I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (2018)

Genre: Drama/Family
Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin
Cast: J. Michael Finley, Brody Rose, Dennis Quaid, Madeline Carroll
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 March 2018

Synopsis:  It’s the song that brings ultimate hope to so many, and Bart Millard’s inspiring real-life story behind the beloved MercyMe song will encourage people in a whole new way. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE is a gripping reminder of the power of forgiveness, beautifully illustrating that no one is ever too far from God’s love—or from an eternal home in Heaven..

Movie Review:

Faith-based films are tricky to review. Few, if any, are designed for secular audiences, and therefore have no qualms preaching simply to the converted. But if any stood a chance of extending its appeal beyond Christians, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ is probably that film.

As told by the Erwin Brothers – made up of the Alabama brothers Jon and Andy Erwin – it tells the true story of how the Christian rock band MercyMe’s lead singer Bart Millard came to write their breakout single of the same name, which till today holds the honour of being the bestselling Christian single of all time and led to the triple-platinum success of their debut album.

That story is in fact anchored on Bart’s (played by Broadway star J. Michael Finley) relationship with his father Arthur (Dennis Quaid), who Bart describes as a person transformed from “a man [he] hated to a man [he] wanted to become”. The former is depicted with utter viscerality back in the year 1985 when Bart was a chubby kid living with his physically and verbally abusive father, especially after his mother decided she had enough and leaves while he was at praise camp. It is there that Bart discovers God as well as the girl he would fall in love with and eventually marry, but before you scoff at the pair of childhood sweethearts, you should know that Bart and his wife Shannon really did meet that way and remain happily married till this day.

To be sure, co-writers Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle have taken some liberties with Bart’s life story, but by and large the narrative remains faithful to the ups and downs in his own memoir (which was published about a month ago). Without trying to fill in the gaps between, the chronology skips ahead to Bart’s teenage years, which were significant for a couple of reasons. One, an injury during practice jettisons his hopes of a football career, which he had aspired to in order to please his dad. Two, one of his teachers would catch him singing one day and cast him in the school production of ‘Oklahoma!’, marking the start of his musical journey. And three, Arthur would discover then that he has pancreatic cancer, which he keeps hidden from Bart until much later.

Driven as much by his own ambition as his desire to be far away from his dad, Bart would leave Texas for Oklahoma City, where he meets a band who would eventually become MercyMe. After a couple of years playing at community venues, Bart and his band members catch a break in Christian music producer Scott Brickell (played by country music superstar Trace Adkins). Amidst touring with them, Scott would motivate Bart to find his own tunes, while liaising with producers, labels and other Christian singers like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant (played here by Jake B. Miller and Nicole du Pont respectively) to promote MercyMe.

But before he would write the titular song, Bart will need to go back home and reconnect with the man who had destroyed his sense of self-worth. There, he realises how religion has changed his father in his absence, paving the way for a painful but ultimately redemptive process of forgiveness. It is through witnessing how God had changed his father that Bart would be prompted to let the Lord’s mercy and grace wash over him too, which would lead to the beautiful lyrics of ‘I Can Only Imagine’.

Like we said before, some degree of artistic license has been assumed with the telling of this story, the biggest of which is the fact that Bart in real life only wrote the song eight years after the death of his father. Nonetheless, you’ll easily forgive this discrepancy thanks to the tender yet powerful scenes between Bart and his father during the latter’s last days. Beautifully played by Finley and Quaid, these moments underscore the emotion behind the song, so much so that when you hear Bart singing it for the first time in front of a packed crowd during one of Amy Grant’s concerts, it acquires a whole new depth of poignancy.

As central as religion may be to the story, the film never hits you on the head with it; rather, the Erwins choose to place the complex father-son relationship between Bart and Arthur as the emotional core of the movie, and by keeping the interactions real and grounded, ensure that the sentiments never ring a false note. That is also credit to the excellent casting choices that the Erwins have made, including a wry Adkins who brings pathos and gravity as their mentor and producer, a warm Cloris Leachman as Bart’s grandmother, and last but not least a sincere Finley as Bart himself. But deserving of special mention is veteran actor Quaid, who is compelling both as a “monster” and as a repentant dad seeking to reconnect with his son.

So even though it is aimed at Christian audiences, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ is in itself a touching portrait of pain, forgiveness and redemption. Unlike many similar films, this one at least shows enough restraint not to sermonise at any point, and genuinely tries to tell its story without guile or worse ulterior motive. If you are prepared to set aside your biases, you’ll likely find this biopic moving and heartwarming, with or without the backdrop of religion..

Movie Rating:

(One of the rare faith-based films that doesn't just preach to the choir, this story behind the hit Christian song is a touching father-son portrait of pain, forgiveness and redemption)

Review by Gabriel Chong