Francois is a hard working husband and dad that gets laid off from his job. None of his efforts to get another job succeed and he is forced to use what he has, including an old bicycle, in order to provide for his family. With the help of his “black sheep” brother, a bicycle shop owner and a pro-cyclist, Francois makes some life-changing discoveries about his life, career and faith in God.
Although a fictional story, BREAK AWAY, was inspired by true events around the recession that left people without work. The message brings hope and offers practical and Biblical solutions in a very entertaining way.
This is the first time I have ever been invited to review a Christian film, and I was pretty excited to get the opportunity. Word Films agreed to send me a DVD in exchange for my honest review, and that is what I will do here. You can read the synopsis above, and I can tell you right now that the movie is clean and family-friendly, as you would and should expect. I think the movie caught my attention at the beginning because the vast majority of people know the pain of losing his/her job, especially in today’s economy. I know how it feels to worry about making mortgage payments, and it is clear that it is only by trusting God that one can actually hold on. I appreciated the fact that Francios was willing to do anything to make some money. No job was truly beneath him. And who would have dreamed that he would be able to take the gifts that God gave him–small though they may be–and creatively become employed yet again. What seems so small to us can be turned into something massive and exactly what is needed.
I’m going to be honest–this is not a truly exciting movie. My mom complained that the South African accent was very hard to understand–it was no problem for me. I loved the scenery, but it was often slow-moving. If you are into bikes, you may really connect with this movie. I did not mind the bikes, but I am not really terribly enthralled by bikes. And the acting is sometimes a little stinted. But I sure can’t complain about the message. So what if the ending is too simplistic? You show me one uplifting thing on Prime Time TV, and I will be shocked. This film is the ideal thing to pop into the DVD player on a slow TV night.
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I was sent a free DVD from the company in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
