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• DVD & Streaming

Jesus Revolution

• Biography/History , Christian , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

• February 24, 2023
• Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie Frisbee; Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Smith; Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie; Anna Grace Barlow as Cathe Martin; Ally Ioannides as Janette Smith; Julia Campbell as Kay Smith; Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Charlene; Devon Franklin as Josiah; Mina Sundwall as Dodie; Steve Hanks as Timothy Leary; Erin Schaut as Janis Joplin

Home Release Date

• April 10, 2023
• Jon Erwin; Brent McCorkle

Distributor

Movie review.

Lonnie Frisbee might have looked like Jesus–what with his long hair, thick beard, ready smile and bright eyes. But Lonnie was a hippie from San Francisco in the late ‘60s. And before a movement he helped launch swept the nation in that turbulent era, Lonnie wasn’t the kind of guy most churches would have invited in with open arms.

But God works in mysterious ways, as the saying goes. And so it was that one day while walking down a coastal highway, a young woman named Janette stopped to give the hippie a ride. Janette, it turns out, was a pastor’s kid on the verge of punting on Christianity altogether.

The reason? Her dad, Chuck Smith, an aging, struggling pastor straight out of central casting. Janette wants him to open his eyes, to see that maybe the hippie movement’s countercultural excesses cloak deeper longings that aren’t as threatening as they might appear. “What I’m saying is that they want peace and love. Isn’t that what you want?” she asks her dad as they watch the evening news together.

“I think these kids need help,” her mom, Kay, replies.

“What they need is a bath,” Chuck quips sarcastically. “I don’t know if they can be helped.”

“Sure, and there’s the problem,” Janette retorts. “You’re passing judgment on people you know nothing about. You’ve never even met a hippie.”

“I’ll tell you what,” her dad says, “when God walks in here to bring me a hippie, I’ll ask Him what it’s all about, because I don’t understand.”

“Maybe that’s why your church is so empty,” Janette says, dropping the proverbial mic on her way out the door.

That’s when Janette providentially encounters Lonnie, a stereotypical hippie who’s wandered down the coast from Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. Except for that one important detail: Lonnie loves Jesus. And he can’t stop telling others about Him—including Chuck.

“There is an entire generation right now searching for God,” Lonnie says. “I know we must seem a little strange. But if you look a little deeper, if you look with love, you’ll see a bunch of kids that are searching for all the right things, just in all the wrong places.”

By the time Lonnie Frisbee is done speaking, describing “his people” as “sheep without a shepherd, chasing hard after lies,” Pastor Chuck Smith is silent. His teary eyes tell of a man who has encountered the Spirit’s unexpected movement in an equally unexpected form: a homeless hippie follower of Jesus whose passion will change Chuck Smith’s life—and the lives of thousands of others, including teens Greg Laurie and Cathe Martin—forever.

Positive Elements

There’s much that’s positive and redemptive here, but virtually all of that content is interwoven deeply with spiritual elements that I’ll talk about in more detail below.

Spiritual Elements

Jesus Revolution is, at the core, a dramatized depiction of what happens when revival breaks out. Lonnie Frisbee doesn’t look like what Chuck Smith and many other “square” Christians think a follower of Jesus should look like. But Chuck listens to Lonnie, takes him seriously and bravely opens his church to others involved in the suddenly burgeoning Jesus movement.

Chuck takes a great deal of criticism from more socially conservative members of his church, several of whom leave the church over Chuck’s hospitality and openness to new hippie converts.

One of the most moving scenes in the film is when Chuck delivers a powerful sermon declaring his determination to make the church a place that can be home to anyone, no matter what their background or appearance or experience. He begins by talking about visiting the Statue of Liberty: “’Give me your tired and your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.’ And as I read those words, I thought, ‘Well, that’s Christianity, isn’t it?’”

He continues: “That’s the essence of it: An invitation to the broken. Jesus was very friendly with the outcasts. … This place, it is yours. If you feel like you’re an outcast, join us here. If you feel like you’re misunderstood and judged, this is where you belong. If you feel ashamed or trapped in something you’ve done or are doing, you find forgiveness and freedom right here.”

Indeed, the story of Jesus Revolution is a story about people finding freedom, deliverance and peace in Christ. Greg Laurie and Cathe Martin are among the many on that journey, and we also watch as they deal with their own struggles with their past and parents. Greg is slower to come to faith that Cathe is, but they both make it there eventually.

As the church’s fame grows, a reporter named Josiah from a national magazine chronicles the story and talks to Greg about his own hope that what’s happening is really true.

On a darker note, Lonnie becomes increasingly preoccupied with fame, his role in the movement and his need to be at the front of things. That’s combined with a growing prophetic role in which he seemingly knows things about needy congregants, then boldly prays for them. At first, it seems like Lonnie’s miraculous and prophetic interaction with those needy people is a gift from God. As the story unfolds, though, Chuck grows weary of Lonnie’s “theatrics,” as he calls them, saying that what’s happening has become more about Lonnie than a work of the Spirit. Lonnie is defiant but also chastened, ultimately leaving the revival with his wife, Connie, to move to Florida.

Multiple scenes depict baptism in the Pacific Ocean. We see many different prayers for people as well as worship services that include brand-new (at the time) expressions of worship that drew from popular guitar-oriented styles of the day.

Sexual Content

At a concert featuring singer Janis Joplin and LSD pioneer Timothy Leary, we see many hand-drawn signs featuring the ‘60s countercultural rallying cry, “Make Love, Not War.”

While telling his story to Chuck Smith, Lonnie alludes to the sexual promiscuity of the hippie culture, saying, “Man, we did everything and maybe everyone.” In the movie, Lonnie is married to a woman named Connie, though it’s clear that they’re having some marital strife. Those who dig further into Lonnie’s story will learn that he was sexually abused as a child and secretly struggled with homosexuality until he died of complications related to AIDS in 1993. The film doesn’t address this part of Lonnie’s story, but it does allude to the fact that Lonnie had embraced the hippie culture’s view of sexuality before finding Jesus.

A church member in Chuck’s congregation complains about young women’s inappropriate clothing in services, calling out their “halter tops” specifically. We do see a few women wearing typical Southern California beachwear, but nothing too immodest. The most revealing outfit in the whole movie is worn by an actress in a movie version of Romeo and Juliet , which we see projected onto a theater screen.

Greg and Cathe kiss a couple of times, and we see them cuddling together after dropping acid, as well as lying down together holding hands at the Janis Joplin concert. But further physical intimacy between them before they become Christians isn’t depicted or clearly suggested.

Greg’s single mother, Charlene, is a woman desperately trying to find meaning and fulfillment in a series of seemingly brief and/or casual relationships with men she tends to pick up at the bar. It’s clear that this has been her pattern for many years, but we don’t actually see any intimacy between her and these partners.

It’s not sexual at all, but we see a shirtless Lonnie baptizing people in the Pacific Ocean. Another shirtless man is shown, too. A woman in a modest bikini is shown as well.

Violent Content

One character driving drunk is involved in a violent car accident that leaves a scar on her face. Another driver under the influence of, presumably, LSD drives recklessly and very nearly causes another accident.

Crude or Profane Language

Cathe calls Greg an “idiot” (albeit somewhat playfully) under her breath. In the iconic 1970 song “War” by Edwin Star, we hear one use of the phrase, “Good God, y’all.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

The counterculture of the 1960s and ‘70s famously embraced psychedelic drugs, with LSD being the drug of choice for hallucinogenic and “mind-expanding” trips. At a Janis Joplin concert, LSD godfather Timothy Leary (whom some call “The Prophet”) speaks about the supposed powers of psychedelics to lead users to divine truth. “The psychedelic experience is a confrontation with the divine,” he opines. “It’s a spiritual awakening. You come back, and you define god the best you can.”

