Gary Murphy This movie was every bit of what I expected. I didn't expect a profound and complex story. I didn't expect great acting, but I found some very good acting. I rented the movie mainly to see how Tamyra Gray had what it takes to carry a good share of a movie - and of course to hear her sing.I think she pulled it off. Her acting skills came across quite well. I hope to see her in more mainstream films in the future. The other cast members did a good job of acting, too.The music in this film is exceptional.Although this is by no means a fantastic movie, I think it deserves more than the 2.7 rating that the IMDb members gave it.

jcschildcate My excellent rating for this movie is based on the story line. What was so moving to me was how realistic and relevant the story is to living "the Christian life" in today's world. Christian or not, we are all human and I'm sure I'm not the only one that can relate to this movie. Your life may not be exactly as that of the characters but you can probably relate to their personal characters. One of my favorite quotes from this movie is "Don't allow those situations in your life to keep you from having a relationship with God...you need to know Him." Perhaps it was just that the message of this movie is what I needed to hear, but I will confess that the message brought me to my knees. I pray that if you are at a point in your life "exactly where He wants you to be" that you will also appreciate the message and find hope.

dgcasey The reason people will trash this movie is because it has religious overtones. Well, I guess I should say, it is a religious movie, no overtones about it. If you haven't been paying attention lately, anything that comes out of Hollywood with any kind of a religious message is going to be attacked, no matter the quality of the movie.We should all remember the savaging of The Passion before it even hit the theaters. People were tearing that movie apart long before they had even seen it. The experience of this movie is no different.Jim Rohn said many years ago that good will always be attacked by evil. Always. There is absolutely no reason for this film to be rated 2.9. While I wouldn't give it a 10, I would have rated it 7 or 8. But the story that this movie tells is that of good people struggling with their faults and trying to rise above them. But, they try to do this rising by calling on Jesus for strength and there are a lot of people in this country, and around the world for that matter, that can't stomach the thought of anyone turning their hearts towards God and asking for His help.Those who were expecting some big budget, glitzy Hollywood blockbuster were going to be disappointed. The budget on this film was five million dollars. That kind of budget wouldn't even buy twenty minutes of screen time from someone like Jim Carrey or George Clooney, let alone shoot the whole movie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was budgeted at twenty million (which is ultra-low budget by current Hollywood standards). Does that mean that it was four times better than The Gospel? Not by a long shot. I'll watch The Gospel again, but I don't think I'll feel any remorse or loss if I never see Eternal Sunshine again. And a lot of Jim's current movies will leave me quite satisfied, just not that one.So, you ask why this film is rated so low here? This is your answer. Good will always come under attack from evil. Always.

welltam of all the comments here I could deal least with skoptarevich whom I consider doctrinaire. forgiveness and inclusion is the way for me.rules are to guide and nothing else.lots of people seem unable to develop questions like who is Rob hardy and what is his view of things? why would he make make a movie like this and present it to the public? the lack of development of story-lines and all the other "flaws' of Hardy's work here, alluded to by many reviewers, seems not to belie the fact that all they list could not possibly have been been missed by Hardy from the start....Hardy who clearly is a highly competent professional.the end result then has to be exactly what he intended.that intent to me is the presentation of a film that looks great, has an accessible and important message, explores the social reality of African American churches to an extent...but of vast and basic importance here seems the presentation of African Americans in a positive light in their daily lives that is more consistent with everyday reality. it is the way they are and the way the would be all be things being more equal than not.Hardy gives us an impression of African America that is healthy not drug ridden, overflowing with pimps and police, almost naked Blac women shaking their tails over everything. Hardy gave us a cast the most consistent and intriguing feature of which is its normalcy, its normal health and humanity. it is middle class African America, it is a good impression and hardly inaccurate.the music was special, Tamyra Gray special also, Nona Gaye a truly impressive woman, Elba and Powell fine actors, Boris Kodjoe, a presence that contributes mightily to the overall impression of African American humanity that Hardy surely intended to convey first and foremost, at the expense of all the so-called short-comings of the movie.Boris Kudjoe is calm, charming, strong, quiet, tall and unrelentingly good-looking. He did no harm to this movie..indeed made it the excellent whole, fine product that it is.especially during Kodjoes 'rendition' of "God you are good and your mercy endure-th forever," the tremendously rich dark, tan, chocolate, brown tones of the picture drew to mind a descriptive that can only be termed classic - American classic.Yes that is exactly what it is - classical - for it is of original America, the 'original' America of the colonists and slaves, the music that is basic to that America and its creative streams finally I am African but not American, and though brought up a catholic I do not subscribe to any religious conception of things human.Yet I try to understand and accept the conceptions of things otheres hold, how they have achieved their survival and what because of these conceptions. what works for them is fine by me. and when I see such as Gospel I get a glimpse of what works for African Americans, and it is something fine to behold....indeed!