Loosely based on a true story, the faith-based All Saints avoids proselytizing as it serves up a complex tale about a community striving to stay together after opening its arms to unlikely newcomers. The film reunites stars John Corbett and Barry Corbin from the 1990s television series Northern Exposure. Here, Corbett is a minister named Michael with a sales background who has been assigned pastoral oversight of a small church in Smyrna, TN, that has an aging and shrinking pool of parishioners. Michael's task is to not only minister but also to sell the church property and possessions as quickly as possible. Conflict arises when a group of Karen refugees from Burma who escaped the civil war but lost loved ones in battle seek help from the parish and become stalwart members. While Michael and the Karen community's leader (Nelson Lee) try to persuade skeptical higher-ups in the diocese that their plan to turn church property into farmland can pay the mortgage, a grizzled farmer and Vietnam vet (Corbin) comes out of his hardened shell to re-engage with life. Unfortunately, the many ups and downs in the characters' fortunes feel manipulated, and director Steve Gomer has a lackluster touch. But All Saints is also more complex than a lot of films in the faith genre. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)
All Saints
Sony, 109 min., PG, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $25.99, Dec. 12 Volume 33, Issue 2
All Saints
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: