FLYWHEEL is the third in a series of inspirational based movies grouped with FACING THE GIANTS and FIREPROOF from Sherwood Pictures. Director Alex Kendrick stars as Jay Austin, an unscrupulous used car dealer in Albany, Georgia. He is manipulative, underhanded and making his living over charging people for the rolling lemons on his lot. He has influenced his two salesmen, almost driven his wife away and lost the respect of his small son. While trying to restore his personal classic convertible, he begins a personal transformation of trying to live a more Christian life; Austin begins returning money to customers he has cheated in seeking forgiveness from those he hurt. He even overcharged his own pastor. Austin's personal turnaround gains back the loving respect of his wife and son and instantly becomes respectable in the eyes of his community. Also in the cast: Lisa Arnold, Tracy Goode, Walter Burnett and Michael Catt.
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michaelRokeefe19 March 2009
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MartianOctocretr52 September 2009Refreshing non-Hollywood style drama. It was obviously made on a shoe-string budget by relative unknowns, but that's part of this sweet little film's charm. It is a fine example of a thoughtful effort to get a point across without explosions, car chases, or four-letter slang.
The writer and lead Alex Kendrick has offered up a very sincere and cleverly told story. It's not polished; its independent roots are evident (tops of people's heads get chopped off a lot, for example). Nevertheless, the characters are likable and the acting isn't bad at all. The writer puts a lot of humorous one-liners in the script ("You lazy, fat, last-chip-eating thief!"), and the story rolls along nicely.
Used car salesman Jay Austin makes a perfect modern Ebenezer Scrooge type, a dishonest and ruthless businessman. His life (both business and private) starts crashing down, and he cries out to God for forgiveness and help. His revival seems rushed in the story, but it's believable. But it's not just his personal epiphany and the changing of his ways that this story focuses on, it's the result of that change. The dishonest employees of Austin who do not change, make a great counterpoint between his past and present behavior. A couple of plot twists near the end can be seen coming from a mile away, but that doesn't really hurt the film.
Certainly there's a moral, and the movie succeeds at presenting food for thought. It makes for a good rental. -
jennyjustjen29 August 2007I completely disagree with the reviewer "Obliv". He is obviously pretty nutty. I mean to bash people just because they say they enjoyed the movie... PLEASE! And then he was bashing Christians throughout his review while claiming to be one, yeah right! So If you want a true review, I don't think you will get it from that guy.
My two cents.... I watch a lot of movies (pretty much everything) and I really enjoyed this one. The story line was great, I found it very touching and refreshing. I thought the main character did a great job too. My only criticism would be to work on the film quality as it was not the best and some of the acting could use some work too. However, this was a very good start and I look forward to more movies by this church in the future! By the way, I loved "Facing the Giants" too.
Funniest part of the movie was the joke about how the film staff at their church only copied tapes all day and did nothing else I'm sure they got a kick out of that! -
shanghai77725 February 2005Okay, let's be honest. Low-budget, amateur actors, and a blatant agenda. All this has been commented on. Rather than "getting past" all this, though, I think much of the charm in this movie is in constantly remembering these factors.
I have seen dozens of Christian themed movies done with similar talent, technology and budget. Most are disappointing on more than one level. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to put my finger on it, but something about "Flywheel" transcends the genre. I was moved by several scenes; and the performances, while not stellar, were powerful and real. I was nearly asleep when I started watching, and I was captivated for two hours. Part of what held my interest was my awareness that these are not professional filmmakers or actors; watching them grapple with these roles was a treat, and the result is surprisingly satisfying. Once you take it as a given that the goal is to present a particular message, I think you have to hand it to the Kendricks for handling it like they do. Just real enough to be effective; just sanitized enough to make it completely family-friendly. Nothing, wrong, in my mind, with a rawer approach, but given certain self-imposed limitations, an admirable movie.
Worth the time, worth the rent, worth a second look -
Enrique-Sanchez-5620 November 2005I happened upon this terrific film tonight and just had to come here to comment on it.
