Saving Paradise movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Saving Paradise

Vertical Entertainment releases SAVING PARADISE in select theaters and on Demand everywhere on September 3, 2021.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 42 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Inspired by true events, this story takes place in Paradise, Pennsylvania.

The story is about Michael (William Moseley), a ruthless corporate raider, who is forced to return to his small town when he inherits his father’s nearly bankrupt pencil factory. Managed by his long-lost love, Charlie (Johanna Braddy), the pencil factory is the heart and soul of the depressed community. With the foreclosure deadline looming, Michael must decide to either let it close or join Charlie and the community’s fight to save their way of life. In the 1950s, there were 23 pencil factories in the United States. Today, only 3 remain.

The film was directed by Jay Silverman and written by Van Billet.

THINGS I LIKED:

You’ll recognize a few faces in the cast: William Peter Moseley, Johanna Braddy, Mimi Kennedy, and Mary Pat Gleason.
William Peter Moseley got his big break when he was just a kid in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. Fun fact: his father is a cinematographer.
I love the symbolism of a pencil, that mistakes can be erased.
The cast is full of people who look like real people, not movie stars.
The film is sweet and celebrates those who work hard to make a living and stand for something.
At the end of the movie, there is a special thanks given to Henry Hulan and all the hard-working men and women at Musgrave Pencil Company in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Three cheers to factory workers and companies that have held strong in the United States so that this country still produces something, rather than ships everything overseas.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some bad acting moments.
Some super stiff dialogue.
Johanna Braddy’s character brags that she’s the CFO of the company (Chief Financial Officer) and she acts morally superior, yet she’s the one who was supposed to balance the company’s budget for years. It was her job to keep the company solvent, yet the minute William Moseley shows up, he’s the bad guy. (sigh)
Super cheesy music

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored
Some profanity, including an F-bomb
Alcohol
Talk and illustration of a bloody teenage death

THEMES:

Community spirit
Hope
Hard work
Corporate greed
Dignity
Helping others

INTERESTING LINES:

“I know that your father wasn’t a good businessman and that his heart was bigger than his wallet, but at least he had a heart.” – Barbara Peterson (Mimi Kennedy)