Some MTV show years ago used to have a tagline "you think you know...but you have no idea". That definitely applies here. I had read about this in Shock Cinema magazine and was intriqued because it seemed outside the normal purview of that magazine. I can now see why it was in there. Oh my days.
right off the bat let me say this: I've never seen such a fiasco.
and Also, I'm not bashing Christianity, I think I'm defending it. I have seen a few Christian movies. It's a very marginalized genre but mostly for good reason. Alot of it is both terrible and overbearing but I loved "The Greatest Story Ever told" and I even liked
albeit pretty ironically. Any Christian person who thinks I'm being biased I will watch it with you and you can tell me why you think it's good.
Sherrie, pronounced shu-REE, is an aspiring ballet dancer who is diagnosed with Leukemia. After coming to terms with this she decides her goal for the rest of her life is to bring a certain one of her friends to Jesus. That then gets pretty much abandoned in favor of some surreal Left Behind/ Charmed sort of weirdness.
I don't usually like to discuss entire scenes in movies but this is instructive: the very first scene we are told the Mom died. Then we see an 18 wheeler stalking some woman on the road a la "The Duel" . Too bad we already know she loses. Also, this whole scene is a red herring and has nothing to do with anything whatsoever.
I can't describe ALL the stuff that's wrong with the movie. It would take a lifetime. This kid at her school goes "Hey Che-ree" and she's like "leave me alone" so he jumps out of his car, follows her and tried to kill her??? in the middle of the day. The dancing which you would think would be the most prominent thing particularly when they come up so short on everything else, is rarely featured mainly the class stretching out in the background of dialogue. It's apparently a christian ballet troop. (note: How can you have a christian ballet troop? Ballet doesn't have any words. Are these particular christian dance moves?? )
The female lead is sort of Allysa Milano ish and cute but neither she or anyone else is very likeable. The music is generic christian rock. They will be at say the mall and instead of having a light pop song about, you know "we are teens having fun" or "baby I love you" it will be about Jesus. Then there is a kind of shakira/ alanis type song that plays when she is ballet dancing that's also about Jesus and has a really absurdly over dramatic vocal.
What really takes this movie into the stratosphere is it's insane reach via the supernatural elements. The Devil is following her and she is like the new incarnation of Jesus or some sacreligious nonsense. There's some seriously campy special effects and impossible to fathom plot devices. The dialogue and the acting are beyond dreadful. It's a cataclysm.
I'd highly recomend seeing this. One thing about christian movies: they have an uncanny way of drawing wisecracks even from those not prone to doing so. Don't be surprised if this happens and if said remarks end up getting a little bit salty. It's natural.
5/5