Christian Films has outdone themselves in this little gem! It warmed my heart and strengthened my already strong faith in God, and the way He works in our lives.
We often think that God has too many big things to do and He doesn't have time for our tiny lives. But that is where we err. God works in big and little things, and brings blessings to our personal worlds when we are patient and have faith in Him.
The production values were such that I knew this film would not waste time with special effects or high production values but instead would concentrate its focus upon the message and the story. For me, any consideration over its production were melted away when the simple but inspiring effects of the storyline unfolded.
I recommend this movie without reservation to anyone, believers and non-believers. I promise that God will move you. Blessings. -
GADude7929 July 2006Based on previous comments, apparently the movie made its way across the country. But I am disturbed by some comments.
Who's to say a movie needed actual actors to play the parts? I have seen no-name actors go on to do huge movies.
Who's to say a movie needed a million dollar budget? Clerks was made with a 30,000 dollar budget and the movie was excellent. It also paved the way for at least five other movies such as Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and even Clerks 2. Meanwhile, Sherwood Pictures has a new movie in September and I imagine there may be more to come.
And so "they shove religion down our throats". Big deal. Lots of movies have shoved a lot down our throats. Some negative, some positive. People can be influenced so much by movies. And I believe that is why the movie was made in the first place.
The characters were great. The Kendricks proved that you can make a clean family movie and yet have a villain(Bernie). I love villains. And he was brilliant.
The scene with Bernie and Vince about biscuits was about the funniest I have seen in any type of genre of movies.
Just thought I'd throw in my 53 cents in. -
jason-186913 October 2010This is a movie for Christians by Christians. While it could be used as an outreach tool, my personal opinion is that it is geared more toward being an enjoyable film for those already saved.
Now... was it good? Depends on the standard you rate it at. It's not very well shot, some scenes could use better transitions, some dialogue feels forced, and the sound needs work (the background noise when going from indoors to outdoors is noticeable like on any home movie camera). So don't, whatever you do, try to compare this to today's big-budget Hollywood productions!
HOWEVER, all that said, the storyline is great, and story is what makes a great film! For a low budget movie, I think they did a wonderful job. It evokes real feelings of anger, sadness, joy. You forget about the production value once you get into it and look to the characters and story. You'll be asking yourself, "How's it going to end?" There were a couple shake-ups I didn't see coming which made it quite interesting.
I hope we see many more movies like this being produced. With time and experience, and with the viewing public's support, I believe the quality of such films will improve. And the more improvements, the more appeal to a wider viewing audience. -
zardoz-1329 September 2008Writer, producer, and director Alex Kendrick lays the Christian propaganda on pretty thick in his freshman effort "Flywheel," a modest, occasionally moving, but far-fetched account of a dishonest car salesman who hits rock bottom and decides to stop cheating his customers and get right with God. The theme of this shoe-string budgeted, spiritual saga is basically 'what would Jesus do?'
After two years of ripping off his customersincluding his own minister, Jay Austin (Alex Kendricks) turns his life upside, sinks to his knees, and vows to be a better businessmen, husband, and father to his third grade son. Earlier, before he changed his ways, Jay heard his son complain to one of his little friends about how he doesn't want to sell cars like his unscrupulous dad. When Jay's two salesmen learn that they're going to have to sell cars at lower commissions, they walk. No sooner have they left the lot than Austin learns that the bank wants their money on his mortgage. Financial woes arise but Austin decidesin keeping with Biblical scripture quoted about eight times or thereaboutsto put his fate in God's hand and ride out the storm. While all this is happening, a fresh-faced college undergraduate begs Jay to hire him for six weeks, and Jay reluctantly does with surprising results. Jay promotes his African-American janitor to a sales position.
"Flywheel" lacks memorable drama in virtually every respect. Secular audiences probably wouldn't even watch more than a few minutes before they'd eject this half-baked hokum. Christian ideology demands that Jay prosper after he humbles himself before God and others and then his business really begins to boom, thanks to a favorable undercover news report about honest used car salesmen. The film is sentimental to the point of being horribly corny.
