This 2019 film is about two wrongdoers who turn their lives around after experiencing miracles. We are introduced to Doc Boyd and Dad Everett, who are charming, but inexcusably deceptive and greedy: They make their living by preying on lonely widows and manipulating their emotions to trick them into hopeless oil investments. They misuse the Lord’s Word, quoting Scripture to support their claims like false prophets.
Once they run out of widows to fleece in Oklahoma, Boyd and Everett set up shop in Cornville, Texas, a turning point for these characters because there, Boyd and Everett actually strike oil. Having witnessed a miracle that neither can can deny had to be of a Greater Power, both men begin changing their lives.
Their sins catch up with them and they are brought to trial. Just when it looks bad for Boyd and Everett, the widows they had wronged forgive them, instead of testifying against them. The message that staying true to one’s faith and finding forgiveness, which then changes the lives of the forgiven, is one that many of the Christian faith can relate to and emulate. While the story is slowly paced at times, the theme of redemption through miracles and forgiveness is clear and teaches that all people, even those seen as a devil in the eyes of their peers, can be redeemed. A few western violence scenes aren’t appropriate for small children, but the life-changing faith in this film brings Miracle in East Texas Dove-approval for Ages 12+.
The Dove Take:
Miracle in East Texas is a fun, tall tale, full of adventure, near-escapes, and genuine redemption for a couple of likeable (but crude) shysters
