The Way Home
for thematic elements and brief tobacco images.
Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Excellent! |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Family Teens Adults |
| Genre: | Christian Drama |
| Length: | 1 hr. 29 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2010 |
| USA Release: |
October 25, 2010 |
| Featuring | Dean Cain (Randy Simpkins), Lori Beth Edgeman (Christal Simpkins), Sonny Shroyer (Ed Walker), Tom Nowicki (Sheriff Tony Reeves), Brett Rice (Chief Gary Thomas), Jay Gill (Bud Benefield), Jackson Walker (Terry Walker), L. Warren Young (Sergeant Bert Smith), Jackie Prucha (Mary Simpkins), Bruce McKinnon (Larry Simpkins), See all » |
| Director |
Lance W. Dreesen |
| Producer | Red Five Entertainment, Lance W. Dreesen, Shay Griffin, Clint Hutchison, Day Permuy, Randy Simpkins |
| Distributor |
 Lionsgate (Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.) |
“In their darkest hour God gave them hope… A family in crisis. A faith tested.”
Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “An inspirational true story about how a rural community rallied around a distraught family to search for their missing two year-old boy and through doing so changed the lives of many of those involved.
Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) stars as Randy Simpkins, a husband and father torn between the demands of his job and commitment to his family. Asked by his wife Christal to watch their two-year-old son Joe for a few minutes, Randy is distracted by work and Joe disappears. Racked by guilt, Randy joins Christal in a desperate search for their missing son alongside hundreds of others from their church and community. Randy and Christal’s strained marriage must now weather the ultimate test—the potential loss of a child. THE WAY HOME is the story of Randy’s powerful spiritual journey back to love, faith and a Godly understanding of what must always take first priority in a man’s life—his family.”
I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a film and felt all the conflicting emotions that I had while viewing “The Way Home.” Oh wait! I felt the same way when I wrote the review on “WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?”. “The Way Home” is a powerful and emotional film. I found myself breathless, with a tug in my heart as I watched Randy falling to his knees begging God to watch over their son Joey and the whole community that came together to search for him. I felt a warmness in my heart as one of the first things Joey’s grandmother does when she finds out her grandson is missing is call her pastor, explaining the situation, and asking him, “Can we start a prayer chain?”
“The Way Home” is a extraordinary film, from start to finish. I found myself in constant desperation in hopes of Randy and Christal finding Joey. I was truly inspired by the presence Christ made in this film. There are not many films these days, even heart-pounding stories such as this, where Christ is trusted and relied on to help these people find Joey. From a cinematic perspective, Dean Cain put in an excellent performance. I truly believed his character and the depth to which it was so successfully developed. Even the extras put in a phenomenal performance.
The only two things about this film that I wasn’t impressed with was some shaky camera-work from time to time, and Lori Beth Edgeman’s performance as Christal. But even those flaws did not take away from the overall appreciation I had for this film.
Objectionable Content
There is no sex/nudity in this film (and I didn’t expect there would be, considering that this is a Christian film). There is no violence. The profanity is minimal, with one instance of “Oh my G**” from one of the characters.
I do warn those who intend on viewing this film that this film will grab your heart and deals with a very serious issue.
Spritual Lessons
As I was watching this movie, I was thinking of a parable Jesus once told to his disciples—the story of the “lost coin.” He spoke of a woman who had a bag of coins and lost one. She searched frantically for it until it was found. Though it was only one coin, it was still very precious to her, and she was determined not to stop looking. Jesus was trying to tell his disciples that God desperately seeks people who are lost and are looking for Him. Each and everyone of us is precious in God’s eyes. If you are lost, He loves you and wants a relationship with you. You are precious in his eyes. Just as Joey was precious in Randy and Christal’s eyes, so is everyone whom God has created.
In short, I highly recommend this movie. Why aren’t more films like this being made? This is truly a DVD I encourage everyone to rent and is a great for discussion about God’s love for us.
Violence: None / Profanity: Minimal / Sex/Nudity: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
While the parents naturally come under some scrutiny at first, they ultimately are brought to their knees by the crisis and their need for Divine help. The conclusion is most surprising and inspiring. You will be on the edge of your seat wondering how and when Joe might be found and if the couple will come back to each other. For a film in its genre, this one has some great talent behind it. Definitely one to own!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5