A faith-based film that doesn’t have problems because of a low budget, amateur direction, cheap production values, disingenuous argument, or a misplaced persecution complex? No, this is a well-produced film that suffers from the usual problems a lot of films have: it’s overly long and poorly paced.

Jesus Revolution tells the true story of how thousands of hippies in the late 60s turned to Jesus and kick-started a religious revival. Kelsey Grammer stars as the square preacher who realizes these long hairs are onto something with their peace, love, and understanding thing.

This movie is alright… until it gets into the second and third acts where it loses focus and struggles to find compelling drama. I lost interest in the low-stakes conflicts. It’s commendable the film doesn’t create overwrought drama or introduce straw men… but the minor conflicts they do have just aren’t very compelling, especially so late in the film.

I can think of some fire-and-brimstone types, some judgemental jerks, and on-paper Christians who might be well-services by a movie that promotes a different version of their religion. You know, one that actually promotes peace, love, and understanding, even for long-haired lefty outcasts.

I was reminded of some of the lyrics from the trucker song Convoy:

Well, we shot the line and we went for broke
With a thousand screamin’ trucks
And eleven long-haired Friends of Jesus
In a chartreuse micro-bus

This film has merit and is pretty watchable even if it gets a little long in the tooth. It’s hardly a perfect film and could have used better drama and/or some editing. But it’s well made and feels like a real movie.

Score: 73