My Dad's Favorite Movie Series Ranking

With today being Father's Day, I thought it would be fun to rank a grouping of my Dad's favorite movies. These 6 movies are a group of movies my Dad calls "his series". They don't have any interconnected stories or are a series in the traditional sense. He calls them "his series" because they are all made by the same church production group and all have a strong spiritual message. My Dad has always been for "feel-good movies" and movies that make you cry which is exactly what these are. I've never been a fan of Christian movies as they often get too preachy but my dad has always been a good sport about watching movies me and my Mom I like so sometimes we liked to prefer him and watch the movies he really likes. These movies are probably the best at handling the balance between preaching a message and telling a compelling story and are probably as good as a movie like this could get. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 6 films in my Dad's "series".

6. War Room

War Room is probably the most preachy out of the films on this list and does the worst job of integrating its spiritual themes into a natural story. This movie does have some positives. There are a few moments that made me chuckle and there are also a few sweet moments between the dad and his daughter. The movie also has a good lesson about the importance of prayer in your life which is always a good thing to hear. However, as I said before, this movie is way too preachy about its prayer message and does so at the expense of a compelling story. All the other films on this list have a vessel they tell the message through ( A football team, firefighters, cops, a car salesman, etc.) while this film is purely about a woman's prayer life and does not have a plot beyond that. There are several times that the movie just stops its story to share a mini-sermon. I have no issue with the prayer message, I just want it to be included naturally. The movie also doesn't have a consistent story as it keeps switching what the main plot is. It starts with this woman and her prayer life, then switches to the husband and his issues, and then moves on to another plot about making everything right. In the end, the movie's positive message comes at the expense of a cohesive story which knocks the movie to the bottom of the list.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

5. Overcomer

Overcomer is a bit of a step up from War Room but still has many of the same issues. This movie also has a few funny moments in it. It also has some solid emotional moments between Olivia and her father. I really like the focus being on a cross-country runner and using that as the vessel to tell its message. As a former cross-country runner, I was able to relate to this story a bit more. This movie is also a bit more subtle about its spiritual messaging and does a better job of integrating it into the story. However, the movie still gets a bit preachy in the middle of the film. It essentially stops the film so that Olivia can have the gospel preached to her and then moves back on with the story. It just felt so unnatural and out of place. The movie is also a bit clunky in its storytelling. It is essentially 3 different stories stitched together each with its own main character. It just feels so unconnected and should have been a bit more focused on who the story was about. Along the same lines, I felt the movie just had a bit too many subplots and too much going on. For example, there was no need for a subplot plot with John being roped into judging monologues. It is just kind of there. Overall, this film is a bit better in its messaging in the story but is still extremely clunky in how it tells its story.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. Fireproof

Fireproof is the film that I felt has the best and most important message. This movie is all about how to have a Godly marriage and how to connect with your spouse. The movie has a very clear plot and focused story and can effectively incorporate its message without getting too preachy. This movie probably has the funniest moments out of the 6 films as it all comes from the banter between the firefighters. I also felt that the firefighting sequences were all very exciting and wished we could have gotten more of them. One of the biggest issues of this film is that the main character, Caleb, is just so unlikeable. He is so unlikeable to the point that it is hard to connect with him. I understand that he was written like this so that he has a more noticeable arc but there is a better way to do it than making your character such an awful person. I also felt that the firefighter portions didn't really connect to the main plot of the story. It felt like two separate movies at times, the firefighter movie, and the marital problems movie. Caleb could have had any occupation and it would make no difference to the story. Finally, I felt that there were a few too many unnecessary characters that just didn't add anything to the story or Caleb's character growth. In the end, while this movie is pretty entertaining and has a good message, it has a few significant flaws that keep it from being higher on this list.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Courageous

Courageous is close to the same level as Fireproof but this movie handles its characters a bit better. This movie also has a good lesson about being a Godly father and conveys it well and in a natural way. The movie also has a good dynamic between the four main cops. They have great chemistry together and have a lot of fun banter that goes on. Just like the last four, this movie also delivers a feel-good story that makes you want to be a good person at the end. What makes this movie better than Fireproof is the handling of the main character. This movie establishes him as still having flaws but he is still a likable person which I think is a much better way to set up a character arc. Finally, I thought all of the cop stuff with interesting and exciting. I wish the story could have spent more time on it. My issues with this film are the same as with Fireproof in that the cop story is completely separated from the main plot. The movie could remove the whole cop aspect from the story and it wouldn't make any difference. I also felt that there were a few too many subplots in the middle that didn't have to be there and just made the movie more bloated. Overall, this movie improves on some issues of the other movies but at the same time continues to make some of the same mistakes.

Score: 6.8/10 Grade: B-

2. Flywheel

Flywheel is the first of these movies to come out and is one of the better ones. This movie tells a very simple story with a straightforward but good lesson. It is unashamedly a feel-good movie and achieves this goal very well. The movie also does a great job of how low of a budget it has. The shots are decent for what they had. The movie does a great job of showing Jay's character arc throughout the story. His growth of going from a sleazy car salesman to an honest man is quite well done. I also thought that the lesson in this is one of the more naturally included. It doesn't get too preachy and just shows its message through the events of the film. There are a few things that keep this from number one. Of course, the low budget can be felt throughout the movie and when you are used to watching higher-budget films, it does take you out of the film a bit. Along with that, some of the acting isn't as strong as in the later films mostly just due to these people still learning how to make a movie. The biggest issue is that just like Fireproof, our lead character starts off so unlikable. It is really hard to route for him at the beginning of the story and I wish they would have made his flawed character a bit more realistic. In the end, this movie was good for what it had with its biggest issues mostly being the production valve because of the lower budget.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

I. Facing the Giants

Without a doubt, Facing the Giants is the best out of these movies. It is a simple underdog story that plays the trope very well. Unlike most of the other films, this one incorporates its lesson into the plot and actually connects it to the real-world aspect of the story. This movie has the best feel-good moments out of all the films and also delivers some great payoff at the end of the story. Instead of just focusing on one character, this movie manages to focus on an entire team to convey the importance of positive attitudes and faithfulness to God. This movie also has the best character growth of the films, with almost all of the characters going through some kind of arc that is actually connected to the story. This movie is also a great pump-up movie. My dad would use this as a pump-up movie and would watch it before he would run a marathon to help get in the right head space. Finally, this movie has the most satisfying ending out of any of the movies. It manages to tie everything up and has me leave feeling better than I started. Overall, this is an example of a Christian movie done the best. It naturally integrates its lesson and delivers a compelling story that lets you feel good at the end.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+