My Second Chance Review!!

When you’re a Christian boy, who’s outlook is a little skewed friends can be pretty hard to come by. In those moments of loneliness, when the television can’t fill your time. You sometimes turn to the voices that make so much sense. For me it was Michael W. Smith and Steve Taylor. Smith I discovered when I was 10. His album Go West Young Man wore out my cassette player. I knew every word and sang every song, I’d even put on silly little concerts in my room. The simple lyrics touched me, encouraged me, and I also found that at Bible camp if you can learn all those Michael W. Smith songs the girls will pay attention to you. My early teens were shaped by these lyrics and forever changed my world view.

But alas we grow up, my Christian tapes were thrown into a drawer and Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana became the music I rocked out too. I really started doubting if any of this religion stuff was worth a hill of beans and then Christmas 1994 came and I opened a brightly colored package that had an unusual video in it. It was Steve Taylor’s concept video called "NOW THE TRUTH CAN BE TOLD" it introduced me to a man who was one part Lenny Bruce, One part the Clash, and three parts John the Baptist. Steve Taylor was the one man I wanted to be like, the one man whose music answered questions and convicted me. I tell you I never would have survived my teenage years without him and we’ve never even met.

Then I grew up I got into Christian Radio and I have had an opportunity to meet many of the stars in the genre. I’ve eaten lunch with Greg Long, had Bart Millard sign a banana I sold on Ebay, and I’m on hugging terms with Steven Curtis Chapman. But when I got to meet Michael W. Smith at Radio City Music Hall, all I could say over and over again was it was an honor to meet you as my knees shook. I had become a thirteen year boy again. Don’t ask me about what happened when I sat five feet away from Steve Taylor at a lunch sponsored by the film I’m about to review. I was stuck in some pointless icebreaker exercise and I thought it would be rude to jump up and cause a scene, also I was shaking so much I don’t know what I would have said if I met him anyway. So alas I haven’t gotten to talk to him yet. But one day I may be able too and that would be awesome.

All this to say I have been eagerly awaiting THE SECOND CHANCE. A film that was written and directed by Taylor and starring Smith. Imagine my two childhood heroes making a film together. It was too much for me to bear. Unfortunately my job pulled me away from the New Jersey premiere so I borrowed the DVD screener from work and watched it with my wife as the New York Metropolitan area got hit with 2 feet of snow.

THE SECOND CHANCE follows Ethan Jenkins (Michael W. Smith) a suburban pastor whose life is just getting comfortable. He had a successful recording career that ended in rehab, and has since taken the associate pastor gig at The Rock, his fathers mega-church deep in the heart of suburbia. When Ethan’s methods get in the way of the church boards plans he is sent to The Second Chance Community Church. It’s a small inner city church Ethan’s father started when Ethan was a child and he’s there to learn and observe. Second Chance is in the middle of the inner city and is presided over by Pastor Jake (Jeff Carr), a former pro basketball player who is trying to save his community from the plight of gangs and drugs. Its an uphill battle and he sees Ethan as just another suburban do-gooder that will leave when the going gets tough. Can these men work together? Will Ethan stick with Pastor Jake? Or will other insidious plans cause a rift in the ‘hood?

THE SECOND CHANCE is a film with very lofty goals. It’s a film that reveals one of the biggest problems that is plaguing the Christian Church in America: racial and class seperation. There is a problem with terms like "Black Church" and "White Church." and "Rich Church" and "Poor Church." They’re false. There is only one church and we all should be invited. Ethan and Jake are two souls caught in the middle. Ethan is out of his comfort zone at Second Chance and Jake is tired of the Suburban church throwing money at his neighborhood problems and not helping out. Does the Second Chance film succeed in opening our eyes to the problems in our own backyard? It does.

Director Taylor fills his film with rich colorful characters. But at times his actors can’t get into them. For instance I particularly loved the sassy women playing the choir leader. She has such a small role and yet she fills it with color and realism. Other performers just aren’t as skilled and the dialogues they have sound like dialogue and not real life conversations.

As for the two leads, Smith and Carr give competent performances. Both are first time film actors and against the odds grow into their characters. There are a few moments early on that felt a little wooden but as the film progresses I bought their relationship, and them as the characters.

The major flaw with the film is the long winded first act. The script dumps a lot of plot conflict on the story and the long walk around the ‘hood confused me a little. But then there is this scene with Smith, a small child, and a paper plate. WOW! Taylor and Smith nail it. This was a small moment in a lot of disjointed clutter that was perfect. I hoped for more honest moments like that and they definitely came. If you are a Christian and are not moved by the foot washing scene that comes later in the film I’d doubt your faith (oh I’m just kidding).

I also liked that the film had a good natured sense of humor. There were moments when I saw Taylor’s wit and good natured ribbing poking out. Trust me you won’t look at prayer and a lottery ticket the same way again.

But how will this admittedly "Christian Film" play to the unchurched masses? I don’t really know. It feels more like an exhortation to the Christian Community and I wonder how someone on the outside would be able to follow it. That is not a negative. If this film gets the Christian community to enter into a discussion about how to fix a great divide between the rich and poor, between the Black Church and the White Church, then I applaud it. But it is also a good look into what goes on inside the Christian community and may cause those who don’t quite understand to ask questions and there is nothing wrong with dialogue.

THE SECOND CHANCE is not a perfect film, but it tries and it has guts. Moreover its watchable and more importantly honest. I liked it an applaud all involved. Now everyone go to Amazon.com and clean them out of Chagall Guevara CD’s, this was Taylor’s early 90's rock band. Trust me it’s the greatest album ever recorded.

Check out my other film reviews at http://blog.myspace.com/davidadein