Started strong, but then what's the point?

The beginning of the movie was interesting and intriguing. But after that, it really all got lost and rushed and confused. So what is the reason Octavia's character can't go to Florida? She just says she can't in tears then in the epilogue there she is all happy by her family. What's the point of her struggle with her family then?

What does Brand's character even want to do in life? Who is he? All we know is that he really likes to sleep around and he's a bartender. And he's being unusually nice to Lamb. So who is he really?

The prostitute- How did this teach her that everyone has scars? Of course prostitutes are damaged but how did Lamb know this? She knows nearly nothing about prostitution or how it's just something people are forced into a lot of time because they feel they have no other option. The prostitute never opened up to Lamb or was anything less than slightly rude to her, so I'm not sure how she got this profound message from her.

Lamb's journey felt confused and rushed. What WAS her journey, anyway? At first it seemed that she was just trying to get out of her small-minded town and experience what life really has to offer her.. But then she just did the "bad" things that Vegas had to offer and hated it. The only thing she liked was the zip lining. And then suddenly she admits that she was just mad at God and she's moving passed that and goes back home to her family to reconcile. So really, all her Vegas trip seemed to be was a waste of time. Nothing REALLY happened there. She just finally admitted that she was just mad at God, not truly questioning Him, which she could've figured out at home. I also really don't understand the fiancé part. She finally reveals that she had a fiancé who died in the plane with her, the only thing she really has to say about him is that "he really was a good pilot" and "I guess you'd call him my fiancé". That DEFINITELY could've been explored more. Did she not really know what love was? Was he just being pushed on her like everything else in that town was? It's hard to say because she spoke somewhat positively about him.

It just felt like I was going to watch a real journey and real things happen but nothing did. Plus, at the beginning the story looked sort of like an edgy, realizing who you are, self-journey type of thing. But then at the end it took a random turn and made the whole thing sellable as a Christian movie opposed to an edgy, modern Diablo Cody movie. I am a Christian myself so I'm not saying it's bad that it had a Christian message, but it was very random, unexpected, and out of place I think.

Also, for those wondering why Julianne was cast, I know one thing's for sure: She has already played this character in several aspects twice. In Footloose she was a small town girl from a very close minded town where religion was being forced upon them and she was once a good girl but then she began rebelling, doing anything to get out.
Then there's Rock of Ages where her character is a good girl from a small town who can sing well and her grandma encourages her to get out so she goes to Hollywood and it's a lot different than she expected and not as glamorous and nice but she needs something new yada yada.

So it's very possible that whoever made the decision saw that she already has experience playing a very similar character.