"War Room" Review

Title: War Room

Directed by: Alex Kendrick

Screenplay by: Alex Kendrick  and Stephen Kendrick

Year: 2015


Do not be deceived by the title of this film, as it has nothing to do with a war room by the traditional definition. This is not a movie about a war room per se, but rather of a struggling family dynamic that seeks solution through prayer. Though the title can be misleading, it is nevertheless, an interesting choice. I went into this film not having seen any of the promotional material and as a result I did not know what to expect. I was surprised by the end, both for better and for worse.

Elizabeth and Tony appear to have a well structured and dream life. However, behind these physical appearances, their marriage is failing and it is affecting their decisions and actions. Tony becomes a proud and flirtatious man who despises coming home because Elizabeth has taken to a more bitter attitude. But help comes in the form of Miss Clara, an elderly woman who convinces Elizabeth to believe in God for the rectification of her crumbling marriage.

The entire cast for this film is compromised of relatively unknown actors. I would say they all give strong performances. Priscilla Shirer leads the cast as Elizabeth and she does a good job. Nothing really memorable but believable, and that is the key word with these performances. The way these characters act is very realistic, as if you could conceivably meet any one of them on the street one day. Karen Abercrombie plays Miss Clara, giving her a cooky sense of wisdom and some pretty good laughs. Alena Pitts as the daughter shows some young talent, but the standout for me is T.C. Stallings as Jordan. He is nothing too special for the first half of the film, but during the second half, he brings a surprising amount of emotion and ends up carrying the movie for a good portion.

The story is nothing too fancy or extravagant. A married couple is losing faith in each other. While the wife seeks help to rebuild the marriage, the husband instead finds pleasure in work and seeing another woman. But this approach works because of how realistic it is. This is an everyday issue and it is treated as such. There is not anything that makes this unfortunate situation special. This works for the story, however, the script completely works against it. The dialogue spoken is fine when in normal situations, but this is a movie that is trying to get the idea of faith and prayer across. When it comes to these portions, the dialogue falls flat. The wording is too blunt and compromises many scenes that could have been resonant. As a result, some of the conversations about faith and religion fail to be believable, for lack of a better term.

The plot has an interesting structure, in that the first half focuses on Elizabeth's perspective while the second half is centered around Jordan's dilemma. Elizabeth's story is engaging enough, but never truly gripping. It is entertaining to see what she does to try and fix her relationship with her husband and how she turns her closet into a "war room," a place where she can pray and use faith to fight her battles. I think this was a strong aspect of the film, but it is hardly focused on enough to warrant its being the title of the picture. However, once the story switches gears and focuses on Jordan, it becomes much more engaging. We see his journey towards redemption and what he must sacrifice and put himself through to reach it. I think this works more than Elizabeth's story because her story is relying on an unseen force to guide her and fix her problems. I do not know whether the material is at fault, as it is difficult to portray an unseen entity as a prominent feature, or whether the directors are simply not talented enough to bring this to its full potential. But seeing Jordan having to go through numerous trials and having faith that it is the right the thing to do is very powerful and succeeds on all fronts.

War Room  is not a typical film. The movie is grounded in reality with the message that a small prayer can go a long way. The morals are great and there are some very emotionally powerful moments, such as a conversation between Jordan and his daughter, which is rather tear-jerking. The cast is strong and the fact that they are not well known benefits the film's realistic approach. However, the script is what really lets the movie down, especially with the dialogue. Also, some of the direction and execution is not up to par with the material being dealt with. In addition, the pacing is incredibly off, as I felt as if the movie was three hours long, when it was actually only two. I would not deem War Room a bad film, but its recommendation must be given cautiously. I myself found the experience a positive one by the end, but mainly because the second half really excelled. Objectively, this is a mixed bag, with some terrific moments, as well as some truly cringeworthy ones.

Grade: C+