Today’s Prayer Focus
Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
MOVIE REVIEW

God Bless the Broken Road

also known as “Dios en El Camino”
MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for thematic elements and some combat action.

Reviewed by: Leah Smith
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Good
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: • Adults • Young Adults • Family
Genre: Christian Drama
Length: 1 hr. 51 min.
Year of Release: 2018
USA Release: September 7, 2018 (wide—1,200+ theaters)
DVD: December 4, 2018
Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Picturesclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Relevant Issues

Death of a husband and father

About despair, fear and hope

Click here to watch THE HOPE on-line!
Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.
Issue of pain and suffering

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer

What about the issue of suffering? Doesn’t this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer

Does God feel our pain? Answer

ORIGIN OF BAD—How did bad things come about? Answer

Did God make the world the way it is now? What kind of world would you create? Answer

Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Copyright, Freestyle Releasing / Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
Featuring Lindsay Pulsipher … Amber Hill
Jordin Sparks … Bridgette
LaDainian Tomlinson … Pastor Williams
Andrew W. Walker … Cody Jackson
Robin GivensKarena Williams
Makenzie Moss … Bree Hill
Kim Delaney … Patti Hill
Gary Grubbs … Joe Carter
Arthur Cartwright … Mike Nelson
Madeline Carroll … Hannah
Gianna Simone … Monica
Patrika Darbo … Rosie
See all »
Director Harold Cronk — “God's Not Dead” 1-2
Producer 10 West Studios
A Really Good Home Pictures
Stephen Afendoulis
Byron Allen
See all »
Distributor Freestyle Releasing
Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

“No matter where life takes you… faith takes you further.”

It’s not very long before Amber Hill’s (Lindsay Pulsipher) middle American road crumbles beneath her feet. Her problems compound as she trods along alone. We watch, frustrated, as friends reach out to her and she pushes them away. In contrast, we are endeared to her daughter, Bree’s (Makenzie Moss) example of pure faith.

Week after week we see Bree bonding with the church members (including LaDainian Tomlinson as Pastor Williams and Robin Givens as Karena), while Amber doesn’t make it past the parking lot. It is here that she is introduced to Cody (Andrew W. Walker). It is not clear whether his pursuit of her is a glimmer of hope or the cause more trouble. It is his own broken road that led Cody to their small town, where Joe (Gary Grubbs) is trying to teach him to listen and slow down on the turns.

Bree’s grandmother (Kim Delaney) is woven throughout offering help and criticism. While most would be bothered by Patti’s sternness, some would also be concerned by Amber’s displays of disrespect toward her. It is a tricky relationship, but we can look to Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17) as a Biblical example of faithfulness. This relationship seems to trickle down to Bree and shakes her beautiful, child faith (see Mathew 18: 1-4). She runs to her grandmother and in an ugly display, yells at Amber as no child should (Ephesians 6:1-3).

Late in the movie, Mike (Arthur Cartwright) brings us back to Afghanistan where he recants a combat scene. Although moving, those with sensitivities to violence would want to avoid watching this scene that includes automatic gunfire and hits on both enemy and American.

There is something relatable to everyone in “God Bless the Broken Road.” I spent too much time crying for my liking, although it was not always tears of sadness, but tears spilled for the tender expressions of love.

What is LOVE, for a follower of Christ? Answer

The plot ran fairly smoothly, and the characters were portrayed well. True value lies in the message of the film. We’ve all hit potholes on this road we call life, and when it begins to crumble, how we get up shows our character. Will we stumble along by ourselves or take God’s hand and let him lead the way? (Proverbs 3:5-6)

  • Violence: Moderate
  • Profane language: None
  • Vulgar/Crude language: None
  • Nudity: None
  • Sex: None
  • Occult: None

Link to official Web siteOfficial site for more information

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This movie will touch your heart for sure. Very well done. Good acting and a great story. At some points during our lives, we may wonder where God is, our if He still cares for us. Our faith in Him grows during hard times. But we must always remember what He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We must “cling” to that. I’m glad I went to see this movie. You will be too.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Jerry, age 66 (Canada)
Positive—“God Bless The Broken Road” is an excellent film revolving around the parable of the mustard seed. We meet Amber, who lost her husband in Afghanistan. She is struggling to keep her daughter Bree, and herself, afloat, a big reason for this being that she has lost a lot of faith or all her in God because of her becoming a war widow.

Amber is really struggling in the film, having losing faith in God. It shows what happens really well when we lose our faith in God, or else you can really get yourself in bad situations, especially if you don’t have our only hope, Jesus, in our lives. But the problems are a lesson to Amber to come back to God… And the film proves God’s power, even in tough situation. Even when focusing on God, we can get issues, but God will help us overcome them. Matthew 13:31-32.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Stephen Matthew Jacewicz, age 22 (USA)
Positive—I watched this with my wife and we both enjoyed it. It affected my wife the most and she was moved to tears several times. This film will touch everyone but especially those dealing with loss and also military families. What I liked most about this movie is how 'real life' it is. I even had to check if it was a true story but it isn't. It's about real life situations, challenges, questions about God and how He works. Which often does not make sense to us. It was also encouraging to see members of the church going out of their way to help and lift up. We all need to be like this.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Brett, age 41 (USA)
Negative
Negative—I wanted to like this movie, but I couldn’t because it’s based on several flawed premises. Why didn’t Amber have any money, especially since her husband should have left her something? What happened to her husband’s Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance? Why doesn’t the protagonist have that $400K plus? Did she frivolously spend it or never get it in the first place? Or was her husband doing something that would have made his death not in the line of duty? Did he not sign up for it? If that’s the case, why not?

This film seemed like it was cobbled together with little research (like the CACOs findings her in church to tell her husband was dead, which wouldn’t have happened as shown), and it really exposes its flaws.

Great idea with terrible execution.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: ½
James, age 32 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.