Believe Me is a new film from Riot Studios about a college senior, Sam Atwell, who finds out he can’t graduate due to a problem with his scholarship money; he has to pay a $9,000 tuition bill in just a couple of weeks. Sam’s solution? Get together with his three best buds, take advantage of the gullible Christian market by making up a fake charity, having a fundraiser, and keeping most of the money for themselves. They agree to give a small percentage to a real charity so they’re not totally lying. At the fundraiser, they meet a guy who drafts them for his Christian youth rally tour and they take the whole show on the road.
This film is definitely geared towards the millenial generation. Its style and sense of humor fit the demographic of its main characters, who are all recent college graduates. It’s a much cleaner version of the guy group buddy film (The Hangover,Swingers, American Pie, etc.). That in and of itself is pretty significant and a great reason to go out and support this film. There just aren’t a lot of funny young guy movies that are clean.
That being said, I think it would be very beneficial for any believer of the older generations to watch it as well. Well crafted into the story, in a very natural way, is a lot of social commentary that brings to light the struggles that many millenials have with contemporary American Christianity. Not with the Gospel, or with Jesus, but with Christianity. As director Will Bakke said, “We tried very hard not to point a finger, but to hold up a mirror to Christian subculture. To make us look at ourselves the way that non-Christians often see us.”
The film also raises some incredibly important questions about how fundraising is done for faith-based non-profits and churches. Towards the beginning of the film, the main character asks, “Is there any accountability?” And he quickly finds out there’s not enough.
It also raises some questions about the authenticity of our faith. Do we really believe what we say we believe and are we living it out? Do we actually base our theology and our lifestyle choices in what Scripture says? Or are we just caught up in the Christian subculture? Do we even know the difference?
Beyond all that, it’s just plain funny. It’s an enjoyable story with a fun cast of characters and a good but not contrived ending. There isn’t a big dramatic unrealistic conversion moment at the end, but an authentic change has happened in Sam. It’s an ending I can “buy” while also pointing wholeheartedly to Christ. And even though the producers don’t want to call it a “Christian film,” that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a Christian film.
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