'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone' Uses Comedy to Bring Jesus to Unbelievers (Cast Interview)
An increase in faith-based films has drawn Christian audiences to movie theaters over the past few years, but the new movie "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" is also seeking to identify with non-believers.
In "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone," Hollywood alcoholic bad boy Gavin Stone turns to a lifestyle of partying after the spotlights have dimmed on his fleeting childhood superstardom.
When some reckless behavior results in his arrest, Stone has to leave Hollywood to do community service at a megachurch in his home state of Illinois.
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While there, Stone lies to Pastor Allen Richardson in an attempt to resurrect his career as Jesus in the church's stage play while winning over the preacher's daughter in the process.
Though Christian films have catered to churchgoers with movies like the "God's Not Dead" franchise, "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" is offering audiences something different.
The film's director Dallas Jenkins ("What If" ) told The Christian Post that instead of trying to preach to audiences, the film showcases humor through the perspective of a main character who's considered a church outsider.
"You can laugh, have a good time and not feel like you're being preached to," Jenkins, the son of author Jerry Jenkins (The Left Behind series), told CP. "The church outsider sees the movie from the eyes of the main character, an outsider. We made sure to make the main character realistic and relatable so people could see the movie through his eyes."
D.B. Sweeney ("The Cutting Edge," "Major Crimes"), the actor who plays Pastor Allen Richardson in the film, told CP that the movie reminds him of the family friendly options Hollywood once gravitated toward.
"The great thing for me about 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone' is it's a throwback to the old fashioned Hollywood movie that you can watch with your family, has a message, and is funny and entertaining. They didn't call them faith-based movies, they just called them good movies," he said. "'It's a Wonderful Life' was a mainstream Hollywood movie about faith, redemption, religion, and it was rated G. It didn't have any heads blowing up, sex scenes or any controversial points of view about all of the issues that Hollywood jams into our heads all of the time."
Even though he was raised as Catholic, Sweeney admitted that he was initially hesitant to join the cast of Jenkins' movie after being presented with the opportunity by his director friend. However, everything changed when the actor got his hands on the script.
"I was a little nervous at first because I often find that 'Christian movies' tend to be preachy and hit you over the head with the Bible. While I agree with the message, I don't think it's the right way to make a movie sometimes," he said. "But when I read the script I was like, 'Oh, it's really funny, it's touching.' I was just so excited that the script was funny because any time that a movie tries to impose a message on the audience, you're halfway down the drain already."
While faith is the foundation of the film, Jenkins made sure not to skimp when presenting a healthy dose of comedy. Aside from having a faith-based script wrapped in comedy, romance and drama, Jenkins chose an all-star cast of actors who brought the characters to life.
Aside from Sweeney, Brett Dalton ("Agents Of Shield"), stand-up comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (MADtv), Neil Flynn ("The Middle") and WWE Hall-of-Famer Shawn Michaels round out a cast that both Christians and nonbelievers are sure to be familiar with. Although Johnson-Reyes and Michaels are Christians, Jenkins welcomed church outsider Dalton into the fold at the request of his son, who is a fan of the hit Marvel television series "Agents Of Shield."
Much to Jenkins' surprise, Dalton loved the script and appreciated the humor in it. However, the director was even more astounded when Michaels, the wrestling superstar known to many as The Heartbreak Kid, joined the cast.
"He'd never done movies before and he's said no to us in the past. I wanted to at least try because I know he's a believer, and the next day they called me up and said he's into it," Jenkins revealed. "We've already seen the impact of working with someone like Shawn. It brings the movie to someone who might not have seen a faith-based movie before."
Jenkins, who left Hollywood after working there for 10 years, decided to move to Chicago and fuse his passion for film and his Christian faith. While he teamed up with Hollywood production studios to bring "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" to theaters, he has already seen the positive impact that it's had on people.
"We've had test screenings around the country and people have downright said, 'I haven't been to church in years, this movie makes me want to come back," Jenkins said. "That's obviously one of the main reasons we made it."
Even if people don't leave the movie with a renewed sense of faith, Sweeney believes that audiences will enjoy it.
"It's a movie you can watch with your kids, or your grandmother, and you wouldn't have to be embarrassed. And it's not boring, it's funny," he said. "I think that's really great news for everybody — Christians and movie fans. I think it could really have value for a wide audience."
"The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" will be in theaters nationwide on Jan. 20. For more information, click here.
Watch the movie trailer below:
