5.4 stars.
No production is going to touch this film with a ten foot pole. This was obviously produced by a Christian company who wants to tell the story from the "other" perspective. What I recall in the news was that this baker refused to bake a cake for a gay couple's wedding. I never heard any additional details.
According to this movie, the baker refused to make a custom wedding cake, not just a generic one. Apparently, his bakery specializes in custom cakes, the most creative and amazing ones in the area. So, the fact he refused to make a "custom" cake might not be so bad. Apparently, he did offer to make a generic cake, I don't know, but I don't think so. I just read some article about it, and it doesn't mention the level of cake involved. Does it matter? Well, he feels it's rebellion against his God to make a custom cake for any group or person that represents a lifestyle or ideology that opposes Christianity. He was willing to sell any of the other generic goods to them, however, just not anything custom made. So, what's the difference? Think about it. So what if a Muslim wanted a cake for their wedding? What if he was to make a cake for a very wealthy Wall Street mogul who requested it be carved into the shape of a dollar sign and the occasion was about being rich; and the baker knew secretly that his wealth was from a Ponzi scheme? Or, what if it was for a Planned Parenthood employee party? What if it was for a celebrity that he really admires, but he knows that celebrity contributes to the campaign of a shady politician?
Think long and hard on this. Life is nothing but uncertainty, gray areas and blurred lines. In my opinion, he should have made the cake, as long as it did not perpetuate the type of lifestyle he disagreed with or advertise anything abominable or deviant in its presentation. What if the couple simply wanted a really cool cake with flowers or a sports car? That would be generic enough. He seems to have felt it was sacrilegious or evil to be in a same sex relationship, so he wanted nothing to do with them whatsoever. Again, where do you draw the line? You have to be really careful when you "stand up" for your beliefs, because if not consistent across the board, you are only insulting yourself and frankly, taking your God's name in vain.
Here's something somewhat surreal, I can point out at least four gay actors, beside the gay couple. The pastor, two of the bakers and the drama teacher. Am I missing something? This film is a conradiction.
