Rhemalogy

“Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think you lived your life and missed the point?”

Synopsis: Fifteen years after leaving his hometown ministry for a business opportunity, a man gets a chance to see what his life might have been had he followed his calling as a preacher instead of scurrying off to the big city.

In a modern twist on a Dicken’s Christmas Carol, Ben Walker leaves his hometown and his college girlfriend Wendy (Kristy Swanson) behind along with a bible she’d given him with her handwriting “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” — Joshua 24:15. Promising to only be gone for 8 months and he will never change but those 8 months turn into fifteen years.

What would you do if you thought you were a success at the top of your game; about to be promoted, just got engaged, and after purchasing the car of your dreams when on your way to the airport for a trip to Paris, God suddenly flips the script? This is exactly what happened to Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo) who refers to himself as Caesar; is obsessed with making money and is so prideful it’s scary.

On his way to the airport, his brand-new sports car stops working—the dashboard just lights up all over the place and his airbag deploys rendering him unconscious. Upon waking, Ben’s car is being towed by a guy named Mike (John Ratzenberger) who professes to be an angel sent to help him by the Boss.

The more Ben’s determined to go back to the city the more determined Mike is to take him to Clearville—a place he ran away from and never wanted to come back to. Mike asks him, “Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think you lived your life and missed the point?” To which Ben replies, “Life is life—you live and you die there is no point.” The next thing he knows, he wakes up to a wife and kids getting ready for church. To Ben’s surprise, he winds up preaching an unexpected sermon that is a debacle and flees the church to find Mike.

Upon finding Mike he feels like he is either in a dream or is delusional. Mike explains to him that he is in the Great What If. However, Ben’s not buying it and wants out because he feels like God wants him to be a second-rate pastor in a third-rate church. And no matter how hard he tries he can’t escape this parallel reality. Mike finally tells him that he won’t be able to leave until he fully surrenders his ideas and follows God’s plan for his life. Then he can choose whether he wants to stay in Clearville or go back to life as he knew it.

Will Ben’s hard heart finally change? Will he learn any life-altering lessons? Will he choose to return to his fabulous corporate lifestyle or remain a second-rate pastor in a third-rate church? You’ll just have to watch the movie to find out.

Originally released in 2010. What If is 118 min, rated PG, and can be seen on Tubi – Free Movies & TV or Apple TV on your Roku device.

Director: Dallas Jenkins.
Writers: Chuck Konzelman, Andrea Gyertson Nasfell, and Cary Solomon.
Stars: Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, and John Ratzenberge.

We give What If

With the Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for all ages; What If is a good family film with a strong Christian point of view. Kevin Sorbo and Kristy Swanson anchor this film with their heartfelt performances. And little Megan Walker‘s grownup observations really help solidify this simple storyline with witty comedic overtones. When we get so lost in our worldly desires, the confusion of not knowing who we are takes us on an off-beaten path that sometimes causes our hearts to harden without us even knowing it. But with God’s grace and lessons in humility, we can not only find ourselves again but the love we had for God and the love we had for others.

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