And then he drops another catchphrase from the era, one that alludes to LSD use: “So turn on, tune in and drop out. Start a new sequence of behavior that matches your vision. Be reborn!”

Leary’s evangelism for his drug of choice is followed by an airplane dropping acid tabs from the sky on concertgoers, who eagerly grab them. (They feature a white rabbit holding the rectangular tabs of the drug, a nod to Jefferson Airplane’s hit song about drug use, “Go Ask Alice.”)

Greg and Cathe drop acid at the concert, apparently for the first time. We see Cathe’s hand coming away from her mouth, but we don’t actually witness her putting the paper-like tablet in her mouth. Both Greg and Cathe have an ecstatic experience of the drug together, completely blissed out.

It’s the first scene depicting such drug use. Several more follow, but it’s clear that Greg’s experience with the drug is increasingly erratic, as it elicits hard memories of his childhood. We also see that Greg and his perpetually stoned friends are more and more debilitated by their drug use. Greg’s highs are represented by halo-like camera shots that suggest his impairment.

At a party where everyone is drunk and high (we see alcohol and smoking, and we hear references to marijuana and speed being used as well), Cathe’s sister, Dodie, passes out, falls to the floor and nearly chokes to death on her own vomit. Greg knows to roll her on her side so that she can breathe. That experience is the first big catalyst prompting Cathe to turn away from the drug counterculture.

During Timothy Leary’s speech praising LSD, we also hear Lonnie recounting his own experience with the drug to Chuck Smith—an important and meaningful critique from firsthand experience. “Man, we thought acid was going to save the world. But that was a lie—as much of a lie as what we were railing against.” Lonnie also suggests that drugs and sexual promiscuity failed to deliver on their promise to provide meaning and truth: “I kept searching, searching, and I just finally got to the end of it, and there was still a void.”

Elsewhere, Greg’s mother, Charlene, is clearly an alcoholic constantly on the verge of passing out from drunkenness (and occasionally doing so). We see Greg (as an adult) take a lit cigarette from her hand after she passes out on her bed in one scene. In another, a young Greg takes a glass of alcohol from her hand after she passes out on the couch.

Other Negative Elements

As mentioned, Lonnie grows increasingly erratic and self-centered as the story progresses.

On June 21, 1971, TIME magazine published a cover story titled “The Jesus Revolution,” chronicling the rise of Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel church in the early years of that decade. It featured a psychedelic portrait of Jesus on the cover, an image that didn’t look like most any version of Jesus anyone had ever seen. Indeed, the young people flocking to Him from the counterculture didn’t look like most people’s vision of good Christians either.

In Jesus Revolution , codirectors Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle tell this remarkable story. And they do so in a way that will powerfully move those of us who already know Jesus and in a way that might just move some people who don’t yet know Him to take a step toward Him.

Veteran actor Kelsey Grammer’s depiction of Chuck Smith is as resonant and profound as anything he’s done in his career. Meanwhile, Jonathan Roumie—best known for his depiction of Jesus in the TV series The Chosen —powerfully embodies Lonnie Frisbee’s passion and flaws, ultimately influencing and shaping the life of a young man who’d go on to become one of the premiere pastors and preachers of his generation, Greg Laurie.

Together, they remind us of core gospel truths: Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to release the captives from the struggles that bind them, to fill our hearts with abundant life that no experience on Earth can match.

Speaking of those experiences, the story skillfully suggests some of the chemical excesses of hippie culture without ever glorifying or glamorizing them. Instead, we see how these experiential quests for truth and meaning apart from God ultimately fail to fill us as promised.

I’ve seen a lot of Christian movies in my nearly two decades working at Plugged In . Jesus Revolution is among the best. It’s worth your time and your money, and it may just be a storytelling catalyst to spark a new chapter of your own spiritual journey and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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Jesus Revolution Parent Guide

Filled with scenes of radiant conversions, this movie also examines the challenges that come as new beliefs come into conflict with messy realities..

Theaters: In the 1970's, a preacher opens his church doors to the wandering hippies who have descended on California, leading to a spiritual awakening for a generation.

Release date February 24, 2023

Run Time: 120 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

When Janette Smith (Ally Ioannides) brings home a hitchhiker named Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), her father is taken aback. Unsettled by the cultural turmoil of the late 1960s, Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammar) is particularly mystified by hippies and is unsure how to relate to a long-haired man with an unkempt beard sitting in his living room. As Pastor Smith speaks with Frisbee, he realizes that he has a deep knowledge of the Bible and a sincere determination to share its hope-filled message with anyone who wants to be transformed by the love of God.

Humbled by the young man’s profound faith, Pastor Smith opens up his church, providing a warm welcome to anyone who wishes to attend, be they barefoot, homeless, or addicted. Some of his congregants are horrified, but others embrace the new adherents, and the church begins a period of explosive growth, spawning a revival movement across the state.

Jesus Revolution is based on a true story, a Christian revival movement that began in Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel. The movie does a fine job of capturing the excitement of the period, as open-hearted, fresh-faced young people flock to the “good news” of the Christian gospel. There are joyful baptisms and bursting chapels and radiant smiles. There are also marital problems, financial stresses, institutional strains, interpersonal rivalries, and the everyday irritations that are bound to occur when people try their faltering best to reach imprecise but lofty goals.

The most interesting part of the film comes when the euphoria of conversion crashes against the rocks of messy reality. As Frisbee and Smith disagree on how services should be conducted; as charismatic spirituality conflicts with institutional stability, the two men find themselves at odds. When they battle over whose church Calvary is, it seems possible that pride and arrogance could destroy their ministry. Laurie also learns that religious faith won’t protect him against heartache – and he struggles to regain the hope and joy that animated his initial conversion. If this movie spent less time on beatific smiles and more on excavating the bedrock of faith in trying times, it would be a better film.

Don’t get me wrong: Jesus Revolution isn’t a terrible film. Given my routine complaints about plastic, paint-by-numbers Christian movies, this should be seen as a compliment. The script’s overriding message – that Christianity isn’t a country club for the comfortable but a welcoming refuge for those on the margins – is both relevant and timely. Hopefully, the story’s emphasis on inclusion and empathy will be a wake-up call for those of us in the pews who might have slipped into complacency or self-righteousness. Whether viewers share Smith and Laurie’s particular variety of Christianity is less important than the movie’s reminder of the basic tenet of all Christian denominations: love of God and love of neighbor.

About author

Kirsten hawkes, watch the trailer for jesus revolution.

Jesus Revolution Rating & Content Info

Why is Jesus Revolution rated PG-13? Jesus Revolution is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for strong drug content involving teens and some thematic elements

Violence: People are shown driving under the influence of drugs and later of alcohol. A drunk driver is involved in a car accident and is later shown with bandages and scars. A person has a seizure after using drugs. Sexual Content: None. Profanity: None. Alcohol / Drug Use: Drugs are frequently discussed as is addiction. Teenagers are shown using drugs and driving under the influence. A young person has a seizure as a result of taking drugs. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. An adult is seen intoxicated on several occasions.

Page last updated January 23, 2024

Jesus Revolution Parents' Guide

Do you have religious beliefs? Do you share them with your family or did you seek them out independently? Have you experienced a strong religious conversion? How do you retain your sense of commitment?

You can see how closely the movie sticks to real events in the links below:

History vs Hollywood: Jesus Revolution (2023)

The Cinemaholic: Is Jesus Revolution Based on a True Story?