As a teaching tool that makes its point, "Flywheel" qualifies as perfect fare for sanctuary showings. You won't hear any profanity, see any nudity, or find yourself trapped in any offensive sexual escapades. Simply said, this is the kind of movie that only a churchgoer could applaud. Ultimately, what it lacks in drama, "Flywheel" struggles to make up for with sincerity. This $20-thousand dollar production doesn't bite off more than it can chew, but its wears out its welcome at 114 minutes. Suitably, "Flywheel" would have been better as a 90 minute melodrama. The technical values appeared polished enough, but its contrived story about redemption consists more of artifice than art. Indeed, all of the Sherwood Productions look surprisingly professional, even though the talent in front of the camera is often lamentably amateurish.
Alex Kendrick's convincing, no-nonsense performance as an amoral businessmen and the picture's spartan straightforward approach, with a modicum of humor, are the film's saving graces. Kendricks' Vandyke beard adds to his sinister appearance as a care salesman. My major complaint is that Kendricks makes things a mite too easy for his protagonist. Of course, we cannot expect him to make this a gritty, soul-searching yarn because the closer that he hovers to reality, the greater the chances are that Flywheel" might offend his target audience of evangelical Christians. Amateurs flesh out the cast. Happily, they aren't required to give more than they have in terms of acting. Incidentally, "Flywheel" draws its title from the missing part of an engine in a vintage Triumph convertible that Jay buys at the outset of the actoin. The vehicle won't run until Austin's born-again mechanic can get a flywheel for it.
This review deals with the Director's Cut version of "Flywheel." -
bweston-122 December 2004Alright... first of all, the movie was done for a $20k budget. You'll see in the first five minutes that it was shot with a video camera and, while the best that could be done with a prosumer video camera, it just doesn't look like a feature film quality production. Then you get past that and ignore it... that's when God starts working through the film.
Alex and Stephen have created a fantastic story here, and one you'll want to share with others. Afterwards, you'll realize, as I did, that they have managed to created a film with $20k that's better than most of the multi-million dollar productions out of Hollywood today. You'll laugh, cry, and more importantly, you'll feel the presence of God in this film. Highly, highly recommended. -
First off, this is a great story...honesty is not the subject of many movies anymore and I commend the writers for coming up with a great story.
This of course was their first movie, so from a technical standpoint there are a lot of goofs and technical things wrong.
The lighting is the most prominent of these, and you do spot the microphone in one scene, but these are understandable on a very small budget from a new film maker.
I really recommend this and Facing the Giants. They are both great stories and well acted from unknowns.
I can't wait for their 3rd film! -
The first time I watched this film was several years ago with my Church's Youth Group and I found it hilariously ridiculous due to it's poor acting and bad cinematography over all. I was so focused on the poor acting to notice that there was a message being told and a pretty good one. I'll admit that this movie is not for everyone. It is very lighthearted and has an innocent comedic nature about it but the message remains strong either way. The story follows the life of a crooked car salesman who finds that instead of being crooked and blatantly ripping off his customers that God is the only way to keep his business successful. Whilst the story holds strong bear in mind that this is a low budget film, and that not all the main protagonists circumstances are presented in a way that you feel sympathetic for him, not to say that you can't though, it is just fairly difficult from my point of view. This film had a lot of potential the story is great, if a larger Christian film producer had this in their hands it would be fairly good. Overall I do not recommend this film to everybody as I do not think people without Christian beliefs would be able to appreciate the message as much as people who do would, due to it's poor acting. I do think people that do have Christian beliefs or are fairly open to a film that is solely based on the fact where God is the solution to it all then yes. The film has a lighthearted feel and a good message. Would recommend to families as it has an understanding message and is simply easy to follow.
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carrieg-220 December 2005This movie is a great story as well as touching & inspirational. Any Christian businessperson should definitely watch it but anyone would love it. I enjoyed the part of the young son in the movie and how he watches everything his dad does whether or not the dad knows it. So true of children. The wife in the movie got on my nerves at first because I wanted her to tell her husband how it was, but it taught me the lesson of praying for him and waiting for God to speak to him, then she stepped in and encouraged him and stood by his side through it all. I plan to buy some copies to share! If you can't find it, NetFlix has it to rent!
