David A.R. White has given us a highly imaginative and humorous movie here which features dramatic themes and ultimately hits a homerun. It is entertainment with a point. He directs and stars in the film and his character, Richard Chaplin, is a burned-out pastor at Christ Community Church whose marriage is unraveling. He wishes he could be anyone else rather than himself. David is in a lot of the movie and really nails the role and does a terrific job in giving us a fleshed-out character. He is totally funny when he winds up in the body of a woman and is seen in a leather skirt and panty hose.
He is so weary of life that when a couple comes to him for counseling regarding their newborn daughter, and the fact the father looks at the baby as a financial strain, Pastor Rich tells them, “Figure it out soon, because lawyers are more expensive!” Pastor Rich is obviously just a bit different, as well as under strain, when he is seen delivering a sermon about the prodigal son and compares his welcome home to that of a “rock star”. He really gets into it, bouncing all over the platform and then mentions how the older brother of the prodigal got “nada”, absolutely nothing! He is like a raving lunatic for a moment and his family and a few church members look at each other worriedly. But make no mistake about it, this story is handled with intelligence and makes a simple point which is delivered with creativity. Soon Pastor Rich prays for help and then begins experiencing a “quantum leap” effect as he winds up in various people’s bodies and learns what is important in life and how that other people battle problems too. His ultimate lesson is that happiness is a choice.
Seeing things through another person’s eyes is a strong thread throughout this story and the humor along the way is genuinely funny because Pastor Rich winds up in a few women’s bodies and even the body of his daughter’s boyfriend Colin! When Pastor Rich finally figures out that he is blessed to be himself he is ready to try to repair the broken pieces of his life, many pieces which he let break himself. He also shows compassion by following through and helping out the people he got to know when he leaped into their bodies. He shows sympathy for them now and he never would have had it otherwise.
This is a terrific movie and features David’s wife, Andrea Logan White, as Chloe, a character who puts up negative notes about herself on a mirror and truly seems to have written the book on self-loathing. Pastor Rich is ultimately able to help her. Della Reese is also in the movie and plays a pivotal role. My wife screened this film with me and agreed that it not only makes a point or two, but is highly entertaining. Even the judge in this movie is funny! We happily award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal to this film for ages twelve and above due to its sophisticated themes but no doubt kids will enjoy this movie too as kids are featured in the film. Parents of mature kids under twelve may be fine with them viewing it. “Me Again” is the kind of movie you will watch over again!
