God's Not Dead 2
0.5 Waffles!

This movie made me long for a chance to see Batman v Superman, again.

In a movie filled with all sorts of people who used to be famous (that other guy from Ghostbusters is the judge!), Melissa Joan Hart stars as Grace Wesley – a devout Christian and one of the best teachers at her local high school. When a young student, Brooke (Hayley Orrantia), who is lost in the world after the death of her brother, asks a question in class comparing the teachings of Gandhi to the teachings of Jesus, Grace gives what she feels is an honest, non-religious themed answer.

Of course, this causes all sorts of controversy as the school tries to force Grace into apologizing and the ACLU shows up trying to sue, bringing a crazy media storm with them.

Will Miss Wesley be found in the wrong?

Don’t hate God’s Not Dead 2 because of its themes and faith.

Hate it for being a stupid, horribly made movie.

Director Harold Cronk and writers Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon attempt to fan the flames and passions of those who feel Christians are being persecuted in this world by creating a strawman scenario too simplistic to be taken seriously and full of too much stiff acting and klunky screenwriting to be believed.

Poor Ray Wise, who portrays the ACLU attorney and lead villain in the film, acts like and, his character is treated like, Satan incarnate. Every twist and every piece of bad news going against Grace quickly is followed by a close up of Wise being told by our director to smile a Cheshire grin or devilishly react as if he had a pitch fork in his other hand. It’s so over the top, Wise’s performance makes God’s Not Dead 2 into an unintentional comedy. Maybe he could score the Golden Globe for best comedy actor next year.

Then, the courtroom theatrics lack the kind of thrills you might want from a good courtroom drama. This case does not have the gravitas nor scholarly arguments of the Scopes Monkey Trial. It’s more like the O.J. Simpson case full of bluster, misdirection and meaninglessness.

There is a good movie to be made about faith, what children should be exposed to by those in authority and how we can have open discussions of all viewpoints, but this is not that movie, even if Orrantia shows she might be the best member of the cast with her natural, likable performance.

In the end, God’s Not Dead 2 simply goes to prove that the following co-stars are not dead – Pat Boone, Jesse Metcalfe, the other guy from Ghostbusters and Robin Givens.

God’s Not Dead 2 is rated PG for some thematic elements.

108 Minutes