My rating is based on content, not on the quality of acting (which is definitely amateurish). The film touches on many current issues: prescription drug abuse, bullying, dads who provide "things" as a substitute for spending time with the family, single parenting, women who will put up with anything from a man rather than be alone, alcoholism...too many actually to cover adequately.
The young African-Americans who portrayed the majority of the film's characters should be encouraged, in my opinion, for their attempt to be part of a solution rather than attacked for their lack of experience and expertise (which I feel the overall low rating does). I felt they were more effective than most of the adult actors. The only character whose clothing seemed out-of-place was the pastor. No black church I've ever attended would have had a pastor preaching who dressed that casually in the pulpit.
In literary circles, a sudden change of heart or action which results in a happy ending is sometimes called a "come-to-Jesus moment." As expected in what must have been conceived as an evangelistic film, that is EXACTLY what happens here-literally. I do admire the sincerity of the Christian message given, one which is often ridiculed today in many movies and TV shows. It ties up a few loose ends and leaves a lot dangling, but I still enjoyed the story.
The young African-Americans who portrayed the majority of the film's characters should be encouraged, in my opinion, for their attempt to be part of a solution rather than attacked for their lack of experience and expertise (which I feel the overall low rating does). I felt they were more effective than most of the adult actors. The only character whose clothing seemed out-of-place was the pastor. No black church I've ever attended would have had a pastor preaching who dressed that casually in the pulpit.
In literary circles, a sudden change of heart or action which results in a happy ending is sometimes called a "come-to-Jesus moment." As expected in what must have been conceived as an evangelistic film, that is EXACTLY what happens here-literally. I do admire the sincerity of the Christian message given, one which is often ridiculed today in many movies and TV shows. It ties up a few loose ends and leaves a lot dangling, but I still enjoyed the story.