especially if you're a Christian like me. This movie is trying to show that you should put your faith in God and that it'll make your life better. Not so bad, right? Eh. It turns out a be a problem--a big one. This movie was made by a church, so of course every single issue has to be dealt with as tastefully for Christians as possible. It is all black-and-white, no gray areas. God's grace and will in this movie is a predictable thing, and it comes instantly to all those who do His bidding.

This is not the God I know. This is not the Christian life I am familiar with. The God I believe in is a powerful and trustworthy God, but He is not one that grants my every wish. I follow Him as best I can, though the going is often hard; yet the football team in this movie finds their humility and self-control a lot easier than anyone should EVER find it. I cannot relate to cardboard cutouts who flip from bad-side to good-side in the course of a few structured movie scenes. And when I DO follow His commandments as laid out in the Bible, I certainly don't find myself showered in blessing as these characters do. The largest of my immediate rewards is knowing that I have done the right thing; everything else comes with long, messy, arduous work.

But take the example this movie sets: Grant Taylor coaches the football team at Shiloh Christian school, which has had 6 losing seasons in a row. He may lose his job over it, and he and his wife are low on money as it is. They want a baby, but the doctor tells him he is sterile. Oh, and his car doesn't work. And the boys on his football team are disrespectful to their parents, whiny after their million losses, and bad at kicking field goals. This is sure one rundown community here.

But wait, Grant Taylor decides he's going to trust in God for everything! And he passes on his faith to his team. So far, so good. Not for long. As they begin to obey, blessing literally POUR in on them. Suddenly the students stop disrespecting their parents; the school has a big "revival"; the team starts winning EVERY game; they even win the grand championship against the hardest team in the league! Coach Taylor's job is reassured; the school gets him a shiny new truck as a present (which, by the way, is the epitome of shallow, fair-weather employers); he gets a raise; his wife (get this) even gets pregnant from his sterile sperm! And that skinny kid manages to kick his first darn field goal right when it really matters!! Wowzers, woot, yay, praise the Lord, etcetera, etcetera!!! ...

Yipe. Just YIPE. Nobody in my church has ever experienced Christ in a such a cut-and-dry manner. Yes, there have been miracles aplenty in my family, as well as gifts and creature comforts, and I attribute them to God's grace and lovingkindness. But God isn't some faucet tap that you turn on and off by being good or bad! He is by and large a mystery; His gifts come unexpectedly, often when you think you don't need them but you really do. It's a long, hard slog to the road of fulfillment, and things NEVER turn out the way you thought they would.

This movie has good intentions. But because of its supreme shallowness and total escapism, it tanks tremendously to a 1/10. The bad acting and sports movie clichés seem to be mere pimples next to the leprous falsehoods that this movie inadvertently pushes.

To all you future churches planning to make a movie: don't be afraid to show REAL life, even you have to add some inconvenient truths into the mix. However much the baser populace is wowed by this cotton candy treat, nobody has learned anything substantial from it. Give us the meat, the bones, the REAL stuff! True life applies to everyone, not just Christians, and that's one aspect "Facing the Giants" didn't manage to grasp.

I was surprised and saddened to read so many comments by Christians that were quite negative, even vitriolic, against this movie, and I wanted to highlight some positive aspects of it that those writers might have missed.

Those Christians who reacted negatively seemed to have two primary complaints: the content of the message, and the quality of the acting/production.

Regarding content, Christians who hated this movie came away with an opposite interpretation of the movie than I did. To quote one criticism, they felt the movie falsely implies God is "all about making our lives better, easier, and more enjoyable." Which they naturally felt was wrong. And I agree, except that I didn't think the movie gave any such impression. They seemed to miss the movie's entire point.

First, the movie is ALLEGORICAL, NOT PREDICTIVE. It wasn't trying to predict that such a series of miracles is likely to happen if we trust in God. It was specifically allegorical with regards to particular Bible events and principles, which are abundantly evident by the names used in the film. The team is the Eagles ("they shall mount up with wings like eagles"); the kicker who wins the game is David, the opposing team is the Giants, and the feat David attempts in order to beat the Giants is impossible. I'm not sure how much more blatant one can get when it comes to allegory.

