Movie Review: "Seasons of Gray"

Rated: PG-13 for a scene of violence and some thematic elements
Starring: Andrew Cheney, Meg Wilson, and Akron Watson
Released: 2013

Synopsis
Brady Gray (Andrew Cheney) was his father's beloved son...but the scourge of his brothers.  When the boys' father brings home a new truck for Brady and promises to leave him the family ranch, his brothers gang up on him, beat him up, and sell him to a cattle rancher.  In his new town, he makes friends with Chris (Akron Watson), a Good Samaritan who allows Brady to stay with him.  Brady soon finds himself in a high position at a major company...only to be thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit.  Just when he feels like he has hit rock bottom, Brady and the family he left behind will all be in for a big surprise.
Based on the Biblical story of Joseph.

The Good
Joseph is a longtime favorite Biblical individual of mine, so, when I heard about this, I was really interested.  It definitely delivers; the performances and production values make this obviously indie production a cut above many other budget Christian movies.  The story takes a different tack at times than I would have expected, but, it still works very well.  There really wasn't all that much to complain about, except...

The Bad
Though mostly well-done, there were some spots that could have used more polish.  One scene in particular had some rather jerky camera work.  Also--and, this is a spoiler, so, be warned--I would have liked to see Brady marry his love interest by the time the credits rolled; after all, the Biblical account of Joseph mentions his marriage and his father Jacob blessing his two sons.  A note for parents: Your kid may like the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, but, this film is "PG-13" for a reason.  Unless you want to explain to your 7-year-old what rape is, I would suggest sticking with VeggieTales' The Ballad of Little Joe instead of this.

Conclusion
I may be a bit of a geek for it, but...I often find that I enjoy Christian cinema.  It certainly isn't always the case; C Me Dance and Hollow fall into that genre, yet, they're among the worst movies I've ever seen.  Despite that, right many "inspirational" films are ones that I would say are worth watching...including this one.  Though the budget was obviously modest, the movie's heart shines brighter than that of most other films I've seen.  It's definitely not for little kids--hence the "PG-13" rating--but older audiences could definitely enjoy this.

Score: 4/5