Movie Review(Kind of) - Raising Izzie - GMC
By Mason Goodknight July 24th, 2012
Let me warn you right off here. If you like GMC you may not like this review. I say that because even though I like much of what GMC puts on, some things bug me. The things that bug me have to do with their treatment of God. I’ve complained in the past when they played well made but God dishonoring movies. They’ve shown movies like “Always”. A movie that is very well made and deals with the afterlife but in a non Christian bent. “Raising Izzie” is worse, much worse, on different levels.
Let me first say someting nice. This movie(of which I watched about 1/2 to 2/3)was pretty well acted and had a family friendly and engaging story. That said I’m going to jump basically to the end and tell you why I didn’t just dislike this movie but found it appalling! This is why I call this only “kind of” a review. I’m not going to delve into the movie much because what it does in it’s misrepresentation of God is so maddenning to me I don’t want to try to lighten the blow with trivial things like plot and twists and the like.
Let’s just jump to the end of the movie. I don’t care if I spoil this for you because the film makers spoiled this film. We are in a hospital room. A woman, her husband, and the two kids Gertie the Jr. High girl and her younger sister Izzie(Whom the film is named after)the woman is in a coma and looking like she may need to have her plug pulled. The man and woman have been kind of foster caring for these kids since it was found they were orphans living alone unbeknownst to the law until their apartment burned down.
Anyway, in short, Gertie doesn’t believe in God anymore becasue her mother and father have died. Izzie does have a child like faith in God. The couple are Christians but the wife in a coma has been struggling with her faith due to infertility issues. So here we are at the big moment. Izzie asks to pray and asks Gertie to join her and the husband. Here comes the appalling theology.
Gertie first refuses but then bows to the pressure and weepingly throws up this horrendous prayer with the gist being that God has failed her in taking both her mother and father and that she doesn’t believe in Him and that this is His last chance to show He’s real and that He loves her. He must heal the wife in bed or she’s done with Him. She prays and afterwards waits about 10 seconds and sees no recovery and so she goes into a weepy yelling fit saying basically, “See there is no God!” But of course low and behold, shortly into the tirade, the lady wakes up! Yeah God is real and He does love me and everyone lives happily ever after!(Until of course the next tragedy comes and God doesn’t act like a genie in the bottle for her!)
As I write this review I get more perturbed. This is disgusting on two basic and important levels. Let’s first deal with the first and much less important level. The human level. What will this do for the vulnerable kid who sees this film and gains false hope in the “genie god” of this movie that acts on command if you cry hard enough or get angry enough. How crushed are they going to be when the theology of this film from the Christian “GOSPEL Music Channel” is seen and trusted as rightly portraying God’s character, yet the person they love still remains sick or even dies? What a wicked thing to do to people! What a great way to open up more mocking from the heathen masses who laugh at this or even rail at it.
Second and far more important is how this movie defiles and betrays God’s holiness and His overall proper biblical character! Let’s start with the basic. It is the fool that says in his(or her)heart that there is no God. Also we need to know this for sure. Despite the other stupid line made by the “Christian” husband in the film, at the bedside scene when he says, “We all deserve second chances.” Friends we don’t “deserve” second chances. We don’t even deserve first chances!
God almighty is sovereign and He is not obliged to heal or save any of us! Yet in His amazing and immeasurable grace He does indeed save many, and heal many, and bless abundantly many! In fact even the most anti God rebels on the planet receive His grace every day as they take every breath and their hearts continues to beat, just so they can continue to hate and deny the God who gives them their very life!
Here’s the words of Jesus regarding who can be His disciple:
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:26-27
This girl Gertie came at God exactly opposite to how Jesus tells us we must come! Our love and devotion must be supremely to Him! Willing to bear whatever burden we have. He is worth it! We do so not to be miserable but be “OK” about it becaue we have Jesus. We do so to have His present comfort and eternal comfort, bliss, and joy unspeakable. All this with the one who saved us from our sins forever by dying on a cross for our sins and raising from the dead defeating death and assuring our victory as well, in Him!
This movie had great potential. Let me show quickly how the film makers could have had the same story but honored God in the ending.
Gertie walks slowly to the other two with tears in her eyes and grasps their hands. In her weeping she cries out to God in repentance and supplication. Something like this:
“God I know I’ve been an ungrateful sinner. I never thanked you for the years I had with my mom and dad. Never thanked you for the joy you brought to my life in having them at all. I’m sorry I turned my back on you even further after Mom died and I thought I could lie my way through life and try to raise my sister Izzie wthout guidance and help from loving adults, let alone You. I’ve been bitter towards You, I’ve lied to these gracious people, been mean to them as well. I’ve told my sister to lie and given her false hope in my ability to care for her and been angry at here when she questioned my judgment. God I recognize I don’t deserve to have you hear, let alone answer my prayers. But I know you are a good God, and you gave your one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross to save wretches like me. Please God, forgive me for my rebellion and hatred against you and my many other sins of every kind as well. Please give me a heart to follow You all the days of my life. Use me to be a light in a dark world for my sister and for all those you bring into my life! And God, if in your abundant grace You would see fit to save this precious woman for Your glory and for the joy of her husband and yes Izzie and me too, I’d really appreciate it. But no matter what I’m gonna trust in You from now on! Your will be done Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Then you can wake the woman up and you have the same happy ending but with a biblical basis behind it that glorifies God and sends the right message to the viewers.
GMC. The first word in your title is Gospel. Yet sadly in much of what is shown on your channel is Gospel light or in this case appallingly Gospel defiling. Please, for the Glory of God, portray His Gospel rightly or get the name out of yours. This movie was worse than those that deny and sully God you play at times. It’s far worse because you didn’t just play it, you made it! Please repent of this kind of film making and seek God for guidance through prayer and His precious word. You could do such good for the glory of God! Please strive to do so! God bless!
Tags: film, GMC, God, gospel, Gospel Music Channel, Heresy, Jesus, Theology
