Faith of Our Fathers (film)

Last updated
Faith of Our Fathers
Faith of Our Fathers poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCarey Scott
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRandall Gregg
Edited by
Music by
  • Marc Fantini
  • Steffan Fantini
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)
Running time
96 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million [2]

Faith of Our Fathers is a 2015 American Christian drama film directed by Carey Scott and written by Kevin Downes, Carey Scott, Harold Uhl and David A. R. White. The film stars Downes, White, Stephen Baldwin, Candace Cameron Bure, Rebecca St. James and Sean McGowan.

Contents

Initially titled To the Wall when shown to preview audiences in January 2015, this was changed prior to its national release on July 1, 2015 by Pure Flix Entertainment and Samuel Goldwyn Films. [3]

Plot

In 1997, meek California postal service worker John Paul George, named after three members of The Beatles and due to marry his fiancée Cynthia in three weeks, discovers a box of war belongings from his father Stephen, who died during the Vietnam War in 1969, in the garage of his recently deceased mother's house. Among its contents is a letter mentioning "Edward J. Adams", Stephen's best friend from Vietnam. Curious, John eventually encounters someone who seemingly recognizes the name. Arriving in Mississippi, he encounters Edward's son, Wayne Adams. An ill-tempered hermit, Wayne initially declines to speak to John, but at nightfall, he lets him inside for dinner, revealing that he wanted to know if John really cared.

Later that night, Wayne reveals to John that his father rediscovered his Christian faith through John's father and invites him to accompany him to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. to see their fathers' names on The Wall and get closure. He forces him to pay to read Edward's many letters and promises him a letter from Edward which mentions Stephen if he comes. In flashbacks, Stephen's and Edward's squad leader in the 25th Infantry Division, Sergeant Mansfield, takes them and their fellow squadmates to rescue troops in a downed aircraft behind enemy lines; the two men bond, eventually becoming friends.

During their trip, the duo get into several misadventures, which include brawling with several hillbillies at a gas station. Also, Wayne picks up two seemingly friendly hitchhikers on the road, upsetting John. After discovering that the local motel's rooms are filled, the quartet camps out overnight. The next morning, John converses with one of the hitchhikers, a woman named Annie, who is travelling with her cousin and suggests that they all go out for coffee. However, John is unwilling to abandon a sleeping Wayne, though Annie assures him that they will return. After the hitchhikers ultimately steal Wayne's 1965 Ford Thunderbird, he awakens and chastises John. He decides to test-drive an antique 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit that they both eventually purchase for $1200, but a policeman eventually arrests them for speeding. John contacts Cynthia from the county jail and pleads for her to help bail them out, but she declines, appalled at his and Wayne's current predicament. Wayne reveals that 16 years earlier, he traveled with his mother Eleanor to Washington, D.C., but an intoxicated driver struck their car at an overpass bridge, causing it to flip over the overpass; he survived, although she was killed on impact.

The next morning, the men are released, as the Volkswagen is revealed as a stolen car meant to con innocent victims out of money. Cynthia contacts John to apologize for her actions the previous evening, but he disconnects the call after an armed Wayne enters a convenience store carrying a revolver. As Wayne threatens the elderly cashier, John intervenes and attempts to reason with him. However, a Virginia State Police trooper eventually enters, and Wayne's revolver is exposed as a plastic replica. After arresting them, the trooper reveals himself in his squad car as Mansfield. At his residence, he shares that following the death of his wife a decade earlier, he was profoundly influenced by Stephen's words about the Lord. Before the duo depart for the Memorial on a motorcycle with a sidecar that is in Mansfield's motorcycle collection, John probes him about how his father perished in Vietnam. In a flashback, as he and Stephen are both ambushed, Edward accepts the Lord as grenades destroy the downed aircraft in a massive explosion, killing both of them. John sobs after reading the letter addressed to him inside Stephen's Bible.

Continuing their trek to Washington, D.C., the duo stop at the overpass bridge where Eleanor was killed, encountering the smashed vehicle from the accident and excavating a letter from Edward from underneath a rock, in which Edward expresses that although he is unable to be physically present in Wayne's life, he still cares about him. While reading it aloud, Wayne is surprised and moved that his father actually started reading the Bible prior to his passing. The journey ends with the pair, having closely bonded with each other, locating their fathers' names at the Wall.

Cast

In addition, "Uncle Si" Robertson made a brief appearance as a gas station clerk. [4]

Reception

Audiences and critics panned Faith of Our Fathers. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 9% approval rating based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. [5] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 20 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Adams</span> English author and humourist (1952–2001)

Douglas Noel Adams was an English author, humourist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HHGTTG). Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy developed into a "trilogy" of five books which sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime. It was further developed into a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and a 2005 feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

<i>The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy</i> Science fiction series

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it was later adapted to other formats, including novels, stage shows, comic books, a 1981 TV series, a 1984 text adventure game, and 2005 feature film.

<i>So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish</i> 1984 book by Douglas Adams

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy of six books" written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, as described in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A song of the same name was featured in the 2005 film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Appleseed</span> American pioneer nurseryman (1774–1845)

Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario, as well as the northern counties of West Virginia. He became an American legend while still alive, due to his kind, generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance that he attributed to apples. He was also a missionary for The New Church and the inspiration for many museums and historical sites such as the Johnny Appleseed Museum in Urbana, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lloyd (producer)</span> British producer and writer (born 1951)

John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is an English producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI. He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.