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Seraphion12 October 2015As a Christian I instead have quite a low expectation when seeing a Christian themed movies like this one due to the production houses usually are under-budgeted due to Christian themes being not so popular. Those usually end up in a good story executed very poorly. But this movie surprisingly passed my expectations and went to secure a good image in my mind. Yes, the technical stuff are being poor as the coloration feels like a home video instead of a movie, and the sound also feels imbalanced most of the time. But the story is good. It gets predictable until it gets to its fortieth minute or so, but then the movie shows the consequences of the choices made, which is rarely shown even in Christian movies. Although the depiction of the realization of God's providence is really looking coincidental and forced to dramatize the movie, but its presentation really is sufficient in telling a solid story. The acting work overall isn't something I'd say good things for. But I respect the work done looking at the cast and crew taking multiple tasks and responsibilities for this movie.
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In the beginning, we are faced with a character who is a terrible father and husband, a ruthless salesman, is in debt, and is lost in faith. This movie supposes that only addressing one of those issues is enough to solve all of his combined problems (I'll leave it to you to guess which one...) Still, chronicling one man's discovery of faith isn't this movie's problem, and in fact it could have been it's main strength; Christian values have their places in movie dramas, but this movie uses charm as an excuse for blandness and its boasted do-it-yourself/preaching attitude as a cover up for uninspired writing/acting. It's especially painful when the movie reaches the end of the road and makes its point halfway through the running time, but then decides to spend the rest of the scenes rubbing our faces in it, making sure that it's ingrained enough in your head.
Most of all, even though this movie has a lot to say about what we should believe in, one thing the writers definitely don't believe in is a personal conscience - the power of oneself to extend goodwill to others based on right and wrong, not because a threatening God is judging everything you do. I guess I just have a little more hope for humanity than they do....
If Carl Dreyer could see how low the state of spiritual movies has fallen, he would be rolling in his grave. -
iced_light7 January 2005Set(and completely filmed)in Albany, Georgia...this film runs for about 120 minutes. It's a GREAT way to spend two hours too.
The director, Alex Kendrick, started with a vision, and trusting in God to provide... created a most moving work of art. The budget was definitely VERY small. The production manager, Steve Dapper, actually built the camera dolly from what could be bought at Home Depot. But the dedication! The heart of these people! Spending all hours of the night volunteering all their time and effort to get the scenes just right. I think in the end, they did get it right. I've been privileged to see how much God worked through this film, and...it's been amazing.
As others have posted, this film is about a man who reaches a turning point in his life. Consumed with his dishonest work(as a used car salesman) and frustrated at the direction of his personal life, he decides to make a change. In fact, he decides to make the ultimate change....surrendering to Jesus and His will. This film doesn't preach that turning to Jesus means instant gratification in the flesh either....it shows that trusting God isn't always easy...but it's always rewarding.
After Jay Austin(the protagonist; played by director and writer, Alex Kendrick) genuinely trusts and offers himself, his car lot, and his family to God...the viewers begin to see the stirring vicissitudes that God composes in Jay's once shattered life. His pregnant wife,(played by Janet Lee Dapper, who really was pregnant while filming. In fact, that's her daughter, Ashlynn Grace, playing the baby at the end) and his young son begin to find the respect they thought they'd lost for him. Then with the support of his wife and other God-honoring men, Jay Austin makes the difficult decision to return ALL of the money he had been ripping off his customers for years. The reactions of the customers vary, finding a balance between the heart-breaking and the humorous. Actually the whole movie is a constant seesaw, with the wholesome comedy on one side, and the emotional rawness on the other. It makes for a beautiful film.
Throughout the movie, the viewers are overwhelmed with a sense of relation to Jay's life. Avoiding the "I was once a drunk, drug addict, but now I know Jesus" clichés, this film presents a story that hits QUITE close to home on a lot of levels. The story is powerful and strong.
