Confessions Of A Prodigal Son and A Giveaway

We recently received a copy of the NEW DVD, Confessions of a Prodigal Son. My husband and I love watching family friendly movies and he offered to review this for you. Here's what he thought.

I expected more.

The premise of young Sean searching for meaning and direction in life, unable to see the hypocrisy of asserting his individuality while rapidly depleting the college fund provided by his parents, is rich with potential. The acting is good and the characters are [mostly] not stereotypical.

I think what's missing is drama. The situations presented are not stressful enough on the characters – the emotional reactions rarely seem strong enough. In this production, life is compared to a story. At one point, the main character says that good stories have shooting and explosions. I kept waiting for them, hoping for a relief from all the conversations, introspection and binge drinking. When we finally get **SPOILER ALERT** an automobile accident involving Sean, what could have been traumatic was bland. True, life's greatest moments and decisions are not usually characterized by spectacle, but this is dramatic fiction, not a biography.

A serious flaw in he telling of this tale is the “narrated” commentary by Sean about life as a story. It is not made clear whether we are hearing this in retrospect or if it represents his thoughts, possibly as written in a class assignment. They are presented as profound insight to be pondered by the viewer, but why should we take them seriously when they are voiced by someone who is living life so foolishly?

I was also offended by the “sermon scene” in which the pastor announces that he is abandoning his prepared message based on the Bible so that he can speak from his heart, then presents a talk based on how he feels, with no reference to Scripture, that presents an oversimplified concept of God which would raise all sorts of questions if compared to the Bible. For which he is complimented after the service.

The pastor is portrayed by Kevin Sorbo, best known for the television series Hercules [1995 - 1999]. In criticizing the poor sermon he delivered, I mean no disrespect to him; his acting is top-notch here. Actress Rachael Lee is also excellent in her portrayal of a woman whose search for meaning is often more interesting than Sean's.

Besides the lack of action and excitement, the real turn-off for me was that feeling that the main character didn't suffer enough. We're supposed to believe that he's way off course in life, and reaping dire consequences – but the tale would have been much more gripping if Sean had faced harsher circumstances, and seemed more miserable, like the young man in the parable which inspired the film's title. I felt like I was watching the Slacker Dude, not the Prodigal Son, which may be why I found myself hoping for an explosion or train wreck to stir things up.

Despite my husband not really liking the movie, I thought it was okay. It was a little slow, but it was family friendly and something that you could use to encourage your kids to do what is right.

You can purchase a copy of Confessions of a Prodigal Son HERE!

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We received samples of the products for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed here are those of the author.