Customer Reviews

Reggie's Prayer [VHS]

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I really enjoyed this movie... Reggie shows the importance of heroes and role models... He touches on social issues that are important to our times... shows young people the problems of drug dealing and gang violence... and touches on the importance of family... I really like this movie.

I don't think anyone would say this is a great movie; some of the story seemed a bit far-fetched to me. The production quality, however, is certainly up to typical Hollywood standards, unlike most of the Christian movies made around the same time. Still, it is a wholesome movie with an outstanding message, that is akin to the story of the Good Shepherd leaving the main flock to look for one sheep that was lost. Reggie immediately let the team know that, unlike his professional football team's former coach's philosophy that winning at any cost was desirable, Reggie believed that winning honorably was an even higher achievement.

There is a subtle Christian message in this movie, but it is one of the first openly Christian movies that does not ram Christianity down one's throat. The movie maintains it excitement to the climax when Reggie fights the bad guys and then tracks down a kidnapped team member into the Oregon wilderness to try to rescue the boy. It is too bad that Reggie White, an ordained minister who was known while playing football as the "Minister of Defense," passed away in January, 2005, because it would have been nice to see more of these types of movies.

For NFL football fans, the cameo appearance of Green Bay Packers men is a nice added touch. Both coach Mike Holmgren (now with the Seattle Seahawks) and Bret Farve are seen with speaking roles as school custodians! Also making appearances in the movie is Roosevelt 'Rosie' Greer, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the 1960s, who is also an ordained minister. One scene that really struck me was where both these huge, strong men, White and Greer, knelt together in prayer in a funeral scene at the beginning of the movie. This movie would never make any 'best of' list, but it is better than much of what comes out of Hollywood and infinitely better than virtually all Christian theme movies that came out before The Passion of the Christ.