“Never surrender your dream.”

Synopsis: SOUTHERN GOSPEL is a Christian film based on true events in the life of Sam Allen, a 1960s rockstar. When a rock star’s life comes crashing down, he must fight his past demons to realize his childhood ambition of becoming a preacher.

Pastor Joe Allen’s (Gary Weeks) son, Samuel is a gifted guitar player who wants to be a preacher just like his father. He even said that one day he’d have his own church. But before he could get those words out his girlfriend dies in a drowning accident through no fault of his. But the blame for it places him on the road to playing rock ”n roll and doing drugs. Until one night coming home from a concert he ends up in a bad car accident. He wakes up in jail where the deputies aren’t so nice. Now he’s facing drug charges.

He begins reminiscing about his childhood when his father and mother used to play gospel music and sing. Somehow Samuel (Max Ehrich) manages to walk away from the drug charges not understanding how—with the stipulation he’d have to speak to teens about drug abuse. While driving back home his father tells him, “Never surrender your dream.” They stop at a lake and he asks his father to baptize him.

When his father announced that he was going to step down, after hearing Samuel’s testimony, the elders decided that he would be the next pastor. However, T.L. Whitmore (Justice Leak) was not pleased with that decision and eventually through a series of events gets Samuel excommunicated from the church. This leads Samuel to again go on the road singing, but this time with his wife Julie (Katelyn Nacon), which leads down some strange and trying paths.

After losing his father to a heart attack Samuel finds out that his father cut a deal with Mr. Whitmore that if his father would step down as pastor Mr. Whitmore would get Samuel’s drug charges dropped. In an angry rage, he grabs a gun and goes over to T.L. Whitmore’s house to confront him to get T.L. to confess what he’d done.

In an unexpected twist of fate, Samuel gets a phone call and is asked to pastor a church by the advisory board until a permanent pastor can be selected. Will T.L. Whitmore confess? Will Samuel finally get that church? You will just have to watch the movie to find out.

Southern Gospel was originally released in 2023, is 109 min, and is rated PG-13. Can be seen on Hoopla, DIRECTV. It is also possible to buy “Southern Gospel” on Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu as a download or rent it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store online.

Director: Jeffrey A. Smith.
Writer: Jeffrey A. Smith.
Stars: Emma Myers, Katelyn Nacon, and J. Alphonse Nicholson.

We give Southern Gospel

It is really good to see a movie about true redemption. The good, the bad and the ugly. Our lives are not a bed of roses and sometimes you get pricked by a few thorns. Southern Gospel is very well written and keeps you engaged from the beginning to the surprise ending. The main theme of this film is never surrender the dream God has given you even in the midst of hardships and trials. The one fiber running through the texture of this film is the main character’s ability to hold on to the bible his father gave him no matter where he was. It is awe-inspiring to see how God’s plans are revealed in the main character’s life despite the hardships they had to endure. The cinematography was excellent. The acting was spot on and the singing was awesome! Whether a believer or not this film is worth the watch.

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