Average Joe

I'm not sure why the reviews are so low on this movie? It's a really well-made, well acted and interesting movie. I'm glad I did not let the negative reviews discourage me from watching it. I loved it.

It's very challenging to find a movie that is clean and actually has meaning behind it. This is a heartwarming and authentic movie about standing in faith, the power of prayer and a life without compromise. I also appreciated the authenticity of the pitfalls and imperfection of Joe's life. It was all very relatable. The way the story was told was also interesting where they were interviewing Joe and his wife.

Maybe the cast was all they could afford. The plot is pockmarked with huge holes and filled with unnecessary events. If the leads were 10 when the story kick off, chronologically they would be in their 30s when they get married making it impossible to be "empty-nesters" then unless they also started parenting at 10. Not to mention the leads at 30 look 50!

The story incorporates a myriad of unnecessary events which should have been cut short. Maybe 10 mins for that before moving on to his role as coach, subsequent events related to it, his loss of job and the ensuing court trial which is what the movie was supposed to be about. Jumping from foster home to foster home, his life in the military, his love life - losing and gaining, marriage, all unnecessarily occupy a lions share of the already meandering plot. Or it could have started with the trial cutting back for a while to his childhood but only to introduce the character to the audience, and flashbacks of the events that directly led him to this point. There was a multitude of possibilities to not make this movie a yawner.

I have never made a review before, but when I saw how low this scored, I felt... compelled by some greater force to chime in.

As a grown man, this movie made my eyes water several times, and laugh quite a bit. The comedy is dad joke tier, but in the best way. It addresses family dynamics many raised by boomers will identify with. The ending was very satisfying and informative.

It isn't a big budget Hollywood movie, and in this day and age, that's exactly what is needed. The acting was solid and the storytelling was unique. The main characters break the 3rd wall a lot, which I understand, may be frowned upon by the "fine arts" snobs. This makes the movie very light hearted though, especially in parts with heavy subject matter.

Great movie to watch with the family on a relaxing Sunday!

I'm giving this movie a 10 simply because right now it's at a 3.3, and it doesn't deserve that low of a rating. Though I'm a Christian, I will usually avoid these types of movies because they are always unrealistic and horribly acted. Honestly, for a medium budget faith based movie, it's about a 6.5. Joe's young life was filled with abuse, and I felt the movie did a decent job of portraying that without going overboard. I'm sure it was much worse. This is a true story dealing with the hot-button issue of freedom of religion. That's the way I see it anyway. I'm guessing most non-Christians will not like it, but I thought it was well acted, above average, and it's an incredible story of fighting for faith and freedom. I would highly recommend to people who appreciate these values.

It is obvious to me, reading the bad reviews, that some people are more interested in hating Christians and all we stand for than in giving honest opinions based on the merit of the film itself. Christian films have come a long way over the years and I have been right there with them rooting them on! This was one of the best films, Christian or not, that I have seen. It was very creative in the approach to the filmaking and I found the story itself very well presented. The actors did a superb job and I found them engaging and very believable. No matter what your take on the real story, I believe the means the writers and director used to convey the story was refreshing and highly entertaining. I would recommend this movie to anyone regardless of their believe in God.