TERRY MCMILLAN PRESENTS: PREACH, PRAY, LOVE
A fallen rapper finds faith, redemption, and unexpected love.
Should You Watch It?
Skip this one. The movie follows Charlie, a rapper who finds faith in prison and gets a second chance at life. When she meets Pastor Kyrus, she also finds love as the two bond over their shared faith. While the message is laudable, this one doesn’t have enough story to justify its runtime.
Charlie and Kyrus almost immediately start a relationship, which takes any potential suspense out of their romance. Charlie’s struggles to stay sober and faithful aren’t very interesting to watch; aside from one scene, Charlie never really seems to struggle to adjust to her new life, which, again, doesn’t make for an interesting watch.
The plot drags on, with characters repeating the same conversations over and over, and no one really changing their minds or positions until the very end, which makes the climax feel undeserved.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter serving time in prison for a DUI, rapper Charlie Mega seeks a second chance at life, armed with her sobriety and her newfound faith. When she meets Pastor Kyrus, sparks fly, and the pair bond over their struggles. Charlie wants to make music she believes in, and Kyrus aims to build his congregation and prove his seriousness about his work. However, their friends and coworkers do not think the relationship is a good idea, and as things intensify, Charlie and Kyrus question whether their love is worth destroying their careers.
Is It Any Good?
One star for a movie that struggles to make its heartfelt story about faith and redemption interesting. Charlie has a compelling backstory, but the movie never shows her wrestling with her faith or sobriety. Her relationship with Kyrus also takes off almost immediately, with their friends and coworkers as the only real obstacles. Without meaningful conflict or visible struggles, the story drags.
The climax feels equally unearned. The movie spends much of its runtime on concerns about how the relationship might affect their careers, then resolves that conflict in the final five minutes with little explanation. Their friends and coworkers suddenly support the couple, but the script never shows what prompts that change of heart.
A heartfelt message about redemption and standing firm in faith, is marred by a bland, repetitive script leaves this romance with little spark or substance. Skip thus one and spend your time on a romance with more heart, substance, and staying power.
The Worldview
A strong Christian worldview drives the story. Characters discuss their faith, attend church, quote Scripture, pray, and hold firm to their beliefs. Charlie embraces her faith in prison and refuses to deny it, even after her label demands she abandon Christian music and ultimately drops her.
Kyrus also holds a strong faith. When his friends and coworkers call Charlie’s church attendance a publicity stunt, Kyrus defends her and reminds them that everyone deserves redemption.
The movie contains some strong language, and Charlie mentions her past drug and alcohol use in several conversations. Characters drink alcohol in some scenes, and in two scenes characters hold joints but never smoke them.
The movie also depicts some immoral behavior, as Kyrus’ coworkers treat Charlie unkindly and call her faith fake. In the end, Charlie’s story reflects the promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17, as the old life passes away and Christ makes her a new creation.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
A strong Christian worldview, with characters discussing their faith, attending church, reading the Bible, praying, and choosing their faith over everything. There is also a strong emphasis on redemption, with one character telling others “everyone is deserving of redemption”;
Foul Language
Six obscenities, including two “b” words, thre “d” words, and one “h” word, and one OMG profanity;
Violence
No violence;
Sex
A couple kiss several times;
Nudity
No nudity;
Alcohol Use
The main character is arrested for drunk-driving and recalls her past drinking as a teenager. Characters are shown drinking alcohol
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
The main character talks about smoking marijuana in the past, two scenes show characters holding joints, but they ultimately reject the drugs and no one is shown smoking; and,
Miscellaneous Immorality
A character's coworkers at the church are suspicious of the main character and accuse her of faking her faith, a rival pastor spreads photos of the two main characters spending time together to his congregation in an effort to convince them he is an unfit leader.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Charlie receives a second chance at life following her release from prison and commitment to faith and sobriety. Why is redemption like this such an important part of our relationship with God? Lamentations 3:22-23
Kyrus’ coworkers at the church are suspicious of Charlie and don’t trust that her faith is real, as they still think of her as a hard-partying rapper. What does it mean that God still loves us while we are sinners, rather than waiting for us to clean up our lives first? Romans 5:8
Charlie chooses her faith over her music career, leaving her label to make faith-based music. What does it look like to choose faith as a daily, practical decision, even when it’s hard? Joshua 24:15
The Final Word
PREACH, PRAY, LOVE promotes a strong message of faith and redemption, but a weak script squanders it. Clumsy dialogue and thin characters drain the power from Charlie’s conversion, while foul language, talk of substance abuse, and other immorality make the movie unsuitable for children. The Good News deserves a better storyteller, so skip this one.