Despite anything that could be said, I truly believe that God has received tremendous amounts of glory from this film and firmly believe that He will continue to.
Make sure you look out for "Facing The Giants," Alex Kendrick and Sherwood Production's next film endeavor. -
allen80827 December 2004This movie is truly one of the best movies ever produced. Hollywood CANNOT do what has been done with Flywheel. What it lacks in production value it makes up for in everything else...and is not even noticed within 3 minutes after the movie opens. "Audiences have been brought to tears and happiness" is right on the box and I have personally watched this movie in a theater with hundreds of people who were shaken from their foundations...and moved to change. Much has been said and written about this movie, and much will be in the future...but one thing is for certain...this movie will thoroughly entertain you as well as cause you to look differently at your situation. Shot completely on location in South Georgia by an independent film company, the heart of the movie is bigger than Hollywood's big budget box office flops and hits. I give this movie an all around "A" for its emotion, storyline, humor and drama. Thanks FLYWHEEL for such a tremendous movie that shows us a world view that is much different than the usual Hollywood slant!
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jordan_smith10 August 2007Student like production quality does not stop the enjoyment of this film. Unlike Hostle, people in this film actually redeem themselves, life is good, and can get better, and the world is NOT falling into ruin.. People really want Love and Light and venture to improve the human condition, and not just rape and torture for fun and profit. I really wish there were more films like this produced by major studios, but some of them must think only Death and Dishonor sells tickets. I see this film and know there are people out there who want to spend their time and money on GOOD thoughts and feelings.
(Thank God, or whoever your "higher power" may be) -
Personally as a Christian I enjoyed this film and was really touched by its message. However, i don't recommend it as much to non-Christians because I don't think they were the movie's intended audience. Still not a bad watch and was moved by the story. I would have liked the story to explore more of success not occurring after one gives their life to Christ. There is always positive change but not everything gets better and all your problems go away. Sometimes its still there and I think that was the only downside and can send the wrong message.
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purplemartin25 November 2006I like to rent "indie" films and in general films that are not exactly mainstream because they seem to be more focused on the art of film-making than money-making. Throw in the fact that I have always liked small foreign cars and when I saw this on the shelf at the video store, it seemed like a good movie for me.
The film seemed amateurish at first but I did not let that deter me from continuing because I have been pleasantly surprised by films with similar low-budget production values in the past. Well into the story I was intrigued by the way the central character's life had gotten all screwed up. I have to admit I was waiting anxiously to see what event was going to come along and change this man's life. I started to have some suspicions but I was hoping a film that seemed to have such promise would not stoop to that.
Well, when it became apparent that this was a "come to Jesus" flick I was furious! I suppose if I had looked at some of the fine print on the box I might have had a clue (the Sherwood icon with the cross on it, for example) and not wasted my money. I made myself stick it out to the end because I wanted to see how ridiculous it would be. I was not disappointed in that respect.
How stupid do you have to be to get inspiration from a "miracle" that is really just part of a made-up story line in a movie? To me it's up there with a magician doing his tricks on TV. TV and movies are all about smoke and mirrors so I am not impressed by magic or miracles on the small or large screen.
I went off the "how stupid do you think we are?" scale when the wife was doing the books and found out that their profit was going to be exactly (to the penny) how much he determined he would have to pay back to people he ripped off over the years. Wow! Now that is a miracle! And it happened there on the movie screen right in front of me.
If you are really interested in seeing miracles on film, I highly recommend that people who rented "Flywheel" go rent "Jesus is Magic" starring Sarah Silverman. I won't ruin it for you by telling you what it's about; just trust me.
