Family Friendly Film Review - WWJD II: The Woodcarver

I love finding family friendly films that I can feel good about, I like it even more when they are of good quality.  Faith-based films are my absolute favorite.  Today we watched WWJD II: The Woodcarver via Netflix streaming.  There is a clip of the film at the bottom of this review.

What Would Jesus Do
Nasser Entertainment

About the film:
Matthew is a troubled boy from a broken home. When he vandalizes the local church to get back at his parents, Matthew has to repair the damage to the church to avoid criminal charges. While working at the church, he meets Ernest (John Ratzenberger), an accomplished wood carver who created the intricate woodwork decoration that Matthew destroyed. Now Ernest and Matthew must work together to preserve the church’s beautiful antiquity, and along the way, they also manage to restore their faith in God and in life.

Starring: John Ratzenberger, Dakota Daulby, Anthony Harrison, Stephen E. Miller, and Nicole Oliver.

My Review:
Matthew's world is crumbling around him, and he is lashing out in every way he can think of.  He has quit school, is withdrawn, and has destroyed church property.  Ernest is a man who is still reeling from his own loss.  Matthew destroyed much of what Ernest built for the church and has started working with Ernest to fix the damages on the outside of the building and the inside of his heart.  

The story is done quite well with really excellent acting on all sides.  From the beginning opening music to the flow of the story, I was drawn in. Sometimes a faith based film can seem rather cheaply done, poorly written or badly acted.  That was entirely not the case for this film.  Ernest and Matthew develop a bond immediately, and the older man helps the teen deal with the pain from his broken home and the teen and his family show the elder wood carver that God indeed has a purpose even now for his life even without his bride by his side.  

I would strongly recommend this film for any family member.  There is a great message.  It is appropriate for all ages, but in my opinion I would probably look at the age to start at around 8 or 9.  This is a good time for them to get a message of deciding what Jesus would do in their own circumstances.  It is a very clean film.  

My rating of smiles would be to definitely rate it a five out of five smiles.  It is truly well done.