Though None Go With Me

By Donald James Parker

Most of us are probably familiar with the lyrics "I have decided to follow Jesus . . . no turning back. . . ."  The second verse starts with "though none go with me, yet I will follow. . . ."  Those are the words inscribed on the inside cover of a book given to the heroine by the man she loves in this movie, made for The  Hallmark Channel and based on a novel by Jerry Jenkins of Left Behind fame.  Let me drop another name here:  Larry Levinson, executive producer, who seems to churn out quality products on a regular basis. (I will devote an entire column in the future to the Hallmark Channel movies).  The film was created by RHI Entertainment, LLC, a big player in the entertainment industry, who recently bought out Hallmark Entertainment.

Do you need your flicks filled with action?  If so, this one will probably disappoint you.  This is a cerebral, touchy-feely love story that will have tender-hearted viewers ensuring the Kleenex box is close by.  As far as pacing is concerned, the story spans fifty years in just a hundred minutes so, the story did not spend much time anywhere for very long. Despite the lack of action, this movie did not drag at all with the spiritual and psychological undertones pulling the story through at a steady pace.  A movie short on action better provide interesting dialogue and meaty content, and I think Though None Go With Me delivers.   This is suitable for the whole family to watch but, younger kids would probably be bored by it.  This plot would appeal to anyone who values a genuine, loving relationship between a man and a woman.

The headliner in this movie is Cheryl Ladd, who was a student at a high school in South Dakota that competed against my alma mater.  I saw Cheryl cheerleading before her rise to fame in her role on Charlie's Angels.  Her role in this movie as Elizabeth Leroy portrayed her rotating back and forth between an elderly grandma and a middle-aged woman via flashback. The real star of this movie, in my opinion, was Amy Grabow, a little known actress whose fifteen minutes of fame was getting killed off on General Hospital after a half-year stay on the show.  I thought she was totally awesome in her interpretation of her role as Miss Leroy as a young woman.  She had plenty of scenes to display her prowess at emoting.  David Norona and Brad Rowe (a Brad Pitt look alike) delivered solid performances as suitors for the young version of Elizabeth.

The theme definitively gives food for thought and I pushed myself away from the TV completely satiated.  It is comparatively easy to follow Christ if all your friends are doing the same, and everything is going well.  Would you desert him if everyone you knew walked away from the Lord tomorrow or all your loved ones died?  We need to be prepared for adversity in our Christian walk because it is not a question of if but rather when tribulation will strike.  All stories do ultimately have a happy ending with God, if we persevere to the end.   I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie twice.  It definitely deserves a two-thumbs up; good enough that I'm going to lend the DVD to my pastor.

About the Author:  Donald James Parker is a novelist and computer programmer who resides in Puyallup, Washington.  To learn more, visit: www.donaldjamesparker.com?tcp

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