Frankly, if you are into the whole "just put it in the hands of the Lord" thing, then this movie will probably reinforce that belief for you, even though it is not based on fact in any way, shape, or form. But I don't think that ever mattered to people who choose to believe that stuff anyway. But if you are not one of those people and want something that is entertaining and truly inspiring, DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE! Instead rent something like "The World's Fastest Indian". That movie is based on a true story about a man who achieved greatness because he believed in himself, and thus is REALLY inspiring. -
The acting isn't all that bad. These actors look and talk about like real people look and talk. The expressions on their faces are approximately what people really do in surprising and stressy situations. When your business looks like it will fail, what do you do? Moan and thrash around, or do you go off somewhere and just sit there and think, stare into the distance? When the TV News says there is one exception to their findings, and shows Jay Austin's car lot, what does he do? What would you do? I'd just sit there. I wouldn't scream in amazement, nor would I put my hands in front of my face. But in a movie you've got to have the guy do something; so he leaps to his feet and stands in front of the TV and continues to watch, with his mouth partly open. Completely shocked, surprised, astonished - the standing up is a little extreme but it's obviously an extreme situation. It's played exactly right. What we call good acting is actually just slick Hollywood styling. Real people act more like what we see here. When people say bizarre things to them they might not speak right up - they often sit and think a second before they respond. At least people in healthy societies do.
You see a related thing in The Electric Horseman. Sonny asks Hallie what her real name is, and she admits it's Alice. What a dumpy, ordinary name. Yet, he calls her that, because it symbolizes total honesty, total lack of insincerity. From then on they share a relationship based on abandonment of insincerity. The people in Flywheel seem to me to be doing about this throughout. Just living their parts about like most of us live our lives.
All except Max. He just stands there. Will James wrote about this. Some cowboys were hired to be extras in a cowboy movie, and they wondered why a real cowboy wasn't picked to play the cowboy hero part. It was explained that they bring in this actor because the real cowboy would have about the same expression on his face whether he were proposing to Greta Garbo, or feeding his horse. Well, Max has about that same expression on his face throughout.
It appears to me that the makers of Flywheel didn't do Hollywood acting because they basically didn't care what the folks in Hollywood might or might not do. Which is very tight with the message of the film.
The movie really suffers from two problems: 1) the starvation budget, which it pretty deftly overcomes, and 2) an incomplete knowledge of Christianity, altho this is realistic for the Bible Belt. The story of the man's repentance is about as good as it is possible to get. John the Baptist never preached a more effective, more penetrating sermon. So what if they pray a little strangely, at least they are praying. -
I suppose if there is one segment of the working population that needs Jesus and needs some salvation and reformation in their attitudes and practices it would be the car salesmen. It seems that with the already trying and confusing process of buying a car, they exist to further complicate and subtly hinder the process by tacking on added warranties, surcharges, and ostensibly beneficial packages seemingly geared to help you but really help their commission. I guess associate pastor of the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia Alex Kendrick recognized this because he decided to make the debut feature film for his company Sherwood Pictures about a financially-strapped used car salesman who intentionally inflates his prices and is hardly mailable regardless of who's buying a car. Despite turning a good profit, those around him, like his persistent wife and child, see his practices as dishonest and unethical, to which he decides he needs to dedicate his life to serving the lord. In which case, he begins selling cars at honest prices, even though those honest prices may not make him the richest used car dealer in Albany, it will still make him the most loyal and fair.
The salesman is Jay Austin (Alex Kendrick), who, to his credit, has clear motivations for why he does what he does. He doesn't take pride in screwing the average customer financially, but he has a family that he needs to run, employees he needs to compensate, liabilities he needs to attend to, and numerous forces, some of which are looking to shut him down. Not to mention, he has serious competition just down the street from a man who is also overpricing his vehicles. When his wife (Janet Lee Dapper) finds out he cut a poor deal to an innocent and helpful local pastor, she becomes angry with him, and their son begins to frown on his father's practices and not even consider him a role model any more. This further leads Jay to discover the word of God, but more importantly, discover a more human side of reality, which is just because he is struggling, that's no excuse to rip off other in his path.
