I remember seeing I Can Only Imagine in the theater back in 2018 when it was first released.
It was moving, yes.
But hard to watch.
The story is of a young boy, Bart Millard (played by J. Michael Finley), who grows up in a broken home with an abusive father (played by Dennis Quaid), a man haunted by something (I’m not sure we ever find out what), and prone to violence. Scenes with the two of them are emotionally painful to watch.
To make Bart’s life worse, his mom leaves home and he is raised by his angry dad.
The film opens with this super that helps set the stage for what we’re about to watch:
I Can Only Imagine is a multi-platinum, best-selling song written by Bart Millard of Greenville, Texas. Its message of hope has inspired millions all over the world.
From Bart Millard’s entry on Wikipedia:
Bart Marshall Millard (born December 1, 1972) is an American singer and songwriter who is best known as the leader of the band MercyMe. He has also released two solo albums: Hymned, No. 1, in 2005 and Hymned Again in 2008. He received a solo Grammy nomination in the category of Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album for the latter album. In high school, Millard wanted to become a football player, a dream which ended when he injured both ankles at a high school football game. As a result, Millard took choir as an elective. Millard’s father, Arthur Wesley Millard Jr., died in 1991, during Bart’s first year of college, and his youth pastor invited him to work with the church’s youth group worship band. Millard accepted and worked with the video and audio systems for the group. James (Jim) Bryson played piano for that band and later went on to play with Bart Millard and the worship band on a trip to Switzerland. This trip inspired Millard to pursue a full-time musical career. Millard and two of his friends, James Phillip Bryson and Michael John Scheuchzer, moved to Oklahoma City, and formed MercyMe. Since then, the band has recorded six independent, ten studio, two Christmas, and three compilation albums.
From MeryMe’s entry on Wikipedia,
MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul. The band formed in 1994 and released six independent albums before signing with INO Records in 2001. The group first gained mainstream recognition with the crossover single “I Can Only Imagine“, which elevated their debut album, Almost There, to triple platinum certification. Since then, the group has released eight additional studio albums (six of which have been certified gold) and a greatest hits album. The group has also had 13 consecutive top 5 singles on the Billboard Christian Songs chart, with 7 of them reaching No. 1. MercyMe has won 8 Dove Awards and has had many Grammy Award nominations. On April 8, 2014, the band released its eighth studio album titled Welcome to the New. Their ninth studio album, Lifer, was released on March 31, 2017, and tenth, Inhale (Exhale), was released on April 30, 2021.
The cast is extraordinary for a so-called “faith-based” movie: Chloris Leachman (1926-2021) as Millard’s grandmother, Quaid (1954- ), Madeline Carroll (1996 – ), Trace Adkins (1962 – ), and Priscilla Shirer (1974 – ), who appears in a few of the movies I’ll be watching in this project.
From the movie’s entry on Wikipedia,
I Can Only Imagine was released in the United States on March 16, 2018. It was a box office success, grossing $86 million worldwide against a production budget of $7 million, earning more than twelve times its budget. It is the fifth highest-grossing music biopic and sixth highest-grossing Christian film of all-time in the United States.
That level of success is noteworthy.
But none of that matters to me, personally, unless I enjoy watching the movie.
So, that’s the real question: Do I enjoy watching this movie?
Answer: Yes.
The quality is high. The acting is superb. And the story is uplifting.
After Bart’s father dies, and he discovers the phrase “I can only imagine” and “imagine” written multiple times in his own journals, I can practically see the light bulb appear over his head. The song “I Can Only Imagine” was written from that discovery and a whole lot of inspiration from the Holy Spirit.
In the movie, Bart originally offered the song to Christian superstar Amy Grant, played by Nicole DuPort (1980- ), who enthusiastically accepted and wanted to perform it for the first time live, in front of an audience. But when that moment arrived she stopped, looked into the audience, and told Bart that it was his song and he needed to perform it for everyone. Reluctantly, Bart stepped onto the stage. And the rest, as they say, is history. (The clip of Bart singing the song on Amy’s stage is embedded below.)
It’s a tear-jerking moment, not only because Bart finally achieves the success he strove hard to attain, but also because the song he wrote for his late father was what God used to do it.
The themes of the movie are forgiveness and redemption, both of which the world needs in large quantities right about now. Bart couldn’t get past his painful childhood until he forgave his father. And his father couldn’t overcome his own demons until he forgave himself (and, presumably, whatever happened to him earlier in his life). From that forgiveness comes redemption – and new lives.
Incidentally, because I like to pay attention to such geeky things, the Inciting Incident was this: “In high school, Millard wanted to become a football player, a dream which ended when he injured both ankles at a high school football game. As a result, Millard took choir as an elective.” When that happened, it changed the trajectory of Bart’s life by pushing him into singing and performing on stage. If his football career hadn’t ended, he might not have become a singer/songwriter.
The Erwin Brothers (Jon and Andrew), like the Kendrick Brothers, have elevated faith-based movies to a whole new level. They’ve created some of my favorite films, including American Underdog (2021).
Here’s the song “I Can Only Imagine,” as performed by J. Michael Finley:
NOTE: There is an important element missing from the end of this scene that provides another emotional punch to the gut. Watch the movie and find out what it is.
Format: Blu-ray
Special Features: Yes (plenty of them!)
Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Released 2018
Budget: $7,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada: $83,482,352
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 67% Critic, 91% Audience