REVIEW: War Room

Courtesy of Tri-Star

Alex and Stephen Kendrick have become the masters of modern Christian melodrama. While the genre has been around for decades (Billy Graham’s ministry launched a production company in the early 1950s), it mostly existed under the radar through television movies and straight-to-video releases until the mid-2000s.

That’s when the Kendrick brothers became superstars in evangelical circles with the football drama Facing the Giants, a surprise box office success thanks to good timing and shrewd business instincts – it was the first explicitly Christian film to take advantage of the revolutionary marketing strategy pioneered by The Passion of the Christ. They followed it up with Fireproof and Courageous, which were even bigger hits. Following the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, the brothers tread similar ground with War Room.

The story focuses on Tony (T.C. Stallings) and Elizabeth Jordan (Priscilla C. Shirer), a couple who seem perfect on the surface – great jobs, a wonderful daughter and an awesome house. In actuality, Tony is a workaholic on the brink of an affair and Elizabeth is allowing bitterness to dominate every aspect her life.

But their lives start to change after Elizabeth, a real estate agent, meets her newest client, Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie). The spirited retiree teaches Elizabeth about the power of prayer and the need to establish a “war room” in her home to fight for her family. Over time, Tony notices the change, which leads him to consider his own hidden struggles.

The Kendricks likely have another smash on their hands with War Room. Based on the early screening I attended, which was filled with pastors, deacons and other church leaders, their fans are going to adore it. However, like their previous projects, the movie is literally preaching to the converted. On one level, that’s totally fine – everyone should have movies they can relate to and enjoy.

However, the filmmakers designed War Room as a way to evangelize to non-Christians. On that level, the movie’s a misfire that will likely prove baffling, or – worse yet – laughable, to viewers who didn’t grow up in church (or in “the Christ-haunted South,” as Flannery O’Connor so eloquently called it) and are therefore unfamiliar with church lingo.

It also means the story is hamstrung from a cinematic perspective. Rather than creating characters who speak and behave as if they have their own beliefs and emotions (or even free will), the Kendricks basically reverse-engineer a story that uses them as tools. The duo begins with a sermon they want to deliver, and then create simplistic characters who exist only to serve as mouthpieces for that particular ideology.

It’s a philosophy with good intentions, but movies – like any other art form – aren’t designed to work that way. As a result, Tony, Elizabeth and Miss Clara are essentially walking, talking gospel tracts as opposed to real people. At no point did I fall for the basic magic trick that good films excel at: briefly making me forget what I’m watching is pretend.

Unfortunately, War Room also suffers from another characteristic that’s widespread in evangelical entertainment, namely that because it’s “Christian” we should overlook bad acting, one-dimensional storytelling, shoddy camera work or mediocre production values. The Kendricks’ latest contains all of the above. (Although it’s practically a Best Picture contender when compared to the aggressively spiteful God’s Not Dead, a non-Kendrick movie with a profound ignorance of how college classrooms and the First Amendment work.)

Secular films – be they mainstream blockbusters or low-budget indies – don’t get a pass on these elements, and neither should movies with spiritual themes. As a Christian, I understand the desire to root for the home team. But it’s a double-standard I can’t get away with as a film critic.

To be fair, I’d be remiss if I didn’t single out a few of the movie’s positive traits. Most notably, I appreciate the filmmakers’ ongoing effort to embrace diversity in their casting. The duo has always made an attempt to keep their stories from appearing overly monochromatic, but it really shows here.

Performance-wise, Abercrombie and Alex Kendrick, as Tony’s boss (in addition to directing), are surprisingly strong. He seems to be learning that he’s better in small roles. Also, the movie’s third act – while shamelessly manipulative – works like gangbusters.

For some readers, the big takeaway from this review will be “that writer just hates Jesus movies,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are plenty of outstanding films that grapple with Christian themes in compelling ways, while also not assuming their viewers have grown up in Sunday school. I highly recommend checking out The Apostle, The Second Chance, Blue Like Jazz, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Groundhog Day, The Green Mile and The Matrix, just to name a few.

Those with more eclectic tastes should also give Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ a chance. All of these films excel at getting viewers to think deeper about their beliefs and preconceived notions, rather than just telling the audience what it wants to hear.

War Room is rated PG for thematic elements throughout.

Grade: C