Religious revivals have ebbed and flowed across the United States. For more information about this manifestation of Christian zeal, you can read these articles:

Brewminate: The Four “Great Awakenings” in American Christian History

Share Faith: What Sparked These 5 Great American Revivals ?

The New York Times: “Woodstock” for Christians: Revival Draws Thousands to Kentucky Town

Loved this movie? Try these books…

The film is based on the book Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. Greg tells his life story in Lost Boy and provides Christian insight in Every Day with Jesus, Breakfast with Jesus, and As It Is in Heaven: How Eternity Brings Focus to What Really Matters.

Chuck Smith shares his life’s experiences in Chuck Smith: A Memoir of Grace.

Lonnie Frisbee shares his perspective on his ministry in Not By Might Nor By Power: The Jesus Revolution, which he co-authored with Roger Sachs. Other books by Frisbee and Sachs include The Great Commission and Set Free.

Related home video titles:

If you’re looking for stories of individual religious conversion, you can start with The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, which depicts the university years of the famed writer and Christian apologist. In Unbroken: Path to Redemption, Louis Zamperini remains haunted by his experiences in a Japanese POW camp. In this film he discovers the power of God’s grace to lift his darkness and lead him down a road of forgiveness and love.

Overpowering religious experiences can be followed by emptiness and spiritual endurance, as is the case for Mother Theresa . Olivia Hussy plays the nun whose ministry to the poor in Indian gained attention on the world stage.

In The Two Popes , Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio debate the issues that trouble the Catholic church. Anthony Hopkins stars as the weary pope and Jonathan Pryce as the Cardinal who will soon replace him. This film is an intriguing look at how leaders in the same faith can have very different perspectives on doctrines and institutional policies.

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Jesus revolution, common sense media reviewers.

Faith-based drama is positive, not preachy; drug use.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Themes of faith, forgiveness, finding your family,

Primary characters are positive role models who de

All main characters are White. Two Black character

Two moments of peril involving car accidents.

A developing romance.

Substance use by teens, including scenes where mai

Parents need to know that Jesus Revolution is the story of Greg Laurie, the founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship. Told through the lens of the Jesus movement that swept the United States in the early 1970s, the film centers on two people who helped usher that movement in: Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith …

Positive Messages

Themes of faith, forgiveness, finding your family, and finding yourself. Main takeaway is impossible to miss: To heal divisiveness between communities, we need to be open to talking with one another, including those who look and act differently from us.

Positive Role Models

Primary characters are positive role models who demonstrate a fantastic ability to communicate. That said, some frequently do drugs, which is portrayed as leading to character growth. Pastor Chuck Smith provides an example of humility , finding success after taking advice from his teen daughter. While others in his age group and community see hippies as repugnant, Chuck uses empathy to see them for who they are and want to be. Despite objections of those who'd discriminate against hippies based on their appearance and behavior, Chuck demonstrates courage by opening the church to allow them to sit, speak, and play music, helping to fuel a national spiritual awakening. Chuck also encourages a young man who wants to serve by giving him opportunities, a bet that pays off in the long run.

Diverse Representations

All main characters are White. Two Black characters are speaking roles, but both are on the fringe. Some background actors are people of color. There's economic diversity, but the poor family is depicted as broken, while the upper-middle-class and wealthy families are seen as whole. Most female characters exist only as girlfriends and wives; one identifies so completely with having a male partner that she's shattered without a man. The Madonna-whore cliché is in play, with Greg's future wife depicted with an angelic glow and his mother as a one-dimensional alcoholic harlot. The exception is Chuck's teen daughter, a positive force who thinks for herself and advocates for others.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Substance use by teens, including scenes where main characters are tripping. Overdose. Scary moments while characters are high, which are portrayed as leading to growth and maturity. It's expressed that drug use is a tool in a quest for having a relationship with God. A negative character drives drunk, with a harsh consequence. Smoking. Party scene with teens shows beer bottles.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Jesus Revolution is the story of Greg Laurie, the founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship. Told through the lens of the Jesus movement that swept the United States in the early 1970s, the film centers on two people who helped usher that movement in: Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith ( Kelsey Grammer ) and his protégé, Lonnie Frisbee ( Jonathan Roumie ). Greg ( Joel Courtney ) is depicted as an older teen who's lost and often high, embracing the counterculture mantra "turn on, tune in, drop out." Substance use is frequent, with one party scene shot to reflect Greg and his girlfriend's experience of being high. While the overall message is "don't do drugs," the point is also made not to judge those who do. But the film's greatest takeaway (among many positive messages throughout) is that the only way a divided country can heal is through love, which means opening the door to conversations with those who behave, think, or dress differently than you do. Make no mistake: This is an evangelical film. But by taking a historical outlook and having the honesty to show main characters as flawed and/or going too far, it remarkably doesn't come off as preachy! To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (23)
• Kids say (12)

Based on 23 parent reviews

Safe! Amazing movie about the Love of Christ!

Best, groove movie ever, what's the story.

In JESUS REVOLUTION, Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith ( Kelsey Grammer ) meets street preacher Lonnie Frisbee ( Jonathan Roumie ), who believes that America's youths are leaning into a "turn on, tune in, drop out" counterculture in their search for answers -- and God. Smith opens the doors of his conservative church to the flower children, helping to spark a spiritual awakening movement across the United States. One of those who sees the light is Greg Laurie ( Joel Courtney ), an older teen who's lost and often high. It's through Greg's connection with his girlfriend, Cathe ( Anna Grace Barlow ), that he finds Calvary Chapel and God, leading him to turn his life around.

Is It Any Good?

Part history lesson, part biopic, this faith-based drama is likely to have wide appeal, even for secular viewers. It takes place in the five years between two Time magazine cover stories: The 1966 "Is God Dead?" issue, which investigated the abandonment of religion in America, and the 1972 "The Jesus Revolution" article about hippies whose pursuit of peace and love transformed into a higher love with Christ, as they took to the streets to spread "the good news" and got baptized in droves. Adapted from Greg Laurie's same-named autobiographical novel, it begins with the point of view of the skeptical reporter writing the second article, who is astounded at how a generation of young people who disengaged from society and were considered the outcasts of American culture wound up finding fellowship with the most buttoned-up conservatives of the country. And the way the Erwin brothers (producer Andrew and writer-director Jon) -- the faith industry's dream team -- lay it out, the situation is both knock-you-over-with-a-feather surprising and makes-total-sense affirming.

This drama is almost certain to energize and inspire the Christian crowd, but it's also likely to captivate those who tend to avoid films about religion. That's both because it's very well made and because there's an honesty and accountability here. Jesus Revolution depicts real people and real things that happened. It shows us church leaders who weren't making good decisions, who were in over their heads, who had the will but not the skill, who thought too much of themselves, who were imperfect. And the filmmakers take their own community to task, showing what occurred decades ago to suggest that similar mistakes are being made in the present. But the film also suggests that similar success can happen again if we follow the Bible's No. 1 directive to "love one another." Without anyone in the film ever saying it, viewers will still get the message that the only way to heal deep cultural and political divisions is to stop judging and start loving because, yep, that's what Jesus would do.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why the United States was in turmoil from 1966 to 1972. In what ways was the country divided at that time? How does that compare to the United States now?

Who do you consider to be role models in the movie? What character strengths do they demonstrate?

What is a Madonna-whore complex, and how does it play out in the media? Which characterizations fall into this cliché in Jesus Revolution ? Why can these archetypes be damaging?

