Home Sweet Home

I was cringing within the first hour. The girl essentially fakes being Christian to get this guy to like her and puts on this whole act as she helps him with his mission to build a home for a needy family. She ends up admitting her faking and in the end everythings all fine & dandy and no one cares about her lying. You'd think at the end she'd "find God" or become more of a believer, nope.

There's a scene with some side characters, where one of the girls working on the home awkwardly flirts with and attempts to ask out a coworker. I had second hand embarrassments watching those scenes.

Half the cast are terrible actors - especially those two side characters. You'd think with having Candace Cameron Bure aka DJ from Full House as her mother, Natasha would have better acting skills. If you're looking for a low-budget, bad acting "Christian" hallmark movie wannabe - this is it.

"Home Sweet Home" is about coffee barista Victoria, who goes from guy to guy in her relationships. She gets a crush on Jason, a guy who was recently hired by her boss' megachurch, and who also happens to run a charity for building homes for people. She volunteers for it just to get closer to him, only to discover that everyone there is Christian, and knows what they're doing. As she's used to faking things, she learns a few bits of Christian lingo and some things about building. Just as Victoria and Jason start to bond, both of their old flings enter the picture, threatening to ruin things. I'd put a spoiler alert here, but... well... it's a predictable rom-com, so I imagine half the readers of this review knew where the story was headed as soon as the premise was said.

Part of the problem with this movie is that the acting can be bad. To be fair, a lot of the performances aren't TOO bad (Natasha Bure and Krista Kalmus actually do a decent job in their roles), but others will leave you underwhelmed. Ben Elliott felt like he was trying to be the Christian version of Robert Pattinson - and that probably is all you need to know. Even more hilarious is one scene where he was supposed to be distressed, but all he does is stand there and breathe heavily. Seriously, my wife and I were cracking up at that part, and actually rewound it a few times to watch it again. It became a meme for the rest of the movie, and we referenced a few times in other "Christian" movies we watched.

Part of the problem is how goofy the script can be. For example, when Victoria finds out the people she works with are Christians, she actually Googles HOW TO TALK LIKE A CHRISTIAN. I'm not making this up. And she only learns like three catch phrases. Really? Watch a clip of IFB preachers, and you might learn ten more. On top of this, Victoria is later shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you - that BIBLE STUDIES are a thing! Whoa, Bible studies?! What sorcery is this?! I mean c'mon, have the screen writers NEVER spoken with non-Christians before? Even the most die-hard, Christopher Hitchens school, foam-at-the-mouth atheists I've known would at least have some idea of how Christians talk, or would have some idea that Bible studies existed. Then later on it's revealed that her grandmother, who raised her and her sister, was a Christian... which you would think would have given her a chance to learn a few things about Christianity. Even her sister is revealed, while not being overly religious, to have at least some knowledge of Christianity - so, again, how did Victoria get as ignorant as a Martian straight off the spaceship?

Another part of the problem is, as I suggested earlier, the movie just gets way too formulaic. In fact, the cliches and tropes whop you like the hammers the characters banged nails with. The climactic kiss, for example, happens in the rain. Also, you know that old cliche where someone drops a fork, and two characters bend down to pick it up, accidentally touch hands, and look at each other all goo-goo eyed? Oh yeah, this movie has that, only with a tool instead of a fork. I'm not kidding. They actually do that in this movie. And the third act breakup? Yup, this movie has it, because what's a rom-com movie without the predictable and overdone third act break up? And like many third act break ups, it makes NO SENSE. Right after Victoria has helped them build a house they thought they were never going to be able to finish, and right after Victoria and Jason have clearly shown attraction for each other, Jason explodes at Victoria after her former fling shows up again and tries to ask her out. Most guys, you would think, would at least give her a chance to explain herself, but Jason? Nope, just some heavy breathing and then slamming of truck doors. It's even more hilarious when Victoria admits to a friend that she's not really a Christian. The friend says "You didn't have to lie, we would have loved you any way"... then proceeds to storm off in an angry huff. Wow. You sure did show her some Christian love. Seriously, I'm a church-going, Bible-believing Christian, and this movie had me rooting for the NON-CHRISTIAN characters at this point.

