Dena and I were scanning the list of movies for a matinee date & Olive Garden soup-n-salad afterward. The star-studded "Contagion" was off the marquee though.
"Huh, all of the theaters are showing the exact same movies," I said.
"Any look good?" Dena asked.
"No. Guess we'll just make it a meal."
Then something caught my eye.
"Oh, wait. Wehrenberg Galaxy theater has something called 'Courageous.'"
Dena lit up.
"That's the Alex Kendrick one!"
Now, you are either an Alex Kendrick film fan or not. If you've seen "Facing the Giants" or "Fireproof," you know these stories to be overtly Christian-themed. They come with a generous plot dose of men young and old falling short of the Biblical ideal head of the household at first, and eventually having life-changing realizations that transform their lives.
In this case, a group of police officers and a laborer comprise a friendship and a set of issues related to parenting. One dotes on his 9-year old daughter and ignores his high-school son. Another has a teen daughter who wants to date a boy a few years older (who unbeknown to dad, is a gang member wanna-be). One's divorced. One abandoned the girl who got pregnant back in college after she refused to have an abortion. The laborer can barely feed his family.
Like a tear-jerking symphony, the character played by Kendrick has an epiphany following a tragic loss in the family. He comes up with an idea to re-commit himself to parenthood, and asks his friends to hold him accountable. The impressed friends all decide to make the same commitment. Soon, energized by an uplifting musical score, each problem flows toward resolution.
Oh, and there are a bunch of cops chasing armed criminals too.
If mainstream Christianity or the sight of men weeping onscreen turns you off, then buy a ticket to Paranormal 3 and rock out. Otherwise, bring your spouse and kids to a nearby screen and settle in for a theater experience. You'll want to be around other audience members who are laughing and crying while you drink it all in. And afterward, who knows what type of stirring conversation might take place around the table at home?
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