Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Movie Review: "I Can Only Imagine"

"I Can Only Imagine" is the movie based on the very popular song of the same title. And it follows the life of the lead singer of the band Mercy Me, Bart Millard. The movie basically covers the time from his childhood, through his early band days, to the point of him writing "I Can Only Imagine", one of the most popular Christian songs ever written.

The lead character, Bart Millard, is played by J. Michael Finley, a broadway actor making his film debut in this movie. And he does a great job! The movie also stars Dennis Quaid who does a superb job playing Bart's dad. Dennis Quaid is fantastic in this movie and is very convincing as the controlling and sometimes abusive father. 

Through the movie, Bart struggles with his family life, his goals and desires, and finally ends up doing what he loves, singing. Although his father disapproves, he begins a musical journey and joins a struggling band. They call themselves MercyMe, taken from a saying by Bart's grandmother. Their old tour bus takes them from town to town until they meet up with a manager well played by Trace Adkins. Throughout the movie, Bart struggles with relationships, with his father and his girlfriend, and the haunting memories of his childhood. 

As a musician myself, I thought the movie felt authentic and the story line was captivating, and flowed well. The music and singing is top-notch.  Although the film is full of unfulfilled dreams, broken relationships and heartaches, it has a great ending  - one of reconciliation and redemption. For me, the very last scene was perfect - wow! So bring your tissues, and definitely go see this one! It's a must see, especially if you are a fan of the title song. 

My rating:  9   (out of 10) 




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