And, of course, there's the theological issues with this movie. On this note, I highly recommend lyrafowlpotter's review, which goes into really great detail on just why this film fails even as a "Christian" movie. Anything I say would only be repeating her review. The only thing I might add is I was really amused by how little Jason's fellow Christian friends sought to protect him from Victoria. For example, the husband of Victoria's boss, who knows what a man-eater she is, only says she's trouble, and leaves it at that. You'd think he'd be all like, "Buddy, that girl's gonna break your heart - STAY AWAY from her." Heck, you'd think people would be quoting THE BIBLE to warn Jason. Man, if only there were, like, entire sections of Proverbs warning young men about sinful women who like to sleep around and seduce men...

Like I said, this movie could have been cute, and it's not the worst one I've ever seen, which is why I gave it at least four stars. However, if you're looking for something that is semi-decent or might edify you a bit more than the average t-shirt at Lifeway, you might want to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you want to get it and do the Christian version of Mystery Science Theater 3000, by all means go ahead.

I tuned into this movie, ready to see a sweet rom-com.

I DO realize the lead actress is the daughter of Christian actress Candace Cameron Bure (so I'm sure she's a sweet girl in real life), STILL--- the lead female character is this movie is highly off-putting, MONUMENTALLY STUPID and overly self-involved.

The idea of the movie is cute, and I tried to like it but it was difficult. The main male character/actor (Ben Elliot Paez) was good and believable. The movie doesn't lay on the religion aspect too heavily, but it's there on the surface.. it was just right.

I was glad the writers DID make the main character change her "dumb blonde" ways. But overall, this is a b-grade, average movie at best.

She is shallow and all about herself like her mom .home sweet home is a really dumb movie.

Released on the Pureflix streaming service, this is presumably, a Christian film. Given that, I would expect it to be theologically erroneous and bereft of any true representation fo Christianity. I rented this because I thought I'd give it the benefit of the doubt, but sadly, my expectations were met, shows why "Christian" films are a real problem.Lest you think me judgmental, Jesus tells us how to judge in Matthew 7, not to not judge, he tells us to not judge on appearances alone in John 7, and the Beareans were commended in acts 17 for not just taking Paul at face value, but weighing it against the scriptures(at that time it was the Old Testament only). Please, read my full review.

This film plays out like a Hallmark film made by Chistians who are afraid to offend anyone by referring to sin, Jesus, or the actual gospel. If you are going to make a light romcom just go without the Bible like your typical Hallmark romcom; it would have been better for both Christians and non-Christians because it would not be teaching a false idea of what makes a Christian. This film exemplifies everything wrong with so-called "Christian" films, and I am not referring to it being a subpar movie because it is Christian, but rather due to it's theology, as someone who has been studying the Bible most of their life, and knows that they are saved by grace alone through faith alone, "Home Sweet Home" really is a trainwreck of a so-called "Christian" movie.

This film plays out like a decently made for TV film, and that is not an insult, I have no problem with competent feel-good TV films. Sure, the acting is indeed absurd, but it is still enjoyable, it is just a silly movie at face value, and the acting is definitely part of what gives it an even sillier feel, even though it dances around some very serious issues; issues of honesty, adultery, divorce, broken homes, etc. The main character, Victoria, is obviously not a Christian, and due to that, her behavior is not a shock or anything, she is just doing what unsaved people do, lie and manipulate to get what they want(even Chrisians do that sometimes too sadly). Even after Victoria realises what she is doing wrong and stops trying to "fake" being a Christian, she still essentially uses the Bible as a self-help book to "be a better person", and by the end of the film that approach has not changed. This movie assumes most Christians are theologically stupid because you are somehow expected to believe she's not still just trying to "be good", and she is now a real Christian, again, the gospel is totally absent, we have no reason to believe Victoria has heard it. Just that Victoria is "trying to be Christian", well, you can't "be" a Christian, you either are or you are not. While sure, we should both agree, things like "Don't lie", "Don't commit adultery", "Don't gossip", should be things all people live by, doing those things and "being good", do not magically make you a Christian. So what does make you a Christian?

