Redeeming Love (2022 film)

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Redeeming Love
Redeeming Love (2022 film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by D.J. Caruso
Written by Francine Rivers
D. J. Caruso
Story by Francine Rivers
Based on Redeeming Love
by Francine Rivers
Produced by
  • Cindy Bond
  • Brittany Yost
  • Simon Swart
  • Wayne Fitzjohn
  • Michael Scott
Starring
Cinematography Rogier Stoffers
Edited byJim Page
Music by Brian Tyler
Breton Vivian
Production
companies
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • January 21, 2022 (2022-01-21)
Running time
134 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million
Box office$9.4 million [1]

Redeeming Love is a 2022 American Christian Western romance film directed by D.J. Caruso, who co-wrote the screenplay with Francine Rivers. The film is based on Rivers' 1991 novel of the same name, which was based on the Biblical story of Hosea, and is set in the American Old West during the California Gold Rush. It stars Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis and Logan Marshall-Green.

Contents

The film was co-produced by Pinnacle Peak Pictures, Mission Pictures International, and Nthibah Pictures, and was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa. It was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on January 21, 2022, and received generally negative reviews from critics. Redeeming Love was nominated for the GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film/Series of the Year at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards. [2]

Plot

During the Gold Rush, the beautiful young Angel is a prostitute in Pair-a-Dice. Extremely desired by locals, she survives through hatred and self-loathing. Visiting farmer Michael Hosea, asks God for a wife. Later that day, seeing Angel in town, he falls in love at first sight. She is frequently abused by the brothel's bodyguard MacGowen and the madam Duchess, and has no breaks.

In flashbacks, Angel's real name is Sarah and has only known abuse from men. Her father Alex Stafford declared she should never have been born when she met him as a child. He was married to another woman, and her mother Mae was his mistress.

When Alex eventually cuts off support to Mae, she must sell her possessions. The pawn broker John persuades her to sleep with him. Without other options, Mae becomes a prostitute to survive. Eventually she becomes sick and dies. Distraught, Sarah rejects her mother's faith. Afterward, John sells Sarah to Duke, a pimp who renames her "Angel", then has John killed.

One night, as a teen, Angel knowingly lets Alex have sex with her as punishment for abandoning them. When he finds out, he commits suicide. Sally, a fellow prostitute, helps Angel escape from Duke, leading to Sally's death. Angel arrives in California hoping to start over, but is immediately robbed. Penniless, she once again becomes a brothel prostitute.

In the present, Michael enters Angel's room, declaring he wants to marry her. Although taken aback, she remains aloof. His frequent visits, however, motivate Angel to demand her money from Duchess to live life on her own terms. When the exchange becomes heated, MacGowen nearly beats her to death.

Rushing to the brothel, Michael sees the damage done to Angel, pays off her debt and proposes again. She accepts, so he takes her home. Michael nurses Angel back to health, despite her continued aloofness. He continually surprises her, declaring he loves her as his wife, yet refuses to have sex with her. Afraid to trust him, she soon runs away, but Michael again convinces her to return.

As Angel and Michael begin their life on the farm, she develops feelings for him but again runs away when she realizes he wants children. She believes she is sterile as Duke forced her to have an abortion years ago.

Getting a ride with Michael's brother-in-law Paul, who distrusts her, he demands she pay for the ride with sex. Back in Pair-A-Dice, Angel returns to the brothel to get what Duchess owes her. However, the brothel was burned down by MacGowan with the Duchess inside. He was then killed by an angry mob.

With no money nor place to live, Angel reluctantly prostitutes herself through a bar. She gratefully returns home when Michael arrives. Their relationship blossoms, based on honesty and affection. As Angel falls in love with Michael, believing he would be happier with someone who can conceive, she leaves yet again.

Having learned to cook while with Michael, Angel gets a job at a cafe rather than returning to prostitution. However, the same day she starts working there, the hotel is burnt down. Angel later discovers the recently arrived Duke did it, upon hearing she was working there.

Duke makes Angel return to prostitution to spare her boss's life. However, realizing he continues to recruit young girls into prostitution like her, Angel confronts him. Duke silences her with a death threat.

Duke places Angel on the stage in his new establishment. There, with regained faith, she reveals to the audience Duke's sexual trafficking of young girls. Denying the allegations, he attempts to murder Angel, but an African American man subdues him so she can free the captive girls into the audience. An outraged mob lynches Duke after seeing the truth. Afterward, Angel dedicates herself to helping rehabilitate young girls.

Three years later, Paul locates Angel running the school. Telling her Michael still loves her, and that he himself has remarried, he tearfully apologizes for his mistreatment of her. Angel insists she has long forgiven him.

