The feature documentary film produced by the International Mission Board and Cooke Pictures and distributed by LifeWay Films tells the story of missionaries Nik and Ruth Ripken. Trey Reynolds, manager of LifeWay Films, said, “Due to the success of the film’s two one-night theater showings we are planning a church simulcast for the film the first or second week of November, with a consumer DVD and church license DVD to be released Nov. 13 pushed box office receipts to $1.1 million. Overall, Playing God is a fun, entertaining film that also traverses the landscape of grief and examines how far that emotion will take us to try to find some relief, hope, and closure.NASHVILLE - Ticket sales for an encore showing of “The Insanity of God” in theaters Sept. McKean makes the impossible idea that God could show up wearing a three-piece suit seem somehow plausible. Meanwhile, Frank, when he's not pretending to be God, is a lovable con who taught Rachel and Micah everything they know. His take on God is both comforting and commanding, seemingly all-knowing while being emotionally opaque. McKean is able to explore both his comedic and dramatic chops as Frank, who has to develop a wise but mysterious, grandfatherly character for his interpretation of God. Their actual relationship with Ben, the grieving billionaire, shows the gulf of their differing philosophies on life. She has a ton of heart and kindness - more than her brother, whose understanding of their family history has made him bitter and jaded. Her Rachel might be well-versed in cons, but she's clearly not cut out to be a career criminal. Both actors play their characters convincingly, with Kasulka the more compelling of the two. Kasulka and Benward might play twins, but they couldn't be farther apart in terms of characteristics. Shot on location in Houston, it's both an entertaining dramedy about charismatic criminals plan a high-stakes con and a sly meditation on religion, spirituality, and grief. While this might not sit well with all viewers of faith, the film's message is ultimately about accepting grief and finding meaning in life. Not only do the con artists pretend to be angels, but they also pretend to channel the spirit of the billionaire's dead daughter. There's also a brief instance of torture and a scene with a gun stand-off (they're never fired). Characters drink heavily to numb the pain of grief and loss, a drug overdose is mentioned, and a couple of scenes include vomit. Parents need to know that Playing God is a drama about brother-sister con artists who are trying to achieve the ultimate con: deceiving a grieving billionaire by pretending to know God (one crook even pretends to be God). Mention of Rachel and Micah's mother dying from a drug overdose.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Scenes with drinking, including to excess as a form of self medication. Even though the film questions why God is usually portrayed as an old man, Frank -literally an old White man - is still given the role, which falls in line with stereotypical and propagandist depictions of God. But if his character is examined from the common assumption of the "high achieving" Asian American, he could also be seen as fulfilling the "model minority" stereotype. Jeff, who is Asian American, could be seen as an example of light, uplifting representation. Of the characters of color in the film, Owen and Jesús get the most screen time - but Jesús could be seen as yet another role in which a Latinx character is shown as having criminality. However, there is some racial diversity, including June's husband, Owen, Frank's criminal associate/friend Jesús, and Jeff, a businessman Rachel meets on the street. An unnamed White female character and Rachel and Micah's associate Lizzy fill a more sexualized role. Rachel and Jude are two of the most prominent women in the film both showcase a sense of morality, kindness, and depth of character. Rachel starts out participating in cons with her brother but eventually reconsiders when she's asked to deceive the grieving Ben.
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