The Kendrick Way

At the end of May, I wrote a post on what’s wrong with Christian films, and noted there are many examples of good films and promised to write more in the future. Well, the future has arrived. In coming weeks, I hope to talk about some of my favorite Independent Christian films, and I’ll start out with perhaps the most successful Independent Christian Filmmakers: The Kendrick Brothers.

The Kendricks came on the scene in 2003 with Flywheel, which, on a budget of $20,000, was a hit in local theaters and became big on Cable TV and in rentals. This led to Facing the Giants, a film with a $100,000 budget that made over $10 million. Then last year, on a half million dollar budget, they released Fireproof and grossed $33 million at the box office.

The Kendricks would be millionaires, I guess, if the proceeds didn’t go back to their church to help the church and the community. What is so right with the Kendrick brothers’ films? Three things come to mind:

1) No Pretentiousness

One big fault with many Christian films is they take on projects beyond the film maker’s budget. Movies end up looking unintentionally cheesy when its clear that the film makers really are out of their capabilities.

The Kendricks and Sharewood productions, in contrast, have taken on relatively simple characters: A dishonest car dealer, a struggling football coach, and a firefighter with his marriage on the rocks.

Like many Christian productions, the actors are mostly amateurs, but what makes the Kendrick films interesting is how they cast their actors.  As they know they’re not dealing with professional actors, they have roles assigned to people with similar personalities as the characters they’re playing. The result is, while lines may not be delivered perfectly, the acting feels genuine because, to an extent, most of the actors are playing themselves.

I think this has a good effect when words of wisdom and faith are delivered by supporting characters. You believe them because it’s believable for this person to be telling you that.

The cast’s genuineness spills out with a lot Southern warmth and humor, that comes directly from the setting of the Kendricks movies in Albany, Georgia.

The Kendricks make no pretensions about their films being up to Hollywood snuff. They don’t fake it. They don’t tell you they’re somebody they’re not.

But if the movies aren’t Hollywood production quality, what makes them so popular? Perhaps the key to understanding their secret is a Greek-Irish dance duo called Stavros Flatley.

2) Emotional/Spiritual Connection

Stavros Flatley was a father and son team on the most recent season of Britain’s Got Talent.  You could see a good father-son relationship on stage, a joy of dancing, and a total lack of self-consciousness about their looks. They made it all the way to the finals. After their finals performance, Simon Cowell talked about how some “snobbish” critics had attacked the success of Stavros Flatley in making the finals.

Cowell explained it this way. “It’s all about the way you make people feel, and you make people feel good.”

The secret of the Kendricks movies is that, while the acting may not be superior, the movies connect with people in their hopes, dreams, and faith.  When I’m feeling discouraged, there’s no better movie to watch than “Facing the Giants,” particularly the “Death Crawl” scene (which has got to rank among the best sport scenes ever in terms of raw power.) When I see, “Flywheel” it gives me hope for loved ones who have gotten away from God.

Many of the critics operate under the mistaken assumption the Kendricks’ films are for them. It’s really about the audience and how the films connect on an emotional and spiritual level.

Of course, the greatest key to the Kendricks’ film is….

3) The Movie’s Hero

Who’s the hero in the Kendrick’s brothers films? The lead role in the first two films was played by Alex Kendrick. In the third film, the role went to Kirk Cameron. But the ultimate hero of the story is none other than God himself.

The Kendricks’ leads are not larger than life. They are not self-made men. The movies are not a tale of their exploits. Each movie centers on the faithfulness of God.

Critics have claimed that the films preach a gospel where all problems are solved by coming to Jesus. This is not what the Kendricks were going for, nor is it what the films teach. The films don’t teach, “If you follow God, your life will be perfect.” Rather they teach that God is faithful.

The difference is important. To say that nothing bad will happen is to deny reality. Human experience is full of lost jobs, heartache, death of children, and disease. To say that God is faithful is to say that God is with you and will not leave you, that he has a plan and a purpose. All of the Kendricks’ heroes suffer and eventually reach a point of agreeing to follow God regardless of what happens. Coach Taylor in Facing the Giants said it best, “If we win, we’ll praise him. If we lose, we’ll praise him.”

God can be faithful through all kinds of circumstances. A job may be lost, but God has another plan. A child may die, but God can bring peace and strength to carry on.  The films speak a basic truth. Not that God came to make life easy, but that God cares and will be with us in what we go through. It is that hope that speaks to the heart of the believer that truly has made the Kendricks films successful where many better-financed efforts have faltered.