Movie Review-- Bringing Up Bobby

1971.  I was five or six and my family went to a coffeehouse fellowship that was a part of the Jesus Movement of the late sixties/early seventies.  What I remember is the music-- we had no "praise and worship" industry.  So three guys with guitars sat in Samsonite folding chairs in an old three story house where they had taken the walls out to create a great room.  The music was not polished.  Some of it cheesy (don't wanna be a goat, no).  But it was earnest.

As I've mentioned before, Christian movies are where Christian music was back in those early days, and Bringing Up Bobby  fits this pattern.  It's a heartfelt look at some family relationships, told in some funny and farcical ways.

James is a mid thirties guy who has raised his younger siblings since their parents died twelve years before.  The only sibling left in the house if fifteen year old Bobby who has identified with the goth side of things.  Finally, the will is read and probated and the two other siblings come back home to slog it out and attempt to get what's due them.

Bottom line, my Christian readers-- we need to support Christian films and I do recommend you buy the DVD.  Sure it has flaws, but it is entertaining and there are solid portions where the story really pulled me in.

There were also times that I was pulled back out.  Comedy is hard.  Very hard.  And there where some funny moments.  But is it a farce ala "Drake and Josh" on Nick?  At times.  Is it quirky like Napolean Dynamite?  Yeah, maybe.  My favorite part of the movie is the sub plot involving Eric, Bobby's goth friend.  My darker side would have enjoyed that as the A plot.  I also appreciate that they didn't tie it up nicely at the end.

On the Production side: The filmmakers used the HVX 200 which is a decent low budget camera.  My only qualm with picture was the "everything in focus" type of lens native to that camcorder.  I'd really would have liked to see this movie shot with primes (the HVX has a couple of third party sources for attaching lenses on the front).

The production sound was very good-- which is often not the case in micro budget films.  The music was outstanding (although I wouldn't have put a music cue over that first door scene).  Most of the acting was solid.  Directing and editing was good.  Wasn't a big fan of the writing-- there are some really good moments and then there are some that simply aren't.

So overall, I think the viewer can take something from this movie and be entertained in the process. I do recommend that you buy the DVD and support Christian filmmaking.