In the 1970s, aimless teenager Greg Laurie searches for all the right things in all the wrong places until he meets Lonnie Frisbee, a charismatic hippie/street preacher. Together with local pastor Chuck Smith, they open the doors of a languishing church to an unexpected revival.
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"Jesus Revolution works as a dramatic retelling of one of the greatest spiritual movements in American history, but it suffers from the constant need to deliver the next great inspirational message, sounding more preachy than authentic. Excellent performances and music packed with positive energy make this viewing a serene yet formulaic experience. It's the ideal type of film for devout viewers with a strong connection to Christianity, but for those who don't hold religious ties, this won't convert you."
Rating: C
**_Biopic of Greg Laurie and the Jesus Movement of the late ’60s/early ’70s_**
A pastor in Costa Mesa (Kelsey Grammer) is concerned about the counterculture’s obsession with drugs and loose sex, but also his dying church that isn’t connecting with the youth. His daughter (Ally Ioannides) brings home a hippie “Jesus freak” (Jonathan Roumie) and he sees that he’s genuine and gifted. The team-up sparks a movement that spreads for the next several years.
"Jesus Revolution” (2023) is a well-done account of the Jesus Movement in SoCal between 1968-1971. It’s made in such a way that anyone who’s interested in that era and the social upheaval that was going on will appreciate it, similar to "Forrest Gump" except with more overt spirituality. For instance, there’s Janis Joplin, Timothy Leary and several iconic songs, e.g. “Free Ride,” “Listen to the Music” and “War.”
While I’m somewhat familiar with Greg Laurie and his ministry, I wasn’t aware that he got his start in the Jesus Movement, nor was I familiar with Chuck Smith or Lonnie Frisbee, the latter of whom “backslid” and died of AIDS at the premature age of 43 in 1993.
Grammer and Joel Courtney are effective as the main male protagonists, Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie respectively. Meanwhile the lovely Anna Grace Barlow is a winsome revelation as Cathe, Laurie’s potential girlfriend.
While not as inspiring as "War Room" (2015), it’s arguably superior to "Do You Believe?" (2015), “God’s Not Dead” (2014), "God's Not Dead 2" (2016) and "Overcomer" (2019). It’s at least on par with any of ’em.
The film runs 2 hours and, was shot in Fairhope, Alabama, which is just southeast of Mobile, with several other scenes shot on-location in the coastal Los Angeles area.
GRADE: B+/A-