The Christian critics think the movie says God is a genie who wants to make you successful and comfortable and to satisfy your personal desires. In fact, I felt the movie said EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. Remember the coach's speech: "So far, all this has been about us – how we can look good, how we can get the glory. The more I read this book, the more I realize life's not about us. We're not here just to get glory, make money, and die. The Bible says that God put us here for him, to honor him... I think that football is just one of the tools we use to honor God... If we win we praise him, and if we lose we praise him. Either way, we honor him with our actions and our attitudes. I resolve to give God everything I've got, and I'll leave the results up to him." In other words, it doesn't say we WILL get what we want. It says God is CAPABLE of doing far beyond what we ask or imagine, when it brings glory to him.

In addition, the criticisms about all the miracles packed into the movie fail to see that not only is the movie allegorical, it is a COMPILATION of Christian principles, all with clear references to Biblical episodes that emphasize those principles, such as: God can do anything; We are called to be strong and courageous in the face of the impossible; God uses weakness for his glory, so it's clear what's being done is by God; Whether what happens is good or bad, we still love and praise God; and, God provides for our needs. (Not always with a new car. But sometimes he does. I saw this personally in a church I attended, where a car was donated, and a raffle held. It went – picked totally randomly in front of everyone – to a church member who really needed it, a single mom who was struggling and her car was failing, and she broke down in tears in front of the congregation giving praise to God.)

Regarding the quality of the film, perhaps a disclaimer would have helped audiences, e.g. "THIS IS NOT A Hollywood FILM." Hollywood almost never supports films with overtly evangelistic messages. All movies are not the same, and can't be compared on equal grounds. It's true these folks weren't professional actors; that should be taken into account. If IMDb is right, this was made with a budget of $10,000. I sat down to watch this, thinking "This is a movie made by the church down the street," not "This better be equivalent to a movie with a $50 million budget." Understanding this, I think it's nothing short of miraculous in its quality and impact. Perhaps they should have tried to set expectations a bit more ahead of time, because the public assumes that anything that shows up in a movie theater is a Hollywood-scale production.

In summary, the Christian critics seem to have wanted the makers to make a different movie – one about having faith through suffering, even when God doesn't give us what we want. Which is indeed another IMPORTANT and COMPLEMENTARY principle in Christianity – but this movie wasn't about that. It's true that believers have suffered throughout history. Sometimes God uses suffering to bring himself glory -- but sometimes God also uses an impossible victory. David DID defeat Goliath, the walls of Jericho DID fall down, and before Peter was martyred, an angel DID loosen his chains and open the prison doors. That is what this movie is about. But this movie also STRONGLY makes the point that the impossible victory is not for the believers' comfort, but for God's glory. Both perspectives are true – sometimes God uses suffering, and sometimes God uses victory, but both are only tools to further his plan. There are other movies that make the complementary point – one that I can think of is "End of the Spear," a true story about missionaries who were killed by the tribe they were trying to reach, only to inspire their families to follow in their steps and see the tribe accept the gospel. But that's not what this movie is intended to be. What it does is remind us that we frequently underestimate God and what he can do through weak and imperfect people like us. Sometimes God DOES do great and impossible things, but only when it brings glory to him.

This is a good (tho not great) film. Yet it is a history making film! Why???

This is a tiny shoestring budget film that attracted a respectable national audience!- You small film maker wannabees- See the Sherwood Baptist website for details on how it was made!

The Kendricks (and the Sherwood Baptist Church) did wonderfully considering only one camera was used, and almost no one was paid. (Almost all persons who acted, directed, did production, etc. were unpaid volunteers!).

Hollywood moguls are you listening? - Some of you cultural elites who have forgotten your audience - Facing the Giants is a decently acted story - where you don't need to cover the kids' eyes (or ears). My picky fussy ten year old sports loving boy LIKES this story.

It's just a tad preachy, but still - I believed the story. And I'm on the lookout for other little David film companies to conquer more Hollywood Giants!

WAIT! What's that sound I hear? It's all the Hollywood media and audience analysts shuffling their data to figure out where they went wrong.

Hollywood DISCONNECTING itself from the real world - is the ultimate problem.

Watch for other little DAvids entering their shoestring budget films into the audience competition. Some will fail. But maybe they will scare Hollywood into - reconnecting with their audience!