Writers Alex Kendrick and his brother Stephen paint Albany, Georgia in a realistic, unglamorous light, which is part of the reason the film succeeds on an unforeseen level. Rather than paint the town and its locale as the kind of bland, vanilla caricatures that should exist as real people but don't, the Kendrick brothers keep the whole thing honest and ruffled in the sense that no characters appear perfect, everyone's wearing clothes that have a little stain on them or need ironed, and everybody looks like practical, working class people. Even the way the film is shot - for a paltry $20,000 by film industry standards - the film looks as if the Kendrick brothers simply took a camera into the town of Albany and filmed its aesthetic and local residents in a "come as you are" kind of format. This results in a style that looks very similar to a documentary, which is perfectly fine with me. When so many modern examples of Christian cinema look to sugarcoat and beautify, the Kendrick brothers - at least in this case - look to humanize and shoot reality in terms of appearance.
With that, even the acting is solid for the most part. Excluding Dapper's occasions to overact (especially when her husband is facing an interview that could tarnish his reputation), every here does solid work. From Kendrick's believably hardpressed salesman character, to his character's rotund salesman Tracy Goode and Treavor Lokey, who act as workers in desperate need of money, the acting is uniformly solid. This is because nobody delivers long-winded monologues in a cheesy way and nobody tries to make their character out to be more than they are, in a metaphorical or allegorical way. And most important, the Kendrick brothers don't feel the need to insert the word "God," "Christian," or "Bible" into every one of the characters' sentences. Because this is absent, the characters can carry on with being just that - characters in a film about one person's desire to change hi sold practices and become more morally good.
Yet Flywheel does still have some issues it needs ironed out. For one, the disposition becomes too sunny at times, especially with the ending, where everything goes from possible calamity to just a happy ending in about a minute and a half. Just when the film is seemingly trying to disregard shortchanging simplifications it tacks one on at the very end of the film in a way that is almost unacceptable. However, the one thing that is present here - as it would also be in the Kendrick brothers' financial home-run Fireproof - is the slow, gradual change that our leader character must go through. Both Flywheel and Fireproof (though the first one better than the latter) show change in a slow-progressing manner and not an instantaneous change like some films have the tendency to do. With this, the film doesn't seem to shortchange and simply seems like it's trying to enlighten.
Flywheel may not be polished in terms of production values, nor perfect in its representation of events, but it is a solid start for a Baptist Church turned film company to make and produce above-average Christian films for a clearly demanding and willing audience. The film has just enough relatability and ideology to appeal to its core fanbase, but also has the ability to be at least enjoyed and maybe even appreciated by the irreligious demographic, like myself, who look at films like this as a way to connect with another group of people. For that regard, the film succeeds on a level all its own.
Starring: Alex Kendrick, Janet Lee Dapper, Tracy Goode, and Treavor Lokey. Directed by: Alex Kendrick. -
First, I was raised in a Christian home; my father was a pastor...these type scripts are why non-Christians are repulsed by "Churchianity."
1) There is no arguing the fact that salesman pushing a vehicle without telling the buyer crucial information that a car has been in an accident is unethical, even legally actionable.
That said, this movie pivots to vilify PROFIT MARGINS, who decides what is reasonable, ethical, honest, fair margin? Did the writer of this script read scripture? Matthew 20:1-16 Let any "Liberal" read this passage and you will hear, THAT'S NOT FAIR!
The irony of this script, is the owner of the car lot who is upside down on his mortgage, is vilified by his wife for selling a car to a minister for a price the minister felt was fair! The margin has zero to do with wise business.
If you want to view a "business" that has gorged itself on margins, look no farther than the American church! Plush buildings: gymnasiums, fitness clubs, plus seating, etc. Take a look at any church building across the globe and the gluttonous attitude of many, if not most churches in America, (Including Sherwood Baptist) is obvious for anyone that honest.
Ghandi said it best, "I like your Christ, I just don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
One of the themes of the movie is that all one needs to do is accept Christ and all aspects of life: family, business, relationships will improve and become successful. Again, have these people read scripture? How about Job?
How about Naboth? 1 Kings 21:1-29 Naboth did exactly what God told him...and life didn't quite work out to be a bed of roses, here's a sermon few churches share, how's that for a comparison of a car salesman who doesn't disclose all the history of a vehicle?
