I have to say that Jesus Revolution is one of the better Christian movies that I have seen. The thing that drew me to this was the inclusion of Kelsey Grammer who I am a huge fan of as well as the late 60s early 70s rock and roll setting. It turned out to be a wholesome and entertaining drama that I would happily recommend to anyone.
How to Download Jesus Revolution
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review, check the current availability, and make your choice. If you like Christian films, check out also Lifemark, Redeeming Love, and I Can Only Imagine.
The Movie Review
While I guess we would have to put Jesus Revolution in the “faith-based” category. I do feel that is doing the movie a disservice, yes it is heavily themed around Christianity and faith. However, the ultimate message that I got from this was one of love and being good and kind to each other.
It is not a movie where those who do have faith on their side are perfect. Far from it actually, this movie is not scared to show people as flawed individuals, even those who are Christians. Even if you have no interest in faith or learning about how Jesus can save you and that type of thing, this movie succeeds as a feel-good story.
The setting is the late 60s and pastor Chuck Smith who has a ministry in southern California is worried about the dwindling numbers of his ministry as he cannot connect to the youth. Chuck Smith is a very interesting character and the portrayal by Kelsey Grammer is a real highlight of the movie.
Things would change for pastor Smith quite radically. His daughter meets a young man called Lonnie Frisbee who is a preacher in his own way, a hippie preacher who is all about peace, love, and rock and roll! Another main player is high school student Greg Laurie who runs away from home, ends up at a rock concert with a lot of drug taking, and ends up finding his way to the ministry that Lonnie and Chuck are running together.
Together Lonnie and Chuck grow this new ministry that is different from all the rest. It is a more rock and roll kind of ministry that really does capture the attention of the youth and it leads to a huge boost in the popularity of the ministry. It is all done with a lot of style and the setting allows them to have a pretty rocking soundtrack too.
The way that the relationship between Lonnie and Chuck grows and how they drift apart at some point is all handled very well. It actually made me interested in reading or watching more about these men as their story was very interesting. I think that the incredible performances were a huge part of the reason I got so connected to this.
I know that when some people hear the term “faith-based” they are automatically not wanting anything to do with it. I would say that if there is one faith-based movie that is not as on the nose as they can sometimes be, this is it. What we have here is just a well-written and well-acted story that is all about love and acceptance.
