Christian Movie Review: Homerun, my new favorite movie.

I have always loved movies but the world of film is even more enjoyable now as I walk with Jesus.  Watching even a bad movie about Jesus working in someone’s life is a joy.  It is one of my favorite things to do.  To pass on this love of the genre, I will periodically review old favorites and new Christian movies here with the hope that people will check them out and be inspired.

My next review is of a movie that is one of my all time favorites, Homerun, a 2013 film starring Scott Elrod.  Though it looks like a sports movie, it is more like a drama with sports flavor.  At its heart, it is a good old story of redemption through Jesus.

The movie revolves around Cory Brand, a professional baseball player who is struggling with alcoholism at the major league level.  After an incident occurs at one of his games caused by pregame drinking, he is forced to return to his small Oklahoma hometown in order to do community service of sorts.  He is to spend 8 weeks in rehab and also coach a Little League baseball team.  The team also is coached by the high school sweetheart he left behind to pursue his major league dreams. In the process of coaching the team away from the limelight of pro baseball, Cory is forced to face his alcoholism, the childhood of abuse he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic father and the consequences that have been haunting him since he was a kid. It is one man’s story of redemption and hope in the aftermath of pain and addiction.

The movie itself is well done and the actors are convincing in their roles, particularly Elrod as the likeable but troubled Cory.  What really sets Homerun apart for me though was the authenticity of the story. It was spot on!  I grew up in an atmosphere like the one depicted and much like with the the fictionaly characters, it took its toll.   I struggled with alcohol for much of my life.  It was not going well until Jesus saved me.  It was only through Him that my life actually changed and I was able to get off the dysfunctional family roller coaster so common with alcoholic families.

Watching the same struggle acted out over the course of the movie was like watching 10 years of my life unfold to a scary extent.  I suspect that Cory is a character created by someone who is very familiar with alcoholics.

There is some objectionable content in the movie but it is part of the story and not gratuitous.  Emotional abuse of children is shown through flashback scenes with Cory and his brother as kids being berated by their drunken father.  Drinking and drinking and driving are shown, in a negative light, and abuse of drugs, theft and pornography are mentioned in a recovery group setting.  It is not a movie for small children.  Adult to high teens would be my recommendation but parents should watch and judge for themselves.

Homerun is very well done and presents a great story with baseball flavor.  It is a great depiction of a person struggling under the weight of their their sins finding redemption and peace through Jesus.