War Room

Once in a while we are presented with an inspirational film to stir the cobwebs out of our respective comfort zones so we can see that maybe, just maybe there is more to life than our own 'stuff' i.e. jobs, families, friends, vacations, hobbies, etc. Hey, there really needs to be something to keep us in check, and in the past there have been several films in which to test us: "Facing the Giants", "Fireproof", "Courageous", "Soul Surfer" the recent "Faith of Our Fathers" to mention a handful. So we have, yet another film to keep us in that 'check' mode in the form of "War Room".

Filled with heart, humor and wit, this story follows Tony and Elizabeth Jordan (T.C. Stallings and Priscilla Shirer), a couple who seemingly have it all--great jobs, a beautiful daughter, Danielle (Alena Pitts), their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, their marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With guidance from Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), an older, wiser woman who Elizabeth has as a client in which to represent the sale of Clara's house as realtor, Elizabeth discovers, through Clara, that she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. As the power of prayer and Elizabeth's newly energized faith transform her life, will Tony join the fight and become the man he knows he needs to be? Together, their real enemy doesn't have a prayer.

Others to round out the cast are Michael Jr. as Michael, a buddy of Tony's, Beth Moore as Mandy, Alex Kendrick as Coleman Young, Tony's boss, Tenae Downing as Veronica Drake, Jadi Harris as Jennifer Stephens, Danielle's friend, Dave Blamy as Tom Stafford and Kathleen Dellinger as Melissa.

This was directed with just the right amount of heart and humor in all the strategic places by Alex Kendrick ("Flywheel" '03, "Facing the Giants" '06, "Fireproof" '08, "Courageous" '11). Being the king of the Christian film genre, this guy knows a thing or two about this topic. Certainly being a Christian doesn't hurt, because he is then able to present to his audience different scenarios and characters in which prayer and God can repair lives, which makes it more believable. It was crafted well by writer brothers, Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick who have written all the aforementioned films. It's well thought out and the script flows extremely naturally where the two hour time slot moved right along. The story is a great story whether you be a Christian or not, because it gives the the Christian that shot-in-the-arm they need so as to be humbled enough so they can be used by the Lord more effectively, and it's equally effective for the non-believer in that it gives one so much to truly think about without the concern of being 'bible-thumped'. Where can one find a film today that is informational, convicting and entertaining all at the same time in certain parts of a film? Well, this does just that and more. I also have to say that Karen Abercrombie who played Miss Clara was simply a hoot! Where did these brothers find her? Her character was one that, even if you didn't agree with some of what she was conveying, you still just love her demeanor and passion.

This is a film for one and all to see, whether you're six or ninety-six, whether male or female, because, at the end of the day, if we are seriously honest with ourselves, we can't solve our problems on our own--or more people would be more together, but rather, there is a God that loves us so much that as we reach out to Him, as these people did in this film, we will eventually be the happy people that the Lord desires us to be.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                              Rated: PG                                120mins.