<i>Desperation</i> (novel) 1996 novel by Stephen King

Desperation is a horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was published in 1996 at the same time as its "mirror" novel, The Regulators, itself published under King's Richard Bachman pseudonym. It was also made into a TV film starring Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt and Steven Weber in 2006. The two novels represent parallel universes relative to one another, and most of the characters present in one novel's world also exist in the other novel's reality, albeit in different circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield</span> British barrister, politician and judge (1705–1793)

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield,, was a British judge, politician, lawyer, and peer best known for his reforms to English law. Born in Scone Palace, Perthshire, to a family of Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth before moving to London at the age of 13 to study at Westminster School. Accepted into Christ Church, Oxford, in May 1723, Mansfield graduated four years later and returned to London, where he was he was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in November 1730 and quickly gained a reputation as an excellent barrister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valeri Bure</span> Russian ice hockey player (born 1974)

Valeri Vladimirovich "Val" Bure is a Russian–American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars from 1995 to 2004. A second round selection of the Canadiens, 33rd overall, at the 1992 NHL entry draft, Bure appeared in one NHL All-Star Game, in 2000. He led the Flames in scoring with 35 goals and 75 points in 1999–2000, a season in which he and brother Pavel combined to set an NHL record for goals by a pair of siblings with 93.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great American Family</span> American digital cable and satellite television network

Great American Family is an American cable television network. Owned by Great American Media, it broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

<i>The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy</i> Primary and Secondary Phases Radio series written by Douglas Adams

The terms Primary Phase and Secondary Phase describe the first two radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, first broadcast in 1978. These were the first incarnations of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy franchise. Both were written by Douglas Adams and consist of six episodes each.

<i>The First Wives Club</i> 1996 film by Hugh Wilson

The First Wives Club is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution on their ex-husbands for having left them for younger women. The supporting cast comprises Stockard Channing as Cynthia; Dan Hedaya, Victor Garber, and Stephen Collins as the three leads' ex-husbands; and Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkley, and Marcia Gay Harden as their respective lovers. Supporting roles are played by Maggie Smith, Bronson Pinchot, Rob Reiner, Eileen Heckart, Philip Bosco, and Timothy Olyphant in his feature film debut; cameo appearances include Gloria Steinem, Ed Koch, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Ivana Trump.

<i>Creepshow 2</i> 1987 American comedy horror anthology film

Creepshow 2 is a 1987 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, and the sequel to Creepshow. Gornick was previously the cinematographer of the first film, and the screenplay was written by George A. Romero who was director of the original film. The film's stars were Lois Chiles, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, and Tom Savini. It was once again based upon stories by Stephen King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David A. R. White</span> American actor

David Andrew Roy White is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer and businessman. He is a co-founder of Pinnacle Peak Pictures, a distribution and production company specializing in Christian faith- and family-themed films. He is best known for his role as Reverend Dave in the God's Not Dead film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Dillane</span> British actor (born 1957)

Stephen John Dillane is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film The Hours, Stannis Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones (2012–2015) and Thomas Jefferson in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), a part which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination. An experienced stage actor who has been called an "actor's actor", Dillane won a Tony Award for his lead performance in Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing (2000) and gave critically acclaimed performances in Angels in America (1993), Hamlet (1990), and a one-man Macbeth (2005). His television work has additionally garnered him BAFTA and International Emmy Awards for best actor.

<i>The Christmas Card</i> 2006 television film directed by Stephen Bridgewater

The Christmas Card is an American romantic drama television film directed by Stephen Bridgewater and written by Joany Kane. The film stars John Newton and Alice Evans, with Lois Nettleton, Peter Jason, Ben Weber, Vaughn Armstrong, and Ed Asner in supporting roles. It follows the story of a career soldier who is deeply touched by a holiday card he receives while serving in Afghanistan. The film premiered on Hallmark Channel on December 2, 2006, and earned Asner a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance.

<i>Miss Annie Rooney</i> 1942 film by Edwin L. Marin

Miss Annie Rooney is a 1942 American drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin. The screenplay by George Bruce has some similarities to the silent film, Little Annie Rooney starring Mary Pickford, but otherwise, the films are unrelated. Miss Annie Rooney is about a teenager from a humble background who falls in love with a rich high school boy. She is snubbed by his social set, but, when her father invents a better rubber synthetic substitute, her prestige rises. Notable as the film in which Shirley Temple received her first on-screen kiss, and Moore said it was his first kiss ever. The film was panned.

<i>Stephen Kings Desperation</i> 2006 television film directed by Mick Garris

Stephen King's Desperation is a 2006 American made-for-TV horror film based on Stephen King's 1996 novel of the same name. King himself wrote the teleplay. The film was directed by frequent King collaborator Mick Garris and stars Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber and Annabeth Gish.

<i>The Wager</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

The Wager is a 2007 Christian drama film, directed by Judson Pearce Morgan and starring Randy Travis, Jude Ciccolella and Candace Cameron Bure. It was based on the novel The Wager by Bill Myers. Billy DaMota did casting for the film.

<i>Moonlight and Mistletoe</i> 2008 American TV series or program

Moonlight and Mistletoe is a 2008 Christmas television film directed by Karen Arthur.

<i>John Loves Mary</i> 1949 film by David Butler

John Loves Mary is a 1949 comedy film directed by David Butler and written by Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal and Jack Carson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 19, 1949. It's based on a Broadway play of the same name written by Norman Krasna, which ran from February 4, 1947, to February 7, 1948, at the Booth Theatre and Music Box Theatre in New York City.

References

  1. ↑ "Faith Of Our Fathers". AMC Theatres. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  2. ↑ "Faith of Our Fathers (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Pure Flix to Release 'Faith Of Our Fathers' as U.S. Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Vietnam War". NRB. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  4. ↑ Ong, Czarina (2015-04-13). "Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson stars in Faith of Our Fathers, says movie honours US military and their families". Christian Today. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Faith Of Our Fathers (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Faith of Our Fathers Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 5, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.