I Can Only Imagine

Starring: J. Michael Finley, Madeline Carroll, Dennis Quaid, Trace Adkins, Cloris Leachman, Jason Burkey, Mark Furze, Randy McDowell
Directed by: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bart Millard (J. Michael Finley) uses the pain of his past, including his failed relationship with his father (Dennis Quaid) as fuel for his Christian band, MercyMe.

Review:

Tim: I have to admit I've been pretty down on all these faith-based movies. It's not that I am opposed to them in concept or execution. I'm all for inspirational films and movies that put faith front and center are fine with me. The problem is that when I've sat down to watch them, I'm very often disgusted at how terrible they are. It's like they were made from a standpoint of first- cram their religious beliefs down the audience's throat. Second- make people feel good without thinking too hard, and a distant third is to tell an entertaining story. In short, the films I've seen (God's Not Dead as an example) have been pretty bad. Now, to be fair- I've tended to shy away from these in recent years. We get a few of them every year, oftentimes around Easter and I've just avoided them. I might support the message, but I've been disappointed in the quality.

I admit I had some skepticism towards I Can Only Imagine, but it was recommended to me by several different people. I was fairly shocked to find that I actually enjoyed the movie. It's by no means great, but it is one of the best faith-based movies I have seen in quite a long time. I had a fun time watching this movie and would certainly recommend it to others.

The film is helped by also being a musical biopic. I might have vaguely heard of MercyMe (I'm not big into the Christian rock scene) but I absolutely knew their chart-crossing hit "I Can Only Imagine". The story of Bart Millard is an interesting one. He experienced a very difficult childhood (which I do think was told in too muted a way here) and eventually used the pain and disappointment to create a beautiful song that influenced the lives of millions of people. His story is worth telling and I found myself connected emotionally to the characters in the film.

This is helped by some strong performances. I have to give J. Michael Finley credit. While there were a few moments where his acting was a bit weak, overall, he gives a stunningly good performance for someone making his acting debut. He was likeable and connected with the audience, he showed some incredible comedic timing delivering some legitimately funny lines, and showed impressive range in his debut performance. You grow to care about his character and so much of that is due to Finley. I also have to give Dennis Quaid great credit. Part of me was wondering why Quaid would do a film like this, but he is really able to showcase his talent with this role. He was at times hard and cruel, but the transformation he undergoes is quite beautiful to watch. Quaid really puts a great deal into this performance and the movie is better for it. The supporting cast is solid- Trace Adkins actually gave a decent performance and Cloris Leachman was fun in a small role. Walking away from this film, though, I felt quite impressed with Finley and Quaid.

Look, I Can Only Imagine still has its flaws. It's a bit too by-the-numbers. It occasionally loses focus and does feel amateurish. However, compared to some of the crappy faith-based movies out there, the Erwin Brothers pulled off a minor miracle here. I was entertained and informed and truly felt a bit inspired by the end of this movie. Despite existing in a subgenre that doesn't give you much faith (ha) in the quality of the product, this movie is a success.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: I don't know if I can think of another faith-based Christian drama that I'd recommend