Overall Thoughts: Faith-based musical attempt is flawed, but fun, upbeat and sincere.
When I first heard about A Week Away, I was very intrigued. I've seen some very good Christian movies, and some that weren't very good. But the idea of a faith-driven movie musical was very interesting. And at the same time, I'm kinda surprised no one had tried to do one before. Yes, I've seen many on stage (the Sight and Sound theater is a very popular example on my side of the country), but none on film.
But, I was a little disappointed that the songs used weren't exactly original. Now, I do want to clear this up, this is NOT intended to disrespect the songs used here (many of which are great songs). Maybe it's just me, but I love a good original musical. So, in some odd way, A Week Away becomes the faith-based version of...Trolls?!
That weird comparison aside, I have to say, a good majority of the song choices here surprised me in a good way. I loved hearing "I'm Diving In", "The Great Adventure" and "Place in this World" here, as they were songs I loved hearing growing up. And the mash-up of "Awesome God" and "God Only Knows" is extremely well-done and hits the intended emotional notes. Not everything works, however. The inclusion of "My Father's House" as a montage song didn't really work. Yes, its' another one I remember very fondly from Sunday School, but it just felt out of place with the setting. A couple of other songs are also too randomly-placed.
The characters, in the meantime, are mostly really good also. Kevin Quinn does a nice job with the emotional layers behind Will, while Bailee Madison is even more impressive here as Avery. She's come quite a ways since her days as a child actress in movies such as Bridge to Terabithia and Parental Guidance. She shines in a couple of emotional moments, and has a good singing voice to boot.
Jahbril Cook steals the show as best friend George, and Sherri Shepherd and David Koechner make for hysterical camp counselors. Speaking of humor, there's some really humorous moments here too. I was most impressed by some really clever movie references (mostly courtesy of George). Also, be on the lookout for a couple of cameos.
However, I will admit that the film is very predictable. You can see the story beats coming from a mile away, and it pretty much plays out as expected. However, that doesn't quite diminish the film's emotional scenes either. Also, one character follows the "popular kid" trope a little too much. Except for maybe the ending, the portrayal is so stereotypical it gets pretty annoying at times. Finally, I wish we could have seen a bit more of Will's backstory besides a very quick heist.
You can tell A Week Away is aiming for the Disney Channel crowd. It has the sugarcoated, lighthearted feel (not to mention the teenage crushing) of High School Musical, Zombies and Camp Rock. But, that's not exactly a bad thing. The filmmaking team still infuses plenty of heart and fun to the proceedings that will likely win over many viewers.
For me, I'm happy a film like this exists. Now, it is far from a classic on first watch. But, A Week Away is still an engaging, entertaining effort that does solidly succeed in bringing faith front-and-center to the musical genre.
Grade: B
Is this movie family friendly? A Week Away is rated TV-PG. There's not much here that is deterring for family audiences. Occasionally, an inappropriate movie (at least for younger kids) is referenced (Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, for example). Occasionally, there's a low-cut outfit. Will is seen running from the police at the beginning. We hear about death a couple of times. One character has a major ego issue. "Sucks" is the worst we hear in terms of language. In the end, this is clean and fun for families with 2nd and 3rd graders on up.