Angel returns home to Michael, offering her love and introducing herself as Sarah. After sharing a tender embrace, Michael returns her wedding ring. Years later, Michael and Angel are fishing with their son, soon to be expecting another child.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2020. [3] The film itself was announced in April 2020, with D.J. Caruso directing and Roma Downey and Francine Rivers executive producing. [4] [5] Rivers also wrote the script, along with Caruso. [4] [6] Redeeming Love marks the second collaboration between producers Cindy Bond and Simon Swart, the first being 2018's I Can Only Imagine . Wayne Fitzjohn, Michael Scott, and Brittany Yost also produce. [7] [8]

Release

Redeeming Love was originally scheduled to be released in spring 2021. However, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released in theaters on January 21, 2022, in the United States and Canada. [9]

The film was released for VOD platforms on February 8, 2022, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on March 8, 2022. [10] It was available for streaming on Peacock beginning March 10, 2022. [11]

Reception

Box office

Universal Pictures put the film went into wide release, in 1,963 theaters, on January 21, 2022. [12] [13] Projected to gross less than $5 million domestically in its first three days, [14] it earned $3.5 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office. [15] The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its fourth weekend, finishing twelfth with $354,835. [16] The film was a box office bomb, taking in $9.46 million worldwide, [17] against a budget of $30 million. [5]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 11% of 28 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4/10. [18] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 32% based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [20]

Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave the film 2/5 stars, saying it "thinly scatters a parable's worth of plot across 134 minutes and resembles HBO's Deadwood recut for Sunday-school purposes: pious, puzzling and punitive, with a sternly wagging finger never far from entering the frame." [21] RogerEbert.com's Nell Minow gave it 2/4 stars, writing, "The biggest problem is that the most touching moments are hammered so hard. Redeeming Love could have tried to reach a broader audience but settles for preaching to the choir." [22] The A.V. Club 's A. A. Dowd criticized the love story as "icky", saying it "hinges on a fundamental power imbalance: Angel literally can't say no to Michael's evening visits... and when she finally does accept his proposal, it's while lying bruised and battered after one of her employer's thugs beats her within an inch of her life." He gave the film a grade of D+. [23]

The Mercury News's Randy Myers gave it a score of 2.5/4, writing, "Love might be best embraced by the faithful, but it is well made and has much to say about the healing power of love and how we all deserve second chances." [24]

References

  1. ↑ "'Redeeming Love' (2022)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  2. ↑ Longs, Herb (August 10, 2022). "Watch: Nominations For 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards Announced – TCB". The Christian Beat. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  3. ↑ Singh, Prerna (January 20, 2022). "Where Was Redeeming Love Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Millenaar, Eline (May 12, 2020). "Bestselling Francine Rivers novel 'Redeeming Love' is coming to big screen". Christian Post . Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Welk, Brian (April 29, 2020). "DJ Caruso Adapts Romance Novel 'Redeeming Love' With Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis". TheWrap . Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ Pearson, Ben (April 29, 2020). "D.J. Caruso to Direct Faith-Based 'Redeeming Love', Which Stars Logan Marshall-Green, Famke Janssen, and More". /Film . Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ Law, Jeannie (May 1, 2020). "Bestselling novel 'Redeeming Love' to be turned to movie produced by Roma Downey". Christian Post . Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  8. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (April 29, 2020). "Logan Marshall-Green, Abigail Cowen, Nina Dobrev, Famke Janssen & More Star In 'Redeeming Love' Adaptation From 'Eagle Eye' Helmer D.J. Caruso". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Redeeming Love to Release in U.S., Canada Through Universal Pictures in 2022". Movie Guide. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Redeeming Love DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ "How to Watch 'Redeeming Love': Where Is it Streaming Online?". Collider. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Grobar, Matt (October 19, 2021). "'Redeeming Love' Trailer, Release Date: Abigail Cowen & Tom Lewis Star In Universal Romance Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Domestic Box Office For 2022". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  14. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (January 19, 2022). "Box Office: Faith-Based Drama Redeeming Love No Match for Scream, Spider-Man". Variety. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 3". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 6". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Redeeming Love | All Territories". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Redeeming Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Redeeming Love". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Redeeming Love" in the search box). CinemaScore. Archived from the original on November 27, 1999. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  21. ↑ McCahill, Mike (September 12, 2022). "Redeeming Love review – pious Bible-story western struggles for salvation". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ Minow, Nell. "Redeeming Love movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Seduction is conversion in the faith-based romance Redeeming Love". The A.V. Club. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  24. ↑ Myers, Randy (January 19, 2022). "What to watch: A 'Redeeming' Gold Rush love story; 'Fraggle Rock'". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
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