Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Brenton Thwaites, David Strathairn, Yael Grobglas
Intro:
"...the presence of the highly accomplished Thwaites and Strathairn gives the project an undeniable patina of class."
Christian-themed (and funded) cinema is, for the most part, a crystal-cut example of preaching to the converted, with most content only of interest to those that it is being directly marketed to. With its clunky storytelling, stridently on-brand messaging, and usual array of has-been stars (such as the infamous Kirk Cameron), Christian flicks don’t offer much for the mainstream.
An Interview With God, however, sits pretty far above the likes of Left Behind and Revive Us, and is more akin to the novels of popular author, Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie, Five People You Meet In Heaven, The Next Person You Meet In Heaven), than the output of Christian movie-producing powerhouses like Pure Flix and Praise Pictures. The presence of two “legitimate” performers in Aussie-talent-on-the-rise, Brenton Thwaites, and Oscar nominated veteran, David Strathairn (Good Night, And Good Luck), also helps immeasurably.
In a strong, highly committed turn, Thwaites (Gods Of Egypt, Son Of A Gun) is Paul Asher, a burnt out journalist still reeling from a trip to Afghanistan where he interviewed Christian soldiers on the frontline. With his marriage on the rocks and his nerves frayed from what he witnessed, Asher throws himself into his work, and jumps into an unlikely assignment: interviewing a man claiming to be God (a perfectly benign and surprisingly funny David Strathairn). As the pair spar and parry on issues of faith, religion, and humanity, the film takes a shock detour into something slightly more personal than theological.
With longtime TV veteran, Perry Lang, at the helm, An Interview With God has a slightly static, flat feel to it, but the presence of the highly accomplished Thwaites and Strathairn gives the project an undeniable patina of class. Their performances are strong and ground the film perfectly. Yes, An Interview With God is certainly preachy and often ham-fisted, but there might be a little something in there for those who prefer going to the movies over Bible study.
