Jesus Revolution (2023) Review

There is going to be a select group of people for which Jesus Revolution will be greatly inspirational and provide a truly moving experience. Concurrently, there will be a great number of people for whom this movie will not. I went into this movie with an open mind. As a practicing Lutheran and a connoisseur of film, I wanted to see how I would personally react to this movie. I don’t tend to watch “Christian movies” as they so often are filled with poor scripts and an over-reliance on a strict dogmatic message. Message such as “Redemption is only found through Jesus Christ” are used so staggeringly often and is forced upon the viewer so viciously, it’s a wonder as to whom these types of movies are intended for. Regardless, with a spirit of intrigue and an open mind, I went to see Jesus Revolution.

Jesus Revolution is a 2023 historical religious film at least partially based on the book of the same title by Greg Laurie and Ellen Santilli Vaughn. The film centers around the lives of three men: Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney), Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie) and Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammar) at the beginning of a counterculture movement that would eventually become the “greatest spiritual awakening in American history.” The movie splits its initial focus between the unfulfilled life of Greg Laurie and the desire for understanding  between established reverend Chuck Smith and Hippie Pastor Lonnie Frisbee. Greg is living with his mother, trying to find a purpose through love and drugs within a blossoming hippie movement in Southern California in the early 1970s . Meanwhile, Frisbee shows Smith that there are a growing number of young people desperate to believe in something and sets Smith on a path of mutual understanding as the two men begin to redefine the established teaching of Jesus. Greg, after several personal setbacks and trials, join Smith and Frisbee on this journey.

Jesus Revolution comes remarkably close to being a good movie. It has so much potential, but just misses the mark with the inclusion of a few (I would argue specifically added) scenes.  Let’s start with the good. Kelsey Grammar puts in a solid performance as Chuck Smith. We are introduced to Grammar’s Chuck as a staunch, conformist with a singular outlook on how religion should be practiced. However, over the course of the film, you see that belief washed away as he truly becomes a humble man, open to a new way of seeing and spreading the teachings of Jesus. Embracing the potential of what could be, his first big act of defiance against the elders of his church is washing the feet of all the shoeless before they enter the church. He does this as the elders complained that these people without shoes were ruining the new shag carpeting.

In my conversations with clergy, the act of foot washing is one of the most deeply personal and humbling experiences one can do as a member of the cloth. Setting aside the religious significance of the act, holding a stranger’s foot (let alone washing it) can be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling for many, regardless of faith. The look of serene joy in Grammar’s face during this scene of the movie portrayed a genuine care for this act and the people for whom he was washing. Except for maybe one scene, everything by Grammar was performed so well. (And truthfully, that one scene is debatable. It all depends on how we look when we are smiling/laughing/having an epiphany all during the same moment. It just might be how we, as a species, look in that specific of a moment,)

The remainder of the cast also put in stellar performances. Unlike many other “Christian films” which may have one to two good actors and populates the rest from what they can find, this movie spent the money and seemingly took the time to get good people. For most of the film, the cinematography was solid. There was only a scene or two in which the camera work was unusually noticeably distracting. The soundtrack was surprisingly good as well, including a few well-placed needle-drops on classic hitsthat were both appropriate historically and thematically for the scene they were being played in. It may seem like these are low bars for a film, and you would be correct, but one might be surprised at how many times these simple things are not considered in the making of these types of films.

So, what keeps Jesus Revolution from being very good or great? Is it the story, the script, the message? As many typical “Christian” movies include, Jesus Revolution is not alone in having one or two scenes in which the pace of the film seems to be paused to deliver a life affirming message or theme. These scenes are usually clunky and presented in a way that the movie might as well have subtitles saying something along the lines of “THIS IS IMPORTANT” or “JESUS SAVED HER” or “BE LIKE THIS PERSON AND FOLLOW GOD.” I wish I could say that Jesus Revolution didn’t have scenes like this. Admittedly, that most of them are more subtle than others from the same genre. However, if the film had trusted its audience, it wouldn’t have needed them. For example, near the end of the movie, Chuck’s daughter comes to him and informs him that she was ready to leave the church but because of his change in philosophy and new outlook on Jesus she decided to stay. Reading that as a plot summary point it sounds like something significant worthy of keeping. The issue arises that we had already seen this change in her throughout the course of the entire movie, culminating in the scene only a minute or two prior to this one. There is a lot of merit to the phrase “show don’t tell.” We were already shown, you didn’t need to tell us. If my screening hadn’t had a decent number of people in it, I would have audibly said “We didn’t need that!”

Conversely, there are scenes in which we see the beginning of what should be a more expanded scene, and instead never find out what happens. When Greg finally returns home to check in on his mother, who had recently been in an accident, we see him provide some comfort and then the scene changes to something completely different. So much time was spent over the course of the film on Greg’s relationship with his mother, that the audience almost seems robbed of a final conclusion to that story’s arc.

The script tries to tell the story of three different men who would go on to be the founding fathers of this Jesus Revolution movement. For the first hour, the movie was so packed and moved at such a pace, when I checked my watch and noticed that the movie was only a little over halfway done, I was surprised. They had packed so much in the first hour. The second half moved more slowly and seemed to be slightly more drawn down by the various “messages” of the film. There was still much that happened, but it seemed like they decided that the second half was where the “drama” would exist. There comes a point when there is just too much. In the decision of telling all three stories as intertwined as they were, there comes a point when there are simply too many aspects of the differing stories all needing to be presented all at the same time. This might be why the beginning of the film seems more cohesive than the latter half.

In all honesty, if the movie had kept a slightly more consistent energy in pace and tone, achievable by editing/eliminating some or part of scenes, the movie could have cut about 10-15 minutes from its two-hour run time. In my opinion, if the movie had trusted its audience to be moved by the story they were presenting without an over reliance on scenes with targeted messages, this movie would have been a significantly better film.

As I have done with many other pieces of media based on historical events, I researched a little after the film and discovered that not everything had occurred exactly as presented. Additionally, I investigated the specific Christian denomination featured in the film and their stated beliefs and practices. I won’t go into my specific opinions about these, rather taking the opinion of “to each their own.” However, if you feel that the spirit is guiding you to convert at the conclusion of the film, I recommend that you do some research first before making that decision.   

So should I see this movie? I can’t make that decision for you. That is something that you need to decide for yourself. If you are interested in seeing a film inspired by real historical events and can stomach a little proselytizing than, yes, I would say go see this film. The women behind me at the conclusion of the film kept remarking at how good the film was and how inspirational it was. Although, I didn’t feel quite the same way, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t moved by elements of the film. It made me think about the children’s sermons that I give at my church and how, sometimes, it might be good to try something new.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 (B-/C+)