How does Jesus Revolution compare to other faith-based films you've seen? What message do you think audiences of faith will take away? What about secular viewers?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 24, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : April 24, 2023
• Cast : Joel Courtney , Kelsey Grammer , Jonathan Roumie
• Directors : Jon Erwin , Brent McCorkle
• Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African actors
• Studio : Lionsgate
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Book Characters , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
• Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Curiosity , Empathy , Humility , Teamwork
• Run time : 120 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : strong drug content involving teens and some thematic elements.
• Last updated : August 5, 2023

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Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Movie Review: ‘Jesus Revolution’

NEW YORK (OSV News) – The Woodstock generation gets religion in the warmhearted fact-based drama “Jesus Revolution” (Lionsgate). Refreshingly free of the usual objectionable ingredients, this generally appealing Evangelically flavored look back at a somewhat surprising chapter in Baby Boomer history is doctrinally dodgy but ethically uplifting.

The plot initially concentrates on the unlikely collaboration between Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a believing hippy, and Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), a previously starchy California minister. After the two are brought together by Chuck’s daughter, Janette (Ally Ioannides), Lonnie convinces Chuck that the Flower Children are ripe for conversion.

As the duo’s expanding mission leads to mass baptisms, the focus shifts to two of their eventual converts. Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is a troubled teen with a complicated family background, including the alcoholism of his barfly mom, Charlene (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow) is Greg’s emotionally steadier true love.

Christian viewers of all stripes will likely agree with the movie’s message that the hedonism and narcotics abuse into which many young adults fell in the 1960s was at least as misguided as the consumption-driven materialism against which they were rebelling. In that respect, the script penned by Jon Erwin (who co-directed with Brent McCorkle) and Jon Gunn is spot-on.

But the sacramental theology briefly referenced in the script is askew from a Catholic perspective. Both baptism and the Eucharist are portrayed as merely symbolic, with Chuck even altering Jesus’ words of institution to reflect this viewpoint.

Provided they’re sufficiently well-catechized to be proof against such a defect, older kids as well as grown-ups can safely take this stroll down psychedelic-era memory lane. Along with its momentary divergence from sound teaching, however, the movie includes a scene in which a character overdoses that’s probably too frightening for younger children.

Mature viewers will sense echoes of the great St. Augustine of Hippo’s long search for the “beauty ever ancient, ever new” in this retrospective of a mass spiritual journey undertaken far closer to our own time. Yet they may also wonder how lasting or ephemeral the widespread embrace of the Gospel that resulted from it ultimately turned out to be.

The film contains negatively depicted drug use and a potentially upsetting medical situation. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on Twitter @JohnMulderig1.

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Before there were mega-churches the size of sports arenas preaching prosperity and weight loss, before televangelists and a billion-dollar “He gets us” ad campaign, back in the era of hippies and Woodstock and peace signs, there were people known as “Jesus freaks.” The generation that rebelled against the military-industrial complex, commercialism, their parents, and pretty much everything but was not always clear about what they wanted, included a sub-group who became passionate Christians. They weren't in the mold of people dressed up for church on Sunday. They lived simply and communally. And they were inspired by leaders who were charismatic in both the secular and religious senses of the word. 

They were the subject of a June 21, 1971  cover story in TIME Magazine  titled “The Jesus Revolution.” “There is an uncommon morning freshness to this movement, a buoyant atmosphere of hope and love along with the usual rebel zeal,” the story gushed. “Their love seems more sincere than a slogan, deeper than the fast-fading sentiments of the flower children; what startles the outsider is the extraordinary sense of joy that they are able to communicate.” 

That is the story and the message of a new film, also called “Jesus Revolution,” based on a book by one of the leaders of the “Jesus freaks,” Greg Laurie . This movie is not about certain details, like one of its real-life characters’ homosexuality and history of substance abuse and instability. Nor does this film explore hard questions about how the cleansing of baptism does not necessarily lead to a perpetually “buoyant atmosphere of hope and love.” Instead, it's a gently told story preaching to the converts, assuming that evangelical Christianity is unassailably the answer without considering this particular form of worship may not be the answer for all. 

Kelsey Grammer plays Chuck Smith, a minister in California who presides over a traditional church named Calvary Chapel. Smith’s daughter persuades him to talk to the long-haired and improbably named Lonnie Frisbee ( Jonathan Roumie ). Initially certain that Frisbee is just an irresponsible hippie, Smith is impressed with his sincerity, humility, and dedication to the messages of Jesus about generosity and a spirit of welcome. Frisbee tells Smith there's an opportunity to reach hippies because all of the things that worry him, their rejection of their parents’ values. Their experimentation with drugs is a search “for all the right things in all the wrong places.” He believes he can show them that the right place is God. 

Smith brings Frisbee and his followers into his home and his church. When the parishioners complain about the newcomers’ dirty bare feet, the pastor does what Jesus did: he washes their feet. Some members of the church leave in disgust. Others are touched by the newcomers' sincerity.

And there are a lot of newcomers. There are joyous mass baptisms in the Pacific Ocean. Smith’s promise is a big one: “It’s not something to explain. It’s something to be experienced. What you’re seeing is a symbol of new life. Every doubt, every regret, all washed away forever.” 

Much of this story is seen through the eyes of Laurie ( Joel Courtney ), whose book inspired the film. He comes first as an observer, bringing his movie camera. When a reporter asks if he is part of “God’s forever family,” he shrugs, “I don’t really know what a family feels like.” He finds himself drawn to the sense of community, purpose, and spirituality Smith and Frisbee are offering. He is also drawn to Cathe ( Anna Grace Barlow, engagingly natural), though it takes a bit longer to figure that out. The real-life Greg Laurie is a pastor, married to Cathe. 

The “contributing” parishioners say they feel uncomfortable. Smith tells them that perhaps that should be his purpose. The people he wants to comfort are the young people seeking God, not those who think they already found Him. And yet, that is just what this film does not do. Smith promises forgiveness, freedom, and acceptance, “No guilt trips. This is your home.” In other words, comfort. Yet, when Smith and Frisbee have an acrimonious split after Frisbee starts exhibiting signs of instability and grandiosity, all we learn is a brief text over the end credits that they later reconciled. There is nothing about the troubled years covered in the documentary, “Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher.”

This film is capably made but superficial. It's tricky to balance acceptance, guidance, and consequences; it is impossible to make everyone feel equally valued all the time. “Jesus Revolution” is more of a wistful wish to bring in a wave of new followers than an effort to understand what they'll need once they’re there. To quote Jack Kornfield, from another faith tradition, “after the ecstasy comes the laundry.” 

Now playing in theaters. 

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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Jesus Revolution (2023)

Rated PG-13 for strong drug content involving teens and some thematic elements.

120 minutes

Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie

Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie Frisbee

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Anna Grace Barlow

Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Smith

Julia Campbell

Jackson Robert Scott

Nicholas Cirillo

Alexia Ioannides

• Brent McCorkle

Writer (based on book)

• Greg Laurie
• Ellen Vaughn

Cinematographer

• Akis Konstantakopoulos

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Jesus Revolution

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Watch Jesus Revolution with a subscription on Netflix, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Jesus Revolution fumbles an opportunity to bring fascinating real-life history vibrantly to life, but deserves credit for avoiding the preachiness common to faith-based films.

Jesus Revolution faithfully depicts the moment in time it sets out to capture -- and may remind many viewers of their own path to religious conversion.

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Brent McCorkle

Joel Courtney

Greg Laurie

Jonathan Roumie

Lonnie Frisbee

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Anna Grace Barlow

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Jesus Revolution

The true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California. The true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California. The true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California.

