A lesser-known faith-based film, the story of John Money (J. Howard King) unfolds as he starts what seems to be a typical, albeit stressful, day. He snaps at the housekeeper, ignores his wife and daughter’s pleas for attention and interaction, tries to shoot down his oldest daughter’s dream of mission work, and blows through the office with the subtlety and svelte of a public bus. He runs over everyone around him, especially young Ricky Jankins (played by Duane Deering), an assistant at his firm. He is in the middle of a meeting when he is shocked to discover Lucky, a donut-munching Angel of Death (Leon McWhorter), who informs him he has 24 hours to live.
John spends the rest of his no-longer-normal day trying to figure out if he is “ready” for death. He first tries to reason that he is “good enough,” by listing the good deeds he’s done, and even doing a few new extra acts (donating money and giving his car to assistant Ricky). He talks to many people at work and wanders from place-to-place trying to figure out where he’s headed and what he needs to do to get to Heaven. Ultimately, it is his teenage daughter who shows him the only way to Heaven through salvation. On the path, John realizes he is not terribly well-liked and wants to change. He also finds out that though he thinks he walks alone in this world, he has been watched over all the way.
Set in the Dallas area, this movie has a definite “amateur” feel, which is mot surprising considering the CrossWise Players are a play-performance ministry group. The cinematography is fair, sound quality decent, and acting passable, though not great. Despite the lack of big-budget touches, the film is still one to watch. The story is very amusing and though the characters are somewhat stereotypical (such as the smoozy office “kiss-up” and the earthy, mystical New Age chick), they bring humor to the somewhat somber story of a man struggling with fear of death. There are many funny moments, such as when the desperate John Money unknowingly helps a thief make off with stolen CDs. Parents will relate to John’s realization that he doesn’t know his children as well as he thought he did, and with Ricky Jankins’s worries about security for his young, struggling family. This is not the most well-made film, but still provides an entertaining look at whether we are ready for death or not, and offers Biblical truth about salvation. Viewers will enjoy the wise-cracking, slightly bumbling Angel of Death and the Chris Rice soundtrack music, and will be able to take a look at themselves and their own readiness for Heaven.
I personally have this film on the family DVD shelf, and think it is definitely worth checking out. My daughter would agree that every family should see it, particularly if you also love donuts. -- Melissa McGinnis
Bridgestone Media Group, the distributor of this film: www.gobmg.com
CrossWise Players: www.crosswiseplayers.com
Facebook page for Angels Love Donuts: www.facebook.com/AngelsLoveDonuts
Melissa McGinnis is the Children's Ministry Director for LHF
Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really fun little movie. :) Hope you check it out.
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