The Gospel

The Gospel starring Boris Kodjoe, was the 2005 version about the prodigal son. Kodjoe played the son of a pastor who was very dedicated to his church. His father’s dedication took away from the time he was supposed to spend with his family, and led to him being absent when his wife suddenly passed away. Kodjoe’s character was very involved in the church and became a youth minister. When his mother passed away he turned away from the church and his father. Fifteen years later became a huge R&B star, singing secular music. He returns home after hearing news that his father is sick and deals with the conflict of becoming involved with the church and then going back to his not-so-holy lifestyle. He faces other issues with love and past friends who chose to stay in the church, and he appears to go through a soul-searching experience.
I would give this movie a 2.5 on a 5 point rating scale. The message was clear, and the movie was predictable. The message was a good one, but the story line and acting quality could have been so much stronger. It was unclear for the most part how spiritual some of the characters actually were. The movie tried too hard to have a happy ending, which led some of the plots that were actually interesting into the clich category, and made the movie preachy instead of realistic. The majority of the movie was centered around gospel songs made famous by such artists as Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond. The music sections were way too long, and didn’t work well with the plot of the movie.
As a spiritual person, I was able to see that the message of this movie was that it is never too late to dedicate your life to God, and that no matter what you have done in your life, you are God’s child, and He will accept you with open arms. I was able to appreciate the message, but I don’t think that people who don’t have a spiritual background would be too affected by the movie. Spiritual movies are made to teach, entertain and enlighten, and this movie was more about entertainment with a spiritual theme. I recommend that people should see the movie because there are some parts that make it worth watching, however, if you don’t have too much money… save your $10.00 and wait to rent it on DVD.