Christian Review Magazine Issue 2 - Jan/Feb 2015 | Page 28

MOVIE REVIEW MOVIE REVIEW Title: HOOVEY Rating: Starring: Patrick Warburton, Lauren Holly, Cody Linley, Alyson Stoner Written by: Howard Klausner Directed by: Sean McNamara Genre: Sport, Drama Running Time: 91 minutes MPAA Rating: PG Production Company: Gundersen Entertainment, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, EchoLight Studios Reviewed by: Christian St John Release Date: Jan 31, 2015 : Theatrical 28 > CHRISTIAN REVIEW B ased on true events, Hoovey is a movie about family and faith and tells the remarkable story of Eric “Hoovey” Elliot, a basketball loving high school student. At the beginning of the movie, Hoovey is suffering from blurred vision and severe headaches which are quickly written off as poor eyesight. Then one day he gets a blow to the head during basketball practice and it is soon discovered that he has a tumor the size of an orange at the base of his brain. After an 8 hour operation the tumor is removed and the good news is Eric will live. But the operation leaves him having to learn how to walk, talk, and read again. And overnight, the Elliot family find themselves in crippling debt that threatens to rob them of the lives they have built up for themselves and known for so long. Hoovey is an excellently produced movie; it looks and sounds great. The screenplay is engaging, something that is made even more so by the acting by all involved. Cody Linley (TV’s Hannah Montana) plays the movie’s namesake, and his parents are played by Patrick Warburton (TV’s Family Guy) and Lauren Holly (TV’s Motive). And they are brilliant in this movie… in fact everyone involved brings their best to this one! Hoovey is a faith loaded movie. On the one hand it shows the cold-hard reality that life can change in an instant - one minute the Elliot family are a normal American family living the dream, the next their lives are thrown into chaos and financial ruin. On the other hand, it shows how when push comes to shove the Elliot family took everything to God and trusted in Him, no matter how hard it seemed at the time. Much like the stellar movie adaptation of Heaven is for Real, Hoovey is an inspiring and hope filled, family friendly movie. There is a fair amount of tear jerking and tense moments throughout, but the movie ultimately shows that through everything the Elliot family faced, God was the one constant in their lives. As a movie, Hoovey has it all. It’s funny, dramatic, moving, and poignant, everything you want when watching a feelgood movie. Everyone at Christian Review loved this movie, as such Hoovey comes highly recommended!