17th May 2020
This warm-hearted film was released online in Australia (due to the changed screening circumstances - see link at end) and will provide encouragement to look at the way people can be changed by common grace. The story is well-known in the USA. A couple befriend Denver (played by Djimon Hounsou), a homeless man, and a growing love and support for each other leads to a foundation that has raised multi-millions of dollars for homeless support. 
The USA context is striking with the impact of the KKK providing the initial background to the story of Denver’s life and illustrating the history of the South and the issues that had continued since the civil war.
Greg Kinnear is Ron, the unfaithful husband, and film’s narrator, who is given a second chance by his wife Debbie (Renée Zellweger). She does not want him to win her back with presents, but wants him to change, and enlists him to serve in the local homeless mission. Here, while providing help, Ron renews his marriage and life as he connects with the most unlikely person he would have ever thought he would have connected with.
It is no coincidence that the movie night film at the mission is It’s a Wonderful Life.
Christian references abound, though this is not a typical ‘Christian film’, especially with the range of Hollywood actors involved (two Oscar winners as Jon Voight plays Ron’s estranged father). It is certainly a film one could see with family and friends and it will prompt discussion about faith, love and hope.
Peter Bentley
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