Flight

I left this movie with tears in my eyes.

I think I expected a rendition of A Few Good Men, with an intense courtroom scene where the airline (the big, bag company who was in the wrong) was brought down by the little guy who had done no wrong and only wanted the truth to be told.

Wow was I wrong.

If you watch the trailer for Flight then go see the movie, you'll realize that you have been set up.  But, I'm not going to spoil the reason you've been duped;  you just have to see the movie.

For personal reasons, this movie hit close to home.  It was a scathing portrayal of the damage we can do to ourselves and those around us when our choices make us think we are so invincible that we are untouchable.

The movie did a really poor job of trying to weave the whole "Jesus is your Savior" into the context of the film.  It skated around the subject leaving blithe statements and unanswered, tough questions.  For every "Jesus meant for this to happen", I wanted to cringe.  I wanted to scream to the uninitiated:  "My God doesn't cause airline accidents to happen, but He DOES redeem those who are affected by them in, sometimes, profound ways."

And, at the core, this is what the movie is about.  If you can get past the nudity at the start, the cursing throughout, the rampant drug/alcohol use and the ridiculous portrayals of Christians, you will be touched by this movie.  Mr. Denzel Washington has proven, once again, that he is worth the price of admission.

A better gauge of the importance of this movie is how many people decide to heed the message, realize their lives need changing and that they are worth the fight, and make bold moves to do so.  There is nothing in the gross revenue numbers or overall rankings or even the awards shows next year that will show the impact of this movie on its viewership.  And that is a shame.

But, God knows what this movie will do in people's lives.  And that is my huge takeaway from this movie:  People make horrific choices until they are faced with their own demons and just can't lie one more time.  Sometimes it takes a massive event to make that happen;  other times change comes on the wings of a breeze.  Regardless, most lives that are drastically turned around find that the polar opposite of their crummy, messed-up existence is Jesus.

Two pinkies up for the underlying message of redemption and forgiveness and healing, with a side of wishing that, somehow, the message could have been made with a lot less drugs, sex, cursing and nudity.