• Brent McCorkle
• Ellen Vaughn
• Greg Laurie
• Joel Courtney
• Jonathan Roumie
• Kimberly Williams-Paisley
• 194 User reviews
• 52 Critic reviews
• 46 Metascore
• 1 nomination

• Lonnie Frisbee

• Chuck Smith

• Janette Smith

• Janis Joplin

• Roger Hersh

• Father Malone
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia One of the men that Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie) talks to on the pier is Paras Patel who also plays Matthew in the series The Chosen along with Jonathan Roumie.
• Goofs Lonnie lost his long walking staff when he got picked up by the side of the road.

Chuck Smith : So many voices, it's hard to hear the truth.

Kay : The truth is always quiet. It's the lies that are loud.

Chuck Smith : It's complicated.

Kay : The truth is simple.

• Connections Featured in The 700 Club: Episode dated 24 February 2023 (2023)
• Soundtracks I Just Want to Celebrate Written by Dino Fekaris , Nick Zesses Performed by Rare Earth Courtesy of Motown Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

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• Runtime 2 hours
• Dolby Digital

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Movie Review: Jesus Revolution

What happens when a revival breaks out among countercultural hippies in the late 1960s? Jesus Revolution answers that question.

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Film Review: Jesus Revolution

I love family stories. My uncles repeat the tale of my grandfather who ran away from an abusive home at the age of ten and overcame impossible hurdles to become a loyal and caring father. It would make a great movie.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite that simple. My grandfather was a complicated man, psychologically wounded by his past, easily triggered into outbursts of rage that hurt his family. At family gatherings, my uncles rarely talk about that. It’s not part of the family story they like to tell. I need that part of the story, though. Knowing my grandfather’s flaws gives me a deeper empathy for him and my extended family. 

Biographical movies (otherwise known as biopics), like family stories, often distort the facts. Like a family narrative repeated for generations, biopics often perpetuate mythologies in which key facts are forgotten, chronologies confused, and reputations protected. 

The film Jesus Revolution tells the family story of the beginnings of the Jesus Movement, and the evangelical revival that took the Church and the nation by surprise in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.  The story the movie tells is mythological in the sense that it’s a simplified and sanitized version of a complex historical moment. I find that the deeper story—what the biopic leaves out—is more compelling than the movie’s storyline. But the real-life story is complex, multifaceted, and often painful. It would take hundreds of movies to tell accurately. 

The Jesus Movement did to the evangelical church what Jimmie Hendrix did to the blues—it electrified it. For those of us coming of age in the 1960s and 70s, the Jesus Movement transformed our lives, our worship, our music, and the way we thought about evangelism. It recentered us on Christ as suffering servant and reminded us that we are “a chosen people” (I Peter 2:9) regardless of our race, gender, or abilities. We are all Jesus Freaks. 

Historians differ on where the Jesus Movement actually began; it seems to have spontaneously combusted in multiple communities along the West Coast, from Los Angeles to Seattle. Pastor and author Brian Zhand writes, “One of the most interesting aspects of the Jesus Movement was that it was not a geographically centered revival but a kind of demographic revival. The Jesus Movement was not defined by a particular location, but moved primarily among counterculture youth throughout America and parts of the Western world. This is very different than the previous historic revivals which were very localized and usually centered on a few prominent evangelists. Who were the prominent evangelists of the Jesus Movement? Certainly there were various people who gained notoriety during the Jesus Movement (far more musicians than preachers), but they could hardly claim to be responsible for the movement. It was much more like ‘the wind which blows where it wishes.’” ( https://brianzahnd.com/2008/04/the-jesus-movement/ ) 

While the Jesus Movement is widely recognized as a Spirit-led evangelistic revival beginning with disengaged youth from the hippie culture, it also transformed churches as it spread across the United States and Europe. It was largely characterized by charismatic preaching, street evangelism, and an openness to experimental forms of worship. In Berkeley, California it expressed itself through Jesus-focused engagement with “street people,” university students, and political activists. Groups like the Christian World Liberation Front (CWLF), led by Jack Sparks, used street theater and improvisational gatherings as evangelism tools. Free street papers such as Right On (now called Radix ) published Christian perspectives on racism, world hunger, militarism, and other social issues with a focus on Jesus as the ultimate answer to human yearning.

I remember those days well. Rumors of revival rippled through my rural hometown of Chico two hundred miles north of San Francisco.  People in my conservative church began to identify themselves as “God’s Forever Family” (borrowed from CWLF in Berkeley) and embrace one another during church services. Young people started playing guitars during worship. Charismatic preachers came to town and conducted healing services. A converted biker from the Hells Angels spoke at my high school assembly about how Jesus delivered him from addiction and violence, and in response, many of my peers experienced dramatic conversions, kicking drugs and professing Jesus as Lord. Some people in my community felt disturbed by these things, fearing spiritual manipulation. I felt intoxicated by the emotional exuberance of it all, but also confused by its intensity. I trusted God, but could I trust the “Jesus people?”

The movie Jesus Revolution , co-directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorckle, evinces the religious zeitgeist of that time even if it doesn’t get all the facts straight. The film is based on the memoir of the same name by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. The film weaves together the stories of three protagonists who played major roles in the start of the Jesus Movement in Costa Mesa, California: Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney), hippie-evangelist Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Roumie, who portrayed Jesus in the biblical TV series The Chosen ), and Pastor Chuck Smith (portrayed by Kelsey Grammer). 

The story opens in 1968 in Newport Beach, where young Greg Laurie lives in a trailer with his depressed alcoholic mother, Charlene (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), who sleeps all day and frequents bars at night. Greg is a lackluster military academy student with growing skepticism about the military-industrial complex. One day he crosses paths with a group of affluent high school students and is smitten with Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), a buoyant girl who invites him to a Janis Joplin concert, where they drop acid and experience a fleeting hallucinogenic moment together. Predictably, Greg and Cathe quickly hit rock bottom. Cathe’s sister overdoses at a party and nearly dies. Greg panics after a near-fatal joyride crash. Disillusioned by drug culture, they begin searching elsewhere for meaning. 

The story switches to Chuck Smith, pastor of Calvary Chapel, a small church of conservative middle-class parishioners in Orange County. Pastor Chuck disapproves of hippies and their corrupting influence on society. “They need a bath,” he grumbles as he watches the TV news. “And a job.”

Chuck’s teen daughter Janette (Ally Ioannides) chides him to show more compassion. Later, she picks up hitchhiker Lonnie Frisbee, a saved hippie “down from San Francisco spreading the Good News to whoever wants to hear it.” Enchanted, she takes him home to meet her father, who warms to Lonnie’s childlike sincerity and cautiously invites him and his long-haired friends into his home and church. Greg and Cathe eventually join the gathering and find Jesus.

The rest is history. Sort of. More like historical fiction, the family story we want to believe, minus the complexities and contradictions of people we love. 

One of the film’s distortions is its misrepresentation of Kay Smith, Chuck Smith’s wife. Kay (portrayed by Julia Campbell) is a mere background character in the film, reticent about accepting barefoot hippies into her home. In real life, Kay felt a deep concern for the young druggies and dropouts along the coast, and initiated contact with them. Chuck Smith often gave Kay the credit for nudging him to open his heart to youth. “She’d have me drive to Huntington Beach and park there and watch the kids go by,” he says in one interview.  “I had this negative attitude, and she would just be weeping and saying, ‘You know they need Jesus.’” Kay never hesitated to invite young people into their home, let them use their swimming pool for baptisms, and attend Calvary Chapel. She led prayer groups, Bible studies, and retreats for the new converts, and was deeply involved in ministry to young women. 

