God Bless the Broken Road

It’s not very long before Amber Hill’s (Lindsay Pulsipher) middle American road crumbles beneath her feet. Her problems compound as she trods along alone. We watch, frustrated, as friends reach out to her and she pushes them away. In contrast, we are endeared to her daughter, Bree’s (Makenzie Moss) example of pure faith.

Week after week we see Bree bonding with the church members (including LaDainian Tomlinson as Pastor Williams and Robin Givens as Karena), while Amber doesn’t make it past the parking lot. It is here that she is introduced to Cody (Andrew W. Walker). It is not clear whether his pursuit of her is a glimmer of hope or the cause more trouble. It is his own broken road that led Cody to their small town, where Joe (Gary Grubbs) is trying to teach him to listen and slow down on the turns.

Bree’s grandmother (Kim Delaney) is woven throughout offering help and criticism. While most would be bothered by Patti’s sternness, some would also be concerned by Amber’s displays of disrespect toward her. It is a tricky relationship, but we can look to Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17) as a Biblical example of faithfulness. This relationship seems to trickle down to Bree and shakes her beautiful, child faith (see Mathew 18: 1-4). She runs to her grandmother and in an ugly display, yells at Amber as no child should (Ephesians 6:1-3).

Late in the movie, Mike (Arthur Cartwright) brings us back to Afghanistan where he recants a combat scene. Although moving, those with sensitivities to violence would want to avoid watching this scene that includes automatic gunfire and hits on both enemy and American.

There is something relatable to everyone in “God Bless the Broken Road.” I spent too much time crying for my liking, although it was not always tears of sadness, but tears spilled for the tender expressions of love.

The plot ran fairly smoothly, and the characters were portrayed well. True value lies in the message of the film. We’ve all hit potholes on this road we call life, and when it begins to crumble, how we get up shows our character. Will we stumble along by ourselves or take God’s hand and let him lead the way? (Proverbs 3:5-6)

• Violence: Moderate
• Profane language: None
• Vulgar/Crude language: None
• Nudity: None
• Sex: None
• Occult: None

Official site for more information

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

• Positive
• Negative