Flywheel (2003) Reviews

• surprisingly good

  shanghai7772005-02-25

  Okay, let's be honest. Low-budget, amateur actors, and a blatant agenda. All this has been commented on. Rather than "getting past" all this, though, I think much of the charm in this movie is in constantly remembering these factors. I have seen dozens of Christian themed movies done with similar talent, technology and budget. Most are disappointing on more than one level. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to put my finger on it, but something about "Flywheel" transcends the genre. I was moved by several scenes; and the performances, while not stellar, were powerful and real. I was nearly asleep when I started watching, and I was captivated for two hours. Part of what held my interest was my awareness that these are not professional filmmakers or actors; watching them grapple with these roles was a treat, and the result is surprisingly satisfying. Once you take it as a given that the goal is to present a particular message, I think you have to hand it to the Kendricks for handling it like they do. Just real enough to be effective; just sanitized enough to make it completely family-friendly. Nothing, wrong, in my mind, with a rawer approach, but given certain self-imposed limitations, an admirable movie. Worth the time, worth the rent, worth a second look

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• Wonderfully Inspiring Movie

  Enrique-Sanchez-562005-11-20

  I happened upon this terrific film tonight and just had to come here to comment on it. Christian Films has outdone themselves in this little gem! It warmed my heart and strengthened my already strong faith in God, and the way He works in our lives. We often think that God has too many big things to do and He doesn't have time for our tiny lives. But that is where we err. God works in big and little things, and brings blessings to our personal worlds when we are patient and have faith in Him. The production values were such that I knew this film would not waste time with special effects or high production values but instead would concentrate its focus upon the message and the story. For me, any consideration over its production were melted away when the simple but inspiring effects of the storyline unfolded. I recommend this movie without reservation to anyone, believers and non-believers. I promise that God will move you. Blessings.

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• A GREAT way to spend two hours.

  iced_light2005-01-07

  Set(and completely filmed)in Albany, Georgia...this film runs for about 120 minutes. It's a GREAT way to spend two hours too. The director, Alex Kendrick, started with a vision, and trusting in God to provide... created a most moving work of art. The budget was definitely VERY small. The production manager, Steve Dapper, actually built the camera dolly from what could be bought at Home Depot. But the dedication! The heart of these people! Spending all hours of the night volunteering all their time and effort to get the scenes just right. I think in the end, they did get it right. I've been privileged to see how much God worked through this film, and...it's been amazing. As others have posted, this film is about a man who reaches a turning point in his life. Consumed with his dishonest work(as a used car salesman) and frustrated at the direction of his personal life, he decides to make a change. In fact, he decides to make the ultimate change....surrendering to Jesus and His will. This film doesn't preach that turning to Jesus means instant gratification in the flesh either....it shows that trusting God isn't always easy...but it's always rewarding. After Jay Austin(the protagonist; played by director and writer, Alex Kendrick) genuinely trusts and offers himself, his car lot, and his family to God...the viewers begin to see the stirring vicissitudes that God composes in Jay's once shattered life. His pregnant wife,(played by Janet Lee Dapper, who really was pregnant while filming. In fact, that's her daughter, Ashlynn Grace, playing the baby at the end) and his young son begin to find the respect they thought they'd lost for him. Then with the support of his wife and other God-honoring men, Jay Austin makes the difficult decision to return ALL of the money he had been ripping off his customers for years. The reactions of the customers vary, finding a balance between the heart-breaking and the humorous. Actually the whole movie is a constant seesaw, with the wholesome comedy on one side, and the emotional rawness on the other. It makes for a beautiful film. Throughout the movie, the viewers are overwhelmed with a sense of relation to Jay's life. Avoiding the "I was once a drunk, drug addict, but now I know Jesus" clichés, this film presents a story that hits QUITE close to home on a lot of levels. The story is powerful and strong. Despite anything that could be said, I truly believe that God has received tremendous amounts of glory from this film and firmly believe that He will continue to. Make sure you look out for "Facing The Giants," Alex Kendrick and Sherwood Production's next film endeavor.

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• Wonderful, Inspiring Movie!

  Not_Deceived2004-12-30

  First, to those who criticize how one comes to Christ (only when their life hits the skids), this happens because of our own foolish pride in thinking that we can manage our lives just fine without God. Only when we see how bad our lives become without Him is we turn our things over to Him, then God will work wonderful things in our lives. This is the theme with the movie. This is true to life, and is not "fantasy". Jay Austin is a "lip service" Christian (someone who claims to believe in Jesus, but doesn't act like it, a hypocrite in other words), who owns a used car lot. He lies to his customers and cheats them when he sells cars. He is a lousy husband and father and his marriage isn't going great. On top of this, his used car business is $32,000 behind to the bank, who threaten to repossess all the cars on the lot. One night while watching t.v., Jay encounters a preacher on television with a message that hits Jay over the head, making him realize what a jerk and dishonest person he's been. Jay repents, and turns his life over to the Lord. God then begins to work out the problems in Jay's life. It is truly inspiring to watch. This movie has a wonderful message, it is very touching. I wanted to cry a couple of times, because the things I've seen portrayed in this movie demonstrates God's love and provision to us in real life, and makes me realize once again, what an awesome God we have! I encourage anyone who reads this review to catch this movie, it's definitely worth checking out! :-D Out of 5 *****, I give it 5 *****.

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• Heartwarming... story triumphs low budget!

  bweston-12004-12-22

  Alright... first of all, the movie was done for a $20k budget. You'll see in the first five minutes that it was shot with a video camera and, while the best that could be done with a prosumer video camera, it just doesn't look like a feature film quality production. Then you get past that and ignore it... that's when God starts working through the film. Alex and Stephen have created a fantastic story here, and one you'll want to share with others. Afterwards, you'll realize, as I did, that they have managed to created a film with $20k that's better than most of the multi-million dollar productions out of Hollywood today. You'll laugh, cry, and more importantly, you'll feel the presence of God in this film. Highly, highly recommended.

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