David A.R. White, Reginald VelJohnson, Jackee Harry, and Ray Wise star with Bruce Davison and Victoria Jackson in this heartwarming fish
out of water comedy. James White (White) is one of dozens of
associate pastors at a mega church in Southern California under the
tutelage of television evangelist Johnny Kingman (Wise). He always
longed to have his own church and jumps at the opportunity to become
pastor of the impoverished Divine Faith Apostolic Church in Atlanta.
His wife (Andrea Logan White) and two children aren't very enthusiastic about his assignment.
Neither is the congregation itself, but they will have to learn to
trust each other and pull together to save the church from a corrupt
banker anxious to foreclose. It will take a musical miracle, supplied
by BeBe Winans himself, to save them all in this heartfelt,
family-friendly comedy.
Brother White was a bit of a disappointment to me. I honestly do enjoy a "fish out of water" type comedy and had high hopes for this one. There are certainly moments that are a lot of fun, but this seems to have a bit of a rushed feeling to it. All of the cast and crew are in films I love, but this just wasn't quite up to what I usually find. I kept getting lost in the time frame. Did all of this happen in a week? There were just things that didn't make sense to me. I think it would be a fun television series, and the film could be revamped to set the stage...but too much was crammed into the film without a smooth flow. I really did laugh (in a good way!) but wish this one had been tweaked a bit better before being released.
Marriage Retreat "Special Edition" is an emsemble cast film that focuses on 3 couples who are each at a breaking point in their marriages, but too consumed in their own needs to recognize their faults. Mark and Claire Bowman (David A. R. White, Andrea Logan White) are fighting because Claire wants a baby, and Mark most emphatically does not. James and Donna Harlow (Matthew Florida, Anna Zielinski) are not accustomed to trusting God, and Donna's growing fear of losing James is causing her not to trust him, either. Bobby and Melody Castle (Tommy Blaze, Caroline Choi) are now struggling financially as Bobby gambles on risky ventures to get rich quick. The love and laughter is fading in each of the marriages as they grow further apart.
When their pastor (Reginald VelJohnson) invites the leaders of a marriage retreat, Craig and Katrina Sullivan (Jeff Fahey, Victoria Jackson), as guest speakers, they invite those who want to remake their marriage to sign up for their sessions at their country retreat. These 6 friends see this as an opportunity for a weekend getaway to relax...and to let their spouses 'finally learn how to show them some respect'. Will this road lead them back to the ONE they love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was so excited to get the opportunity to preview this film. I am a fan of Pure Flix films and this one looked very good. Marriage Retreat: Special Edition has already moved onto my favorites list! There were moments of just sheer fun and genuine laughter as I watched this film, along with a few scenes that did bring tears to my eyes. Each issue the couples face may not be one you have dealt with, but there is sure to be something that resonates with the viewer. This isn't a film strictly for couples; I am no longer married, but there were things that caused me to think about my relationship with God and others in my life.
I loved the music in the film and felt it went along wonderfully with the plot. A scene that featured a character by the brilliantly funny Brad Stine is pure pleasure to watch. However, there is also a theme that is symbolized that really spoke to me, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. The couples and the situations they were dealing with are relevant for today, and it taught a lesson while entertaining. Downloadable Bible Study Guides are also available to enrich your experience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
