What If....... Movie Review

What If…

Film director, Dallas Jenkins, Pure Flix and Jenkins Entertainment team up bringing to the silver screen the new faith-based film What if…. The narrative is similar to the classic scenarios of It’s A wonderful Life and the film adaptation of Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. Portrayed in a backward mode of storytelling Jenkins relays the difficulty to always make good decisions. Sometimes we just simply fail at decision-making which is why it is not unusual to ask the What if ... question. Jenkins uses morality tales as a role model to bring the point home to do the right thing at difficult crossroads in life. According to Jenkins when asked if his film can be called a Christian film, he says, “The Film What If… can effectively be called a Christian film because it’s faith-based in its storyline and is going to be marketed primarily to Christians, and it could be played in a church without hesitation. I could resist that label for all the reasons I normally do, but I’d just be playing semantics. So, to answer your question, I consider myself a “filmmaker” who is a Christian and who sometimes makes Christian films”.

Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo) and his fiancée Wendy (Kristy Swanson) have both been called into the ministry but before they say the official “I do”, Ben is offered a temporary position to make some good money with a high powered financial corporation in the big city. His optimism is that with his business skills it will allow him to build a quick nest egg. Ben hopes he can bring back to Wendy enough money to help pursue their ministry goals and begin their life together without debt. Sadly, Ben never returns. Fifteen years later, God comes knocking on Ben’s conscious with the help of Angel Mike (John Ratzenberger). God knows that Ben is still searching for true purpose in life. He knows that behind his materialistic façade Ben has not found the peace he once owned. So, God stops time to borrow Ben for awhile. Angel Mike is sent to show Ben what his life would look like if he had initially pursued God’s calling fifteen years earlier. All chaos is unleashed when Ben finds himself suddenly married to Wendy Walker with two adorable daughters, Kimberly Walker (Debby Ryan) and Megan Walker (Taylor Groothuis) and is getting ready to preach his first sermon at the local Parrish as their new pastor. Ben definitely will learn a few things before choosing to return to his corporate life that will alter his journey for peace and happiness.

Karen Pecota

24/7 MOMS official film journalist

Released in local theaters: August 20, 2010

Movie rating: PG