This: Believing the gospel, and having faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross, knowing and admitting you are a sinner, and asking God's forgiveness of those sins and repenting(that is turning away) of those sins. The fact is Jesus is one of the person's of the trinity(those whom do not believe the trinity, are not Christian, it is a foundational doctrine), God is 3 persons that coexist eternally, but he is still only one God(there are several heresies related to the denial of the trinity such as modalism, TD Jakes is a Modalist, or sebalianism). Jesus came to earth to die for our sins because we inherited the sin of Adam, or original sin. We are ALL inherently sinful, not one us is good in our own nature, as we inherently have a sinful nature. We are all deserving of death and eternal damnation in the lake of fire for our sins, whatever those sins may be, big or small, it doesn't matter if you think you are "good", because the only standard that matters is God's, and his says that you are not good. But the Good News is, is that you don't have to die in your sins and burn in the lake of fire eternally. Jesus, who is both fully God and fully man, born of the Virgin Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit(the 3d person in the trinity), came, he lived the sinless life we never could, and he died on the cross, he bore our sins and we can have that forgiveness and the atonement of sins because of what Jesus did. If you confess your sins to God, have faith in what Christ did, and ask to be saved, he will save you. He is faithful and he will give you a new nature apart from your sin nature and you will receive the only true righteousness, God's.

This stands in stark contrast to the works nature of this film. True Christians do indeed do good, we are commanded to in scripture, but we don't do it to earn salvation, we do it because we are already saved and love the Lord for what he did for us. If you don't know the gospels, go read them, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and go read Romans.

Yes, I enjoyed this film, the leads Natasha Bure and Ben Elliot had very good chemistry together, and I was thoroughly entertained, but I was sad my expectations of the film presenting a false or no gospel at all, were met. By the end, it essentially equates Christianity with doing good and self-actualization, which is not at all Christian. It mentions faith several times through Jason and his reference to finding faith and that being the reason for his last failed relationship, but it never mentions what that faith should be in, and as a Christian that is THE MOST important thing.

Rather than having Victoria find calls to repent in the Bible(a missed opportunity for the gospel), Victoria goes through verses that are instructional to someone who is already a Christian, this is both when she is manipulating and also when she seems more interested in what an actual Christian is, but those versus are completely useless generally for someone who is not saved. Although again, I will never get mad at an unsaved person for not being completely depraved and at least being respectful and caring of others, as we all should, but those things cannot and will not save you, ever. Though we certainly see hints of repentance from Victoria, or at least the lead character is sorry for what she's done, again, she cannot be a Christian because she does not know the gospel, based on what we see in the film. At the end of the film, she is just trying to be a better person, though at least she is plugged into a church and going to a Bible study, so there is some hope she might hear the actual gospel, but that just isn't enough to end it there.

In the end, I felt like the Jason was being duped into starting a relationship with someone who isn't a Christian. It danced around this issue as well, and why as a Christian we should never even consider dating someone who is not a Christian(besides the fact dating isn't really a Christian idea, but a secular one). By the end of the film, the gospel should be front and center since repentance and sin is clearly a central theme here, but it doesn't explain it in terms of sin and repentance, and it does not explain the law and gospel at all when it is clear the lead character needs it. As already mentioned, it just gives very vague references to faith and outright refuses to mention the name of Jesus. In terms of "Christian" films,. "Fireproof" probably gives the best gospel presentation in a film I can think of, and "Courageous" does a pretty good job as well, but unfortunately, those films seem to be the exception.

Personally, I generally avoid "Christian" films because of the aforementioned issues with this one and hundreds of others, but this one looked cute, and it is, so I gave "Home Sweet Home" the benefit of the doubt. It is nothing more than a Hallmark-type movie shellacked with deism and a few Bible verses out of context.

God Bless ~Amy