The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry (2008)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Rich Christiano

Writers:

Dave Christiano (writer)
Rich Christiano (writer)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

What he teaches you...will last forever.

Plot:

Set in 1970, story of 75 year old man named Jonathan Sperry (Gavin MacLeod) who starts mentoring three boys (Jansen Panettiere...

Plot Keywords:

Christian Film | Character Name In Title

Cast

Gavin MacLeod	...	Jonathan Sperry
Jansen Panettiere	...	Dustin
Robert Guillaume	...	Mr. Barnes
Frankie Ryan Manriquez	...	Albert
Allen Isaacson	...	Mark
Taylor Boggan	...	Nick
Mary Jean McAdams	...	Mrs. Sharp
Bailey Garno	...	Tanya
Kristina Jewell	...	Sally
Cameron Bloomer	...	Roy
Tommy Pasko	...	Larry
Eva Mancarella	...	Girl in diner
Dina Corsetti	...	Waitress
Peter Doyle	...	Preacher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hayley Lown	...	Girl in Restaurant

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45476)

Filming Locations:

Brockport, New York, USA

Company:

Christiano Film Group

Strong Warning Necessary

This is a Christian Cinema film.

Using two known actors (MacLeod and Guilliaume) it is purposely poised to look like a general release. I saw it at the local cineplex and could only find the reviews here on IMDb. "Amazing" one said, "a beautiful little film" said another.

I thought, why not, let's see. At the time, the IMDb viewers rating stood at 8.1. It's always fun to find something only a few others have discovered. So off to the movies....

The film is supposedly 1970. Wrong. No one talked this way in 1970 and not even the sleepiest little town looked this way. Perhaps 1907, but I have my doubts about that as well.

There's a charm about the beginning scenes with a trio of boys (10,11,12, in that range) at a luncheonette discussing one boy's crush on a girl who helps her parents by waiting on tables.

Innocent enough? For only a short while.

Then the smitten youth finds Jonathan Sperry, not just a former teacher, a Bible teacher. Sperry (MacLeod) is charming and so sincere. He makes lemonade from real lemons. He invents games for the boys, and yes, soon there are more than a dozen of them attending his living room Bible studies.

He takes them to a graveyard and imparts the wisdom, "Listen, they are saying they wish they knew Jesus before they died so they might have gone to heaven." The film descends into outright propaganda. Every problem is answered by the Bible. All the boys deeds become good ones.

By the "resolution" of the "plot" the dialogue and situations have become mockingly unreal. 1970 was Kent State and Hendrix and Joplin, Nixon and Vietnam, the draft lottery and protest. Not the strange 50s faux rock and roll that is heard at the luncheonette. Not the "Oh gee" dialogue that spills from everyone's mouth.

Now, how did this happen. Here's a quick share from an online encyclopedia: "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry was released theatrically on September 18, 2009. This is a staggered release date showing in 118 theaters. Openings are scheduled through November 2009 with a total of 240 theaters onboard so far. (Here's the important part) Each one is sponsored by a church or Christian group. They pre-pay $2,000 to get the film into a theater, and make the investment back if the film grosses $4,500." The sponsorship info was reported by Fox News.

As I said, it is propaganda, so much so that the necessity of its message, its constant drumming ruins any chance of an enjoyable cinema experience.

If knowing these things, you want to see it, that's your business. Fine. But know that you are indeed making a church donation in doing so.