Last Ounce of Courage Movie Review

Originally posted 09/21/12

Yippee! Yesterday we went to see our second "conservative" movie this week! Only this time it could not be labeled as a homeschool social study so us older kids had to pay :0/, and this time we stayed outside the theater room while the previews were playing :0). I was very excited entering the theater to see this movie but left the place two hours later feeling a tad disappointed. I expected a rousing message through this film that would call all true Americans to take a stand for their faith, families, and freedoms.... this movie fell considerably below my expectations.

Here is the synopsis for the Last Ounce of Courage:

A grieving father is inspired by his grandson to take a stand for faith and freedom against a tide of apathy and vanishing liberty. Alongside fellow citizens of courage, faith, and integrity, he is a champion for the cherished principles we the people hold dear.

A rousing synopsis is it not? One would guess that this movie would be awesome. You would expect this champion to call his fellow citizens around him to repent and fall on their knees before the Lord, and to take a stance on all the big political and social issues like Homosexuality, abortion, the removing of Christ from Christmas, and schools banning prayer... stuff like that. Well did the champion, or rather the small band of champions, do these things? Well, kinda. The whole movie was basically centered on putting Christ back in Christmas, a just cause to be sure, but what about the other issues of homosexuality and abortion? Not one single mention to either issue. What about boldly proclaiming the name of Christ? Yes, the champion in the movie did this several times during news interviews and later raised a cross with "Jesus saves" on it! But he never really shared his faith on a personal level with others. Also there were several rather corny elements to this movie that really tampered with the message and made it almost like a "feel-good" type of movie. Probably the corniest part being about an old guy who we see pop up several times during the movie. In one of the scenes this guy helps the main character when he is in jail by giving him a radio to listen to a Christmas play in which the main character's grandson gives a touching speech. The only hitch to this is that the play was not on the radio, the old guy disappears before the main character can thank him, and when the main character asks the jailer who the old guy in the cell next to him was the jailer replies, "there never was a man in that cell." Later we see this same old man wave to the main character before with a glow he vanishes.

On a lesser note do not expect to get awed by the actors or quality of this movie. The actors do their jobs well, but the cinematography is definitely a step below the big company movies. In the end I think we need to cut them some slack on this though. As far as I know this is the company's first movie, so it is on the level of Flywheel, Sherwood Picture's first movie. There is definitely room to improve.

Overall I would say this movie is 55% inspirational, 25% of a tear-jerker (you will cry several times), 15% corny, and 5% unprofessional.

So in the end you need to see this movie and support it. Close your eyes tight and pay the insane amount of money to see it in theaters, or even better buy it on the first weekend it comes out on DVD. You will be (mostly) glad that you did.