Multiple conflicts arise in the film, though none are explored very deeply, and some resolve so quickly they feel unconvincing. The film touches on the real-life tensions between Lonnie and Pastor Chuck as they struggle with philosophies of ministry. In the movie, Chuck Smith, the experienced pastor and father figure, takes a chance on Lonnie as an acolyte with leadership potential and allows him to preach. Lonnie gravitates toward a dramatic Pentecostal style of preaching that includes laying on of hands and miracles of healing, which Pastor Chuck finds unacceptable. Lonnie accuses Pastor Chuck of feeling jealous of his success; Chuck thinks Lonnie is full of himself. Both men appear to be ego-driven in their own ways. This tension between the two men speaks to issues all too common during the Jesus Movement. Leadership clashes happened all the time, as I remember, and young converts were often placed behind pulpits before they were ready. I wish the filmmakers had explored this conflict more deeply; for me, it was one of the more interesting aspects of the story. 

Another character conflict develops between Lonnie and his wife Connie as they navigate Lonnie’s new role in the church. He’s clearly in over his head and wants to succeed, but the ministry distracts him from his marriage. However, we don’t get enough information in the film to fully understand why they are fighting. In a 2005 interview published on godreports.com, Connie talks about how Calvary Chapel ministry took precedence over the needs of married couples in those early days, and said that women were relegated to helping roles. “The mentality was very much the guys run the show and the girls do all the work … I had to ask permission to go to the corner to mail a letter. Lonnie wouldn’t allow me to listen to certain music. It was horrible, actually, for me, because we were living with Christians.” 

According to Connie, Lonnie was illiterate, unable to read or write, though he taught himself to read the Bible. He was also so underpaid for his work at the church that Connie had to forage food from dumpsters. 

Actor Jonathan Roumie portrays Lonnie as a tender soul who shares the love of Jesus in language young converts can relate to. You can see those qualities in YouTube videos of the real-life Lonnie Frisbee, who had an instinct for communicating with new believers. Lonnie was non-threatening, sincere, and totally approachable. Also, like my grandfather, he carried deep wounds from childhood trauma that haunted him his entire life and affected his ministry, something on which the movie barely touches. 

Jesus Revolution is sure to spark strong nostalgic feelings for those who, like myself, experienced those times. It’s not a perfect film, but it accurately captures the vibrant ambiance of the movement in its baptisms, Jesus music, ecstatic praying, and street witnessing. There were moments in the movie that brought me close to tears, such as when Greg Laurie experiences baptism in the Pacific Ocean, captured with exquisite cinematography in a way I didn’t anticipate.

It’s an earnest, moving “forever family” story. The parts we want to remember. But perhaps not all the parts we need to remember. 

Ed Aust is a writer, editor, and photographer living in Oakland, CA, and serves as poetry editor for Radix Magazine.

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‘Jesus Revolution’ Exceeds Box Office Expectations – Plugged In Tells More About the Film

Posted by Jeff Johnston | Feb 28, 2023 | Culture

In its opening weekend at the box office, Jesus Revolution brought in $15.8 million as it played in 2,475 theaters.

The movie, based on the book Jesus Revolution by Pastor and Evangelist Greg Laurie, was the third-highest grossing movie in the country, right behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Cocaine Bear .

According to Focus on the Family’s Plugged In , the film’s opening exceeded expectations, as it was only expected to bring in somewhere between $6 to $7 million.

The Daily Citizen spoke with Plugged In Director Adam Holz about the movie. Here’s the first part of our Q and A with him.

Daily Citizen : Jesus Revolution covers some of what was happening in Christianity in Southern California during the late 60s and early 70s. Tell us a little about the story.

Adam Holz : Jesus Revolution tells the intersecting story of three prominent members of the Jesus movement in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Lonnie Frisbee is a hippie who’s grown weary of the counterculture’s failed promises and found Jesus.

Hitchhiking one day, Lonnie’s picked up by Janette Smith—the daughter of a struggling pastor named Chuck Smith. Chuck’s initially disdainful of Lonnie’s “hippie” ways, but soon sees that Lonnie deeply desires to help people know Jesus. Chuck invites Lonnie into his church, Calvary Chapel, where many more conservative members are aghast and leave. But the revival among primarily young, countercultural teens and young adults explodes.

Greg Laurie and his girlfriend, Cathe, are two of those who come to know Jesus through it. The story tells their interconnected tales and reminds us of the importance of loving and inviting in those who may superficially seem far from the kingdom of God.

DC : What do you think are some of the lasting results of the events portrayed in the film? How do you think the Jesus people movement impacted the church and the world?

Holz : I’m not a church historian, but some of those folks have said that the Jesus movement of the early ‘70s – which this story focuses on – was the last sweeping moment of revival in our country.

Among other lasting impacts, the movement was the incubator for a new expression of Christian music that would morph into what we would eventually call Contemporary Christian music in the 1980s.

I don’t want to overstate things with this comparison, but just as the Reformation challenged many traditional aspects of Catholicism, so this revival was a catalyst for some to re-examine their traditions and how those “old wineskins” might not have been the right containers for the “new wine” of this revival. Many participants saw the importance of looking past superficial, external things to the deeper spiritual currents at work in people’s hearts.

There’s also a clear emphasis on experiential, emotional and often guitar-centric worship that continues in congregations to this day. Virtually every stylistic element of how many evangelical churches “do worship” today can be traced back to cultural changes in the church that started here.

DC : The film is coming out right as we’re watching events at Asbury, where we’re seeing a deep move of God’s Spirit and presence affecting college students. These are students who are dealing with the after-effects of two years of COVID‑19 lockdowns, increased political and social divisions, and the negative effects of social media – depression, anxiety, alienation, loneliness and isolation.

Do you see any parallels between what’s happening at Asbury and what was happening 50 years ago in California?

Holz : I think there are parallels there, as well as broader cultural parallels. With regard to Asbury, we’re again seeing what seems to be a spontaneous movement of God’s Spirit to convict and renew primarily young people, drawing many to repentance and probably many to Him for the first time.

While you don’t have to be young, chronologically, to respond to God in this way, I suspect that revivals often appeal to the young because there’s a natural earnestness and longing to make sense of the world in that season that’s sometimes harder to tap into as we get older. It’s just easier for young people to make radical, life-shifting changes in values than it is for older people, and I don’t think that’s changed today.

As for the things we struggle with culturally today, certainly the epidemic of mental health issues has exploded. But the issues of isolation, anger and cultural division are remarkably similar to what we saw in 1970. In that sense, I think this is a terrific story for our particular cultural moment.

Stay tuned for part two of this interview; we’ll talk more with Plugged In’s Adam Holz about Jesus Revolution – what we can learn from it, the quality of the film, and some talking points for families to discuss.

Jesus Revolution features Jonathan Roumie, as Lonnie Frisbee, Kelsey Grammer, as Pastor Chuck Smith, Joel Cortney as Greg Laurie and Anna Grace Barlow as Cathe Martin.

Related articles and resources:

Plugged In :

Plugged In Review: ‘Jesus Revolution’

The Plugged In Show, Episode 170: A Look at the ‘Jesus Revolution’

Plugged In Talks to the Jesus Revolution Cast and Directors

Movie Monday: ‘Ant-Man’ Wins Second Straight Weekend, ‘Jesus Revolution’ Overperforms

Daily Citizen :

Calvary Chapel and Asbury University Chapel: Revival and Revolution Decades Apart

From Pompous Psychologist to Pastor Chuck Smith – the Many Roles of Kelsey Grammer

Photo from Plugged In .

About The Author

Jeff Johnston

Jeff Johnston is a culture and policy analyst for Focus on the Family and a staff writer for the Daily Citizen. He researches, writes and teaches about topics of concern to families such as parental rights, religious freedom, LGBT issues, education and free speech. Johnston has been interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times, Associated Press News, The Christian Post, Rolling Stone and Vice, and is a frequent guest on radio and television outlets. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from San Diego State University with a Bachelors in English and a Teaching Credential. He and his wife have been married 30 years and have three grown sons.

