"If you believe, then the question is, what are you going to do about it?"
The movie is a collection of stories about 12 different people. A homeless mom named Samantha (Oscar winner Mira Sorvino) and her daughter are taken in by a kind stranger named Joe (Brian Bosworth). An EMT named Bobby (Liam Matthews) is under condemnation for sharing the Gospel with a dying man, to the disagreement of his wife Elena (Valerie Dominguez). Meanwhile, Elena's brother Carlos (Joseph Julian Soria) is pondering suicide after developing PTSD from a bad military experience, before becoming friends with a girl with similar ambitions named Lacy (Spy Kids' Alexa PenaVega). A doubting doctor (Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin) and his girlfriend attorney (Andrea Logan White) ponder the motivation of Christians, while a pastor (Ted McGinley) and his wife (Tracy Melchior) take in a young woman about to give birth to a child (The Game Plan's Madison Pettis). Meanwhile, two brothers, nicknamed Kriminal and Pretty Boy (Senyo Amoaku and Shwayze) plot a crime to give their family the boost they need, and an elderly couple (Cybill Shepherd and Lee Majors) try to find the courage to move on from their daughter's unexpected passing.
Perhaps even more so than God's Not Dead, Do You Believe? has some surprisingly very strong acting. The best actor here, though, in my opinion, was Bosworth. Playing who Samantha's daughter considers a "guardian angel", his performance was both lively and heartfelt. Sorvino also does good work here as Samantha, giving solid emotion and heart. I very much enjoyed Makenzie Moss as Samantha's daughter Lily, as she brought innocence, charm, and just the right amount of witty humor to the movie. Other solid performances came from Shwayze, McGinley, PenaVega and Pettis in surprisingly emotional turns, the charming chemistry between Majors and Shepherd, and an interesting change-of-pace for White (following her funny performance in Mom's Night Out).
The pacing is quick and, with the exception of a couple of slower moments, doesn't make the 2-hour running time feel like a stretch. Will Musser's music score works in some areas. The few action scenes, including an accident scene towards the end, are all suspenseful and keep you at the edge of your seat. They may be a little scary, but they are not overbearing or over-done.
The only actor here that seems out-of-place is Astin. While he does OK with what he's given, his character is given the least amount of screentime out of everyone, and we're not given any development on his character at all. The other downside I have is that a couple of character's deaths, while serving to the story's message, may not have been necessary, and like one character's unexpected death in God's Not Dead, is almost anti-climactic.
The message of Do You Believe? is a powerful one. It reminds us that "faith without action is dead" (James 2:17). Through the many events that occur in the fast-paced, constantly-switching script, we are reminded of the importance of spreading the Gospel, as well as acting on the strong faith all Christians have in Jesus. This is a very timely message, especially in a society that is desperately in need of a Savior.
Pure Flix Entertainment has moved up from releasing just DVDs to putting their movies in theaters. Their first effort, God's Not Dead, was a great film that, despite some diminished production values, worked on very strong levels in terms of message and delivery. In Believe, a lot of these production qualities have drastically improved, especially in the acting and in the slickly well-done story (though God's Not Dead did have a few solid performances).
Since I am a Christian, however, it isn't really fair for me to condemn the production quality of a film effort that emphasizes and inspires my faith. And, in all that, Do You Believe? manages to do that once again, in sometimes very powerful, thought-provoking ways.
As far as Christian films are concerned, Do You Believe? ranks alongside Grace Unplugged, Facing the Giants, Heaven is for Real and Soul Surfer as one of the finest ones that have come so far.
Score: 8.8/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: At worst, "heck", "darn" and "dork-mobile".
Adult Content: A couple of low-cut outfits. A teenager's pregnancy is implied to be out-of-wedlock.
Violence: This is the part where parents may have to take some caution. An accident scene shows several cars being hit, including one flipping over. Someone is hit with an airbag. A car explodes. A car with people eventually falls off a bridge (the three people are saved, with one having broken his leg). A car drives into a house, causing some destruction. One person is shot in the back three times and we see blood on his hand. Some characters are held at gunpoint and nearly shot at. Suicide is pondered. Someone dies from excessive bleeding. Someone is assumed to have attempted suicide by cutting herself (we see the scars on her wrists). Someone else dies as a result of a tragic accident.
Drugs/Alcohol: Wine is seen in one scene.
Other: A newly-saved Percy [a.k.a. Pretty Boy] doesn't quite do the right thing with the money he had stolen earlier.
