Review of I Can Only Imagine (2018) by Roger D — 19 Mar 2018

I thought this was a "good" movie with a "great" message about redemption. That alone makes this movie more than worth it. However, I must confess that I was disappointed to learn that the portrayal of Bart's life included what I would call Hollywood-driven "creative liberties.

" (Spoiler alert next) For example, the movie suggests that after some mixed success touring on the road, Bart is compelled to at last return home and address deeply painful and perpetually haunting issues related to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.

This is where the film really begins to build poignant, heart-gripping momentum as Bart and his dad (Art) find joy in a resurrected father-son relationship made possible by Art's newfound salvation and desire to follow Christ.

It's powerful stuff. Unfortunately, after watching the movie I learned that Bart's dad actually died when he was 19--which means the sequence and timing of events portrayed on screen were totally misaligned.

That was disappointing to me, because I felt that was very misleading in terms of how/when/why Bart was Spirit-stirred to write this song. I guess they needed this Hollywood re-orchestration of events to make it more audience-satisfying? Again, it's a good movie with a strong/important message about the power of redemption for anyone and everyone at any time--I just wish I hadn't been duped in the process.