Film Review: ‘God Bless The Broken Road’

Written by: Kelly Meade (9/8/18)

There are certain tragedies in life that shake us to our core and threaten to rob us of our faith, taking joy and peace along with it. God Bless The Broken Road follows the story of a soldier’s family and how they must learn to carry on and cope after learning he was killed in battle.

Amber Hill and her daughter, Bri, are faithful members of their church, however the loss of Amber’s husband causes her to shy away from attending services. With her mother’s encouragement, Bri continues to go to church and strengthens her relationship with God in the process. In contrast, Amber distances herself from God and feels the stress of trying to make ends meet working at a diner seven days a week. While Amber is shown compassion by many, she is reluctant to accept it. In Sunday school, Bri is told the parable of having faith like a mustard seed and given her own to grow.

Racecar driver Cody Jackson is a rough around the edges, smooth talking, troublemaker type who is sent to town as a punishment of sorts after exhibiting reckless behavior on the track. He is assigned to work with the town’s resident mechanic, Joe, which includes leading the community youth outreach program at the church. In his time with Joe, Cody is forced to keep his ego in check and get back to the bare bones of racing. Cody views Joe’s unorthodox techniques as childish and useless until he realizes the reason behind them.

With money getting tighter and no apparent answers in sight, Amber does whatever she can to try to find a way out from under the financial burden. Amber’s relationship with her mother-in-law becomes more strained as she tries to help Amber with the best of intentions, but Amber refuses to listen.

When Cody & Amber take time to start getting to know each other, both find the beginnings of an unexpected path to healing as they share their stories.

At his first race back since working with Joe, Cody’s reckless streak and unwillingness to follow instruction leads to a scary situation. This sparks a chain of events causing Bri’s faith to waiver which takes a toll on both her & her mom. As a crisis pushes Amber to her breaking point, she cries out to God asking why He’s trying to take everything away from her. This pivotal moment brings the entire town together and opens their hearts to the love and hope that God is showing them. After a conversation with a man from their church, Amber starts to learn God’s purpose through her pain.

The overall message throughout God Bless The Broken Road is that faith is a powerful thing and when we feel as though we’ve lost it, it’s a long and sometimes painful road back. When we face the hardships and brokenness of living in this imperfect world, it can be incredibly difficult to hold on to God’s promises and the hope within them. But, often it’s through these struggles and when we seem to be at our lowest point that God mercifully speaks to our hearts and calls us back to Him, renewing our strength & trust. Like the tiny mustard seed that grows through perseverance and persistence, so does our faith. Once it’s been tested to the max, it can come back stronger than ever.

Cast includes:
Lindsay Pulsipher as Amber Hill
Andrew Walker as Cody Jackson
Mackenzie Moss as Bri Hill
Gary Grubbs as Joe Carter
Jordin Sparks as Bridgette
Robin Givens as Karena Williams
LaDainian Tomlinson as Pastor Williams
Kim Delaney as Patti Hill
Arthur Cartwright as Mike Nelson
Madeline Carroll as Hannah

4.3/5