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‘Jesus Revolution’ Review: A Not-So-Revolutionary Biopic

Dirs. jon erwin and brent mccorkle - 3 stars.

Nowadays, evangelical Christianity is not associated with hippie teenagers living in community, singing songs, and searching for meaning in their lives. Yet in the ’60s and ’70s, masses of radical youth — commonly known as “Jesus Freaks” — were doing just that.

The 2023 film “Jesus Revolution,” which came out in theaters on Feb. 24, tells the story of this pivotal moment in American culture, which culminated in 1972 and is often regarded as the greatest spiritual revolution in recent history. Based on the lives of Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn (who also wrote the book from which the screenplay is adapted), the film focuses on the true story of these two teenagers, both fighting their own battles and coming to find each other and themselves. It also tracks the unlikely partnership between Conservative pastor Chuck Smith and prophetic hippie Lonnie Frisbee, who are brought together by their shared mission of opening the church to young people.

Though the storyline starts by focusing on the chance meeting of Smith and Lonnie, it slowly morphs into a gradual love story between Laurie and Vaughn. In doing so, the film gracefully manages to tie together two plots through a series of converging moments, all of which center around the rapidly growing Calvary Chapel of Southern California.

Rather than using a single event, “Jesus Revolution” uses characters as the vehicles of connection, allowing for smooth transitions; it is teenaged Jeanette Smith who introduces her father Pastor Chuck Smith to Lonnie Frisbee, who resembles Jesus in both appearance and action.

Ultimately, all five of these characters serve as both the transformer and the transformed through the powers of faith in God and connection to each other. This ingenious unfolding of events and the message of the movement match up well, both communicating the message that God works in miraculous, unexpected ways if people are only willing to open their hearts to those around them to see the sanctity in everyone.

The use of water as a central focus of both plot and shot is critical to the nature of the film. Not only does the story both start and end on the sunny beaches of California, but several critical scenes center around water — mirroring how the Jesus Revolution attracted disciples via public baptisms. Whether it be the come-to-Jesus meeting of Laurie and Frisbee in a torrential downpour or the several baptisms in the Pacific Ocean, the cleansing water motif creates a powerful parallel between Biblical Gospel stories and the Jesus Revolution, visually implying that this movement is comparable to a second coming.

However, in addition to the individual moments of internal conflict that several characters are facing, the film portrays the weaknesses of the church's rapid growth, placing special focus on the rifts this creates between individuals. Though the film ultimately ends on the idea that the movement is bigger than any one individual, it leaves some key conflicts unresolved, making the end feel narrow and somewhat abrupt; for example, the split between Smith and Frisbee is only resolved via information shown before the film’s credits, which viewers are likely to find unsatisfying.

Similarly, the film fails to properly develop the character of the plot’s catalyst, Jeanette Smith. Viewers may be left feeling frustrated by her slowly fading presence and the lack of recognition she is given.

Despite these flaws, it is fair to say that it was incredibly well-executed and original, as it powerfully tells the undertold story of this counterculture movement. The soundtrack, warm camera filter, and wardrobe immerse audience members in the time period, allowing viewers to get swept away in the story. Tangentially, the interweaving storyline does an excellent job of keeping the audience engaged through its several individual moments of climax, perspective shift, and semi-plot twists. Though the acting is sub-par at times, it is easy to ignore because these cinematic elements of the film are well done.

However, it is crucial to note that Greg Laurie has become increasingly controversial in recent years, spreading hateful messages about the LGBTQ+ community through his church, the Harvest Christian Fellowship. Though the film focuses on the liberating nature of the movement he became involved with in his youth, his contemporary views are in direct contradiction with the highly welcoming mission of the movement as portrayed in the film.

When the context of Laurie’s present-day beliefs are taken into account, it becomes hard to fully enjoy the movie; given that it is based off of his memoir, the storyline largely portrays his character as the lovable protagonist, which may leave viewers feeling frustrated and conflicted.

Therefore, when taking into consideration both the work and its subject, the film lands in the middle of the road. Captivating and well made but with an exigently flawed subject, the film presents a serious conflict between its message of making Christianity accessible to youth and the reality of what the movement’s modern legacy is, which is highly likely to be the viewer’s overall takeaway.

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Jesus Revolution

By Alan Ng | February 23, 2023

As a million thoughts swirled through my head, the loudest one was shouting that I had to review directors Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle’s feature film,  Jesus Revolution . The screenplay by Erwin and Jon Gunnis is based on the book by Pastor Greg Laurie. I became an Evangelical Christian in the late 70s and lived in Southern California at the tail end of the  Jesus Movement  era this drama depicts, so I’m very familiar with the main players. For all intent and purpose, the film is the origin story of one of the largest Christian churches in Southern California, Calvary Chapel.

Kelsey Grammer plays Calvary’s longtime pastor Chuck Smith (who passed away in 2013). In Orange County, California, Chuck humbly leads a small flock in a dwindling church. After a fight, his daughter, Janette (Ally Ioannides), storms off in a rage and runs into a hippie named Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie). Lonnie delivers a message about Jesus Christ that she had never heard before, especially from her father. Lonnie’s message was simply that Jesus loved the sinner, and no matter how much you think you ruined your life (particularly through drugs), there is hope in Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie Frisbee in Jesus Revolution. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson

“ Chuck decides to give this hippie a chance by allowing him to preach at his church.”

Chuck decides to give this hippie a chance by allowing him to preach at his church. Lonnie brought an unorthodox, casual, heartfelt message to the congregation and a full folk band, Lovesong, to bring modern worship music to replace the hymns of old. Let’s just say that Lonnie doesn’t impress the old guard, who threatened to leave the church penniless because… how much do hippies make exactly?

Jesus Revolution  is also the story of Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney), a straight-laced teen on his way to the military academy at his parents’ behest. Before entering, he meets Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), who would change Greg’s life with her hippie lifestyle and ample supply of drugs. After the near-death of their close friend, Greg and Cathe give Jesus a chance after attending one of Chuck and Lonnie’s services.

I have mixed emotions about the film, all personal in nature. Suffice it to say, it brought me back to a time in history, including my own, when the spirit of God was moving through the young folk of Southern California, and Chuck Smith was one of the figureheads. So there’s a true spirit and message of love and redemption here that I miss and haven’t felt in a long time. And that’s what I hope you take away. When life has beaten you down, and you have nothing left, there is hope in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Revolution (2023)

Directed: Jon Erwin, Brent McCorkel

Written: Jon Erwin, Jon Gunn

Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney, Anna Grace Barlow, etc.

Movie score: 8/10

"…feels authentic to my personal experience with Christianity."

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Very nice review, except you are wrong about Bible Belt Christians hating the movie. I have not heard one person say anything about the film not condemning sinners. The message it sends about Jesus, and the changed lives of those who put their faith Him. I have read nothing but great reviews from Christians all over this country. I am so glad this film is touching so many lives for Jesus.

Excellent review. Enjoyed the movie too.

Should ask Greg Laurie and Calvary Chapel about cover up of Applegate Christian Fellowship youth pastor Kelly Rasmussen convicted child predator the pastor Jon Courson son beat rape charge media Cover Up have YouTube channel about it

Several of my contemporaries became Christian as a result of the Jesus Movement, not the Jesus Revolution as the film calls it. I wonder how so many of them became Trump supporters in 2016 after many years as Christians. Bigotry, misogyny and favoring guilty over the innocent are not biblical values. I note that Greg Laurie spoke at Trump inaugural event in Washington National Cathedral in 2017.