Maybe it's time for a movie that shares REAL BIBLICAL TRUTH as opposed to candy coating Christianity and preaching a brand of "churchianity" that fills the offering plate to buy more plush seating, decorate the pastors' office, or resurface the gymnasium! -
tlawson-53 October 2005The first comments that I read had such a bitter tone to them...a negativity that is part of the problem in our world today. It is always better to live as honestly as possible both personally and professionally. Have we gotten so cynical that we think it is better to cheat others to get ahead in life? This movie was a welcome surprise and joy to me. I found it to be inspiring and a reminder of the true values in life. This is one movie that I will definitely purchase! And the movie does not suggest that if you turn your life over to God that everything will be instantly better. Instead, it reinforces that our faith is constantly challenged, that we will find high roads and low roads in our walk to live an honest, Godly life. Jay did not turn his life over to God because he had lost everything. He turned his life and business over once he admitted to himself that inwardly he was miserable with himself as a man and a human being. There was a joy missing inside of him. By finding that inward joy, his relationships began to improve. And he found that living with himself became much easier also.
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salesguy-286-5256669 February 2012This was obviously a low budget flick and I only picked it out at the video store due to lack of other options. Having never heard of the movie, the description on the back of the DVD sounded OK so I rented it.
I'm not much of a religious man but I found this movie to be heartwarming, philosophical, and entertaining (although the middle was on the edge of boring.) And I disagree with the earlier reviewer who took issue with the movie's description of the flywheel. I don't think the guy said or implied that the sole use of the flywheel is starting the engine. What he said was that the flywheel was bad, which prevented the engine from starting. If he fixed the flywheel he would then fix the car. -
obliv4 August 2007first of all, i am a Christian. I am not one of those cultural Christians who have to bolster my belief by constantly surrounding myself w/reminders of my faith, however, and i include pop culture in that. i love movies, want to make them, and see just about everything that comes out.
i saw this b/c it was part of my job. and sorry...it is successful ONLy to people who don't like movies, and who only care about the values and themes present in it. this is a bad movie. good hearted? sure. made by nice people? fine. but it is bad. the acting is about the level you would find at a high school play. the script is predictable, and goes on for a good 30 minutes too long.
is there anything good about it? there are some nice tracking shots, but even that is inexplicable, as it does not match w/any other style established in the film. the main actor, while clearly not up to the task, at least LOOKS sincere. the best part of the film, though, is the absolutely adorably cute newborn that shows up near the end. that baby is extremely cute!
most people who will see this movie wont care about quality, but i have to say that these statements that this is better than any movie made in Hollywood and that Hollywood movies cant affect people and make them cry...uh, sorry. i cried last night watching the movie Friday night lights. you want tears? try watching the champ...i have yet to see that movie w/o blubbering like an infant...
as someone who loves movies, i have trouble standing by and doing nothing when people who have this embittered attitude towards some mythical perception of 'hollywood', as if an industry of thousands of people could be lumped into one monolithic group, use THIS as an example of what movies should be. well, sorry. this movie is no doubt made by nice people who have good hearts and mean well, but when people want to use it as some sort of crusade against 'hollywood' and proof of the superiority of their personal preferences, i just have to stop it. like i said, i have no desire to hammer this film and the people behind it, but when if you try to push this on people and, even worse, if you actually think this is as good as even the average student film, you are deranged.
if you do not have either an agenda, to try and force the point that Christian media is superior, or you know someone personally involved in this film, you wont make it through. to the people who claim that it is 'better' than anything 'hollywood' can do, well, you are sorely and sadly mistaken...and sure, you can say that it is a matter of opinion, but as someone who watches hundreds of movies, things like acting and the script and pacing do matter.
this movie is for people who hate movies. if you never watch movies, and you only care about the message, above EVERYTHING else, or you are one of those people who buys into the idea that movies are EVIL (along with hell-a-vision and rock and roll!) then this is for you. or, like i said, unless you personally know someone involved in the film, then you won't like it.
if you have any standards for movies that actually involve any objective level of quality, avoid this. its one of those movies by and for the highly religious that makes a wave in that community but would never get released were it not for its agenda. anyone not supporting the agenda will be bored stiff