I wasn’t really excited about watching “Facing the Giants.”
I’ve seen plenty of poorly-written, poorly-produced, and poorly-acted preachy cheesy Christian movies over the years. I didn’t want to see another.
But “Giants” is a delightful surprise – an enjoyable million-dollar movie that was made on a $100,000 budget. Many Christians will love it.
The story revolves around a mediocre Georgia high school football team and a coach who has never had a successful season. Desperate to win, Coach Grant Taylor starts praying and miracles start happening.
Faith is central to the story. The heroes read their Bibles, they bow their heads and they talk to God. They share their faith with others and they do it naturally, unashamedly and with absolute conviction.
These characters aren’t hypocrites or phonies. They come across as Christians with big hearts, not small minds.
The religious content apparently spooked the Motion Picture Association of America – which gave the film a PG rating. Hollywood may be leery, but I predict
many in America’s heartland will embrace it.
The film's greatest flaw: It has a tad too many miracles. The coach asks the Lord for all sorts of favors and God -- sooner or later -- grants them all. In "Giants," the Almighty never says "no." It would make the movie stronger, not weaker, to have less of a fairy-tale, happily-ever-after ending.
Still, it's remarkable what the filmmakers have accomplished. They've made a movie evangelicals can be proud of -- a movie millions will enjoy.
One of the most interesting characters is Mr. Bridges. A sweater-clad senior citizen, he shuffles down the halls of Shiloh Christian Academy, pausing at each locker he passes to pray for the student who uses it. Mr. Bridges quotes scripture and passes along gentle messages of encouragement that he says God has laid on his heart.
Mr. Bridges is a good barometer for the entire movie.
If you think Bridges sounds weird or sinister, odds are you won’t like “Giants.”
If you think he sounds wonderful, chances are, you’ll enjoy the show.
The movie was made by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Alex and Stephen Kendrick – brothers and pastors at the church – wrote, directed and produced the film.
Alex Kendrick stars as Coach Taylor. Shannen Fields portrays Brooke, the coach’s loyal and long-suffering wife.
The film’s most striking character may be Giants coach Bobby Lee Duke – a wild-eyed, trash-talking, camera-loving goon. (The actor who plays Duke, a former carnival barker and pro-wrestler, is Sherwood Baptist’s executive pastor.)
All the actors are volunteers. One is a minor celebrity -- University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt. The others are members of the church.
From a technical perspective, “Giants” is a well-shot, well-lit film. The sound is good. The images are sometimes beautiful. The characters are absolutely believable -- even if the miracles seem far-fetched. The soundtrack features two of the top bands in Christian music – Third Day and Casting Crowns.
The music was key to the movie’s success. Filmmakers wanted to include Third Day’s music in the movie, so they sent a copy of “Giants” to the band’s record label -- Provident Music. Provident’s executives were so impressed with the film that they pitched it to Sony Pictures. Sony snapped it up and selected Samuel Goldwyn Films to distribute it across the country.
As I noted earlier, Sherwood Baptist made a Goliath movie with a David budget.
To save money, producers borrowed football uniforms from seven Georgia high schools. All seven are thanked in the closing credits. So are the five people who provided free babysitting.
The Albany, Georgia Home School Association rounded up scores of extras. Local Sunday School classes donated food. Area restaurants and businesses (including Papa John’s Pizza and Pizza Hut) also contributed.
This is Sherwood Baptist’s second movie. The first, entitled “Flywheel” has sold 33,000 copies on DVD.
“Giants” is scheduled to open on about 400 screens nationwide on Friday, September 29, 2006. The show already has glowing endorsements from coach Richt, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and former NFL coach Dan Reeves. The widow of Dallas legend Tom Landry and the son of Green Bay genius Vince Lombardi are also promoting the project.
Churches across the country are reportedly buying up tickets for the flick's opening weekend. Look for "Giants" to be among the week's Top Ten movies.
I really would want to be kindly disposed toward something like this, but is the central message really "God gives victories to teams who pray"?
That would be disturbing...
Posted by: Kyle | September 23, 2006 at 08:02 PM
I had the chance to see a preview of this one, but couldn't make it .. glad to hear that this one entertains as much as it enlightens
Posted by: Keith Demko | September 25, 2006 at 05:57 PM