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Review: Fleeced of real drama, faith-based ‘Jesus Revolution’ is a scattered slog

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It’s been fascinating to watch the rise and evolution of the faith-based movie and director Jon Erwin has been a part of that. He’s carved out a niche, collaborating with his brother Andrew and focusing on true stories with a musical element, including “I Still Believe,” about Christian music star Jeremy Camp, and “I Can Only Imagine,” about the band MercyMe. The Erwin brothers also co-directed the documentary “The Jesus Music,” which has a direct tie to Jon Erwin’s latest narrative feature, “Jesus Revolution.” Both films focus on the evangelical Christian movement that took place in Southern California in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

For “Jesus Revolution,” Jon Erwin co-directs with Brent McCorkle, the writer of “I Can Only Imagine,” from a script by Erwin and Jon Gunn adapted from a book by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. Laurie is, in fact, the subject of “Jesus Revolution,” played by Joel Courtney. But the film, part biopic, part period piece, juggles three different protagonists while trying to tell the story of the Jesus movement, including Laurie, Laurie’s mentor, Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer , and hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie).

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As depicted in “Jesus Revolution,” Smith and Frisbee were huge influences on Laurie, a young teen growing up in Newport Beach with a troubled mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). When a comely young gal, Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow) breaks him out of military school, Greg dabbles in the drug-fueled hippie lifestyle, before a few near-death experiences lead him and Cathe to search for something more, a different kind of high.

At the same time, Chuck Smith is struggling to reconcile his concern over the hippie movement with his daughter Janette’s (Ally Ioannides) rebellion, and dwindling church attendance. When Janette brings home Lonnie, Chuck initially balks, but soon realizes that the young man’s message is closer to Christ’s than he thought. It also has to help that with his beard, long hair and hand-painted cape, Lonnie looks a lot like the common depictions of (white) Jesus (whom Roumie plays in the streaming series “The Chosen” ). Soon, Chuck’s preaching at Calvary Chapel is less fire and brimstone and more peace and love, with a rock band, Love Song, to boot.

The storylines converge when Lonnie brings in Greg, who becomes a young leader in the burgeoning Jesus movement, as the three men navigate the ups and downs that this growth entails. It’s an interesting enough story, with text at the end of the film claiming that it was the “largest spiritual awakening in America” and a Time magazine cover story, “The Jesus Revolution,” woven into the narrative as well.

Unfortunately, despite the interesting history, the film itself is a dry, scattered slog, neutered of all the thorny, contradictory details of the real story. Give Lonnie Frisbee’s Wikipedia page a quick scan to see just how much material the filmmakers excised from his fascinating, troubled life. Though the intent is to focus on Greg Laurie’s life, including flashbacks to his childhood, screenwriters Erwin and Gunn can’t quite pick a lane, giving us three rather shallow storylines about three different men, with often unnecessary details that bog down the film’s momentum — at two hours, it feels long.

Jesus, drugs and rock ’n’ roll: How an O.C. hippie church birthed contemporary Christian music

“The Jesus Music” documentary traces the roots of contemporary Christian music to Costa Mesa’s Calvary Chapel, now a megachurch, then a haven for hippies.

Oct. 5, 2021

“Jesus Revolution” is also a completely uncritical portrait of the Jesus movement. Because this is a faith-based film, it simply presents the genesis of this “spiritual awakening” and explosion of these churches, without examining any of the potential dark sides or ramifications of how this evangelical Christian movement has impacted American culture and politics in the decades since.

Sepia-toned cinematography by Akis Konstantakopoulos gives “Jesus Revolution” the sheen of a 1960s-set period piece, and Courtney and Barlow capably hold up their end of the story of two “Jesus freaks” in love, but “Jesus Revolution” is clearly a piece of sanded-down marketing material for Calvary Chapel and Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusades, with all the burrs of real history buffed out, rendering the film a smooth, but crushingly dull project.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

‘Jesus Revolution’

Rated: PG-13, for strong drug content involving teens and some thematic elements Running time: 2 hours Playing: Starts Feb. 24 in general release

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Movie Review: ‘Jesus Revolution’ a sanitized, scattered story about religious movement

It’s been fascinating to watch the rise, and evolution, of the faith-based movie over the years, and director Jon Erwin has been a part of that. He’s carved out a niche for himself, collaborating with his brother Andrew and focusing on true stories with a musical element, including “I Still Believe,” about Christian music star Jeremy Camp, and “I Can Only Imagine,” about the band MercyMe. The Erwin brothers also co-directed the documentary “The Jesus Music,” which has a direct tie to his latest narrative feature film, “Jesus Revolution,” which focuses on the same topic, the Jesus movement that took place in Southern California in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

For “Jesus Revolution,” Jon Erwin co-directs with Brent McCorkle, the writer of “I Can Only Imagine,” the pair working from a script by Erwin and Jon Gunn adapted from a book by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. Laurie is, in fact, the subject of “Jesus Revolution,” played by Joel Courtney. But the film, which is part biopic, part period piece depicting a larger movement, juggles three different subjects while trying to tell the story of the Jesus movement, including Laurie, Laurie’s mentor, Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer, and hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie).

As depicted in “Jesus Revolution,” Smith and Frisbee were huge influences on Laurie, a young teen growing up in Newport Beach, California, with a troubled mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). When a comely young hippie gal, Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow) breaks him out of military school, Greg dabbles in the drug-fueled hippie lifestyle, before a few near-death experiences find he and Cathe searching for something more, a different kind of high.

At the same time, Chuck Smith is struggling to reconcile his concern over the hippie movement with his daughter Janette’s (Ally Ioannides) rebellion, and his dwindling church attendance. When Janette brings home a wandering hippie, Lonnie Frisbee, Chuck initially balks but soon realizes that Lonnie’s message is closer to Christ’s than he thought. It also has to help that with his beard, long hair and hand-painted cape, Lonnie looks a lot like the common depictions of (white) Jesus. Soon, Chuck’s preaching at Calvary Church is less fire and brimstone and more peace and love, with a rock band, Love Song, to boot.

The storylines converge when Lonnie brings in Greg, who becomes a young leader in the burgeoning Jesus movement, while the three men navigate the ups and downs that this growth entails. It’s an interesting enough story, with text at the end of the film claiming that it was the “largest spiritual awakening in America” and a Time magazine cover story, “The Jesus Revolution,” woven into the narrative as well.

Unfortunately, despite the interesting history, the film itself is a dry, scattered slog, neutered of all the thorny, contradictory details of the real story. Give Lonnie Frisbee’s Wikipedia page a quick scan to see just how much material the filmmakers excised from his fascinating, troubled life. Though the intent is to focus on Greg Laurie’s life, including flashbacks to his childhood, screenwriters Erwin and Gunn can’t quite pick a lane in their focus, giving us three rather shallow storylines about three different men, with often unnecessary details that bog down the film’s momentum – at two hours, it feels long.

“Jesus Revolution” is also, obviously, a completely uncritical portrait of the Jesus movement. Because this is a faith-based film, it simply presents the genesis of this “spiritual awakening” and explosion of these churches, without examining any of the potential dark sides or ramifications of how this evangelical Christian movement has impacted American culture and politics in the decades since.

Sepia-toned cinematography by Akis Konstantakopoulos gives “Jesus Revolution” the sheen of a 1960s-set period piece, and Courtney and Barlow capably hold up their end of the story of two Jesus freaks in love, but “Jesus Revolution” is clearly a piece of sanded-down marketing material for Calvary Churches and Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusades, with all the burrs of real history buffed out, rendering the film a smooth, but crushingly dull project.

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