Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.It's dogma and drama that drive the new Christian-based film Courageous...and there's way too much of both present. As for the latter, we get saddled with a suffocating story involving law enforcement officers, a random Mexican immigrant, and a dead daughter. It's then transformed into a kind of callous Sermon on the Cinematic Mount. Instead of positing that life is too short and that it should be valued greatly, the flawed fallback position of Born Again religious ferocity arrives in full force, leading grown men to weep openly about their lack of parenting skills while applying that silly social salve -- What Would Jesus Do?
Apparently, Christ would chase gang members through the streets of Albany, Georgia while contemplating his final place in Heaven. That's the main thrust of this narrative, as policeman Adam Mitchell (co-writer/director Alex Kendrick) tries to cope with the loss of his beloved child. Having died before he could have a final dance with her, the tragedy begins to tear a hole in the rest of the family as well as the fabric of his friendships with buddies Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel), David Thomson (Ben Davies), and Shane Fuller (Kevin Downes). What to do? Well, vow to become a better dad to his remaining kid, as well as do what any right thinking person would -- sign a pledge contract to guarantee such a stance.
From then on it's more racially insensitive stereotypes and blatant Bible-thumping hysterics. Kendrick, who has been responsible for all four films in the Sherwood Baptist Church's growing repertoire (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof being the others) is like a white Tyler Perry. He favors filling his plotlines with as many melodramatic dilemmas and character cliches as possible. Then, he hammers everything home with a sacred sledgehammer. However, unlike his African-American better, Kendrick fails to apply any brakes. There's no comedy, no clever way of delivering the word to the novice or nonbeliever. Instead, Courageous calculates that it will take you a little over two hours to find your inner faith, and then it goes about boring you during the achingly arduous search.As with many religion-oriented efforts, questions of spirituality are quickly replaced with mandates from the Maker. Men are considered the hand of the Lord within the community while women precariously walk the path between liberated and limited to the kitchen. Everything else is adversity -- or a misguided Hispanic waiting for the Word. While this kind of simplified social view wins points with an audience ill prepared to deal with something akin to reality, it renders Courageous a well-meaning but misguided parable. It's not a reflection of life as it actually is. Instead, it's a dumbed down dreamscape where all problems can be solved by moralizing...and a whole lot of prayer.
Instead of striving for balance, finding a way to make such blatant preaching palatable to the general populace, this is pure propaganda, clamoring to the converted in a way that makes for a stilted message and even less effective entertainment. Unless you are one of those saved viewers who immediately toss their hand into the air in order to link directly with your compassionate co-pilot, this entire experience will be a chore, like an even more arch episode of the 700 Club. Kendrick is not out to win over the heathen. Instead, he lets the overall experience recreate a kind of Hell for the skeptic.
Had the narrative been less whiny about God and given us more reasons to embrace Him, Courageous might have worked. Without a doubt, the plight of the police officer is more than enough to invest in a bit of celluloid soul searching. Sadly, this particular Gospel is not very good.
