God Bless the Broken Road

God Bless the Broken Road is a 2018 American Christian drama film directed by Harold Cronk. A loose interpretation of the 1998 song "Bless the Broken Road," the plot follows a mother who loses her husband in the War in Afghanistan and must cope with the loss. The film stars Lindsay Pulsipher, Makenzie Moss, Andrew Walker, Kim Delaney, Robin Givens, Gary Grubbs, Arthur Cartwright, LaDainian Tomlinson, Madeline Carroll, Ian Van Houten, and Jordin Sparks. It was released in the United States on September 7, 2018, by Freestyle Releasing.

God Bless the Broken Road
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarold Cronk
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Jennifer Dornbush
  • Harold Cronk
Based on"Bless the Broken Road"
by Rascal Flatts
Starring
Music byJesse Daniel
CinematographyPhilip Roy
Edited byWill Musser
Production
company
Distributed byFreestyle Releasing
Release date
  • September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.4 million[1]
Box office$2.8 million[2]

Plot summary

The film tells the story of a young mother named Amber Hill who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their young daughter Bree in his absence. She meets a race car driver named Cody Jackson who helps to restore her faith.

After the death of her husband in Afghanistan, his surviving spouse loses her faith and puts his last unopened letter in her Bible. Amber Hill continues to send her daughter Bree to church. The mother and daughter struggle as Amber is a waitress at a Kentucky diner called "Rosie's". Amber rejects help from her mother-in-law Patti and many others. The bills pile up and she receives a foreclosure notice on her home. Her daughter gets a mustard seed in Sunday school and plants it and even names it Matt.

Cody Jackson, a race car driver, takes interest in Amber and helps her daughter build a go-cart. The Pastor, the choir ladies, and disabled Mike all try to encourage her to come back to church. The seed of faith remains in her heart. Amber wants to raise her daughter on her own. Patti the mother-in-law sees Amber's wedding rings are missing. While babysitting, she finds a stack of bills. Amber assures Patti things are under control.

Amber starts to date Cody and her daughter really likes him. Her mother never likes to talk about her dead dad. Bree feels all alone while her Mom copes with her own grief and low paying job. They go to one of Cody's races and he is in an accident. Cody's accident is too much for Amber and she forbids Bree to see him. Bree runs away and when found says she wants to live with her grandmother. Amber prays for an answer.

Wheel-chair-bound Mike Nelson tells Amber about how her husband saved his life. His last words were: "You are loved more than you will ever know." Mike gives her a cross that Darren had made from IED scraps. Amber, Bree and Patti go to Darren's grave and read his last letter together. Amber returns to church and is singing Bless the Broken Road. A new mustard seed labeled "Faith" is seen growing in the window.

Cast

Production

Much of the cast, including Kim Delaney and Jordin Sparks, signed on in May 2016.[3] Principal photography on the film began in the Spring of 2016 in West Michigan, and it received a state tax credit of $2.7 million.[1][4] LaDainian Tomlinson joined the cast in January 2017.[5] Some racing scenes for the movie were recorded at Berlin Raceway.[4]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, God Bless the Broken Road was released on September 7, 2018 alongside The Nun and Peppermint, and was projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,235 theaters in its opening weekend.[6] However, it ended up debuting to just $1.4 million, finishing 11th at the box office.[7]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 10% based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 4.1/10.[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[10]

References
  1. Harger, Jim (May 10, 2016). "Faith-based film qualifies for $2.7M in state incentives, set at Berlin Raceway". M Live. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  2. "God Bless the Broken Road (2018)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  3. Busch, Anita (May 16, 2016). "Kim Delaney, Jordin Sparks Join 'God Bless The Broken Road'". Deadline. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  4. Brenzing, Bob (10 May 2016). "Berlin Raceway among locations for new faith-based film". WXMI. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  5. "NFL Great LaDainian Tomlinson to Star in Movie Based on Country Song". The Hollywood Reporter. January 3, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 4, 2018). "'The Nun' To Fly To $40M+, Eyes Record Opening For 'Conjuring' Franchise – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 9, 2018). "'The Nun' Hits The Hallelujah With $54M Opening, Best Ever In 'Conjuring' Universe – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  8. "God Bless the Broken Road (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  9. "God Bless the Broken Road reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  10. @gbbrmovie (September 15, 2018). "godblesstheroad on Twitter" (Tweet). Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Twitter.
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