Premarital When Believing is Most Important

John M. Delia Jr
Apr 3
2 min read

For a new couple meeting the parents for the first time can be hard, especially when you are about to marry their child. It can be extremely difficult if your future wife comes from a very religious household and her father is a minister, especially if your beliefs are not spiritual at all. Now imagine the experience when you get to finally converse with them and they find out you don’t actually believe. This comedy is about a daughter who brings home her atheist boyfriend to meet her spiritual family on the verge of their wedding.

When Sophie Whitaker (Kelley Jakle) daughter and bride to be married, comes home for the first time with Alan Rhodes (Mark Hapka), groom to be married, the tense moment begins. Will her family accept her newfound love enough to let her be wed? When her father Stewart Whitaker (Jim O'Heir), the local minister, finds out Alan is a non-believer, Stewart wants to find a way to convert his future son-in-law and strikes up a plan with his family.

Things go off into a comedic frenzy from there as Patricia Whitaker (Meredith Thomas), mother of the bride and wife to Stewart, Jared Whitaker (Cameron Cowperthwaite) eldest son who is attempting to follow in his father's footsteps, Mae Whitaker (Cathy Shim), wife of Jared, Clark Whitaker (Igby Rigney) youngest son, Grace Whitaker (Abby Pierce) eldest daughter, Leah Whitaker (Isabelle Muthiah) youngest daughter, and Benji (Jack Welshons) boyfriend of Leah, as they all plot to help Alan see god. The family has other allies and foe that appear throughout the story, such as, Bruce (Steve Hanks), opposing minister from another church, Erwin (Grover McCants), minister and friend from Stewart’s church, Peter Rhodes (Burton Collins) father of the groom, Jean Rhodes (Jan Beatty) mother of the groom, Naomi Whitaker (Abigail Garant) daughter of Jared and Mae, and Jesse Whitaker (Donovan Garant) son of Jared and Mae.

Director and writer Robert Ingraham develops a funny tale about families and their beliefs and what they will do to keep their loved ones close to God. This entertaining narrative brings you on a wild goose chase that eventually circles back into its final conclusion. The performance from the cast was realistic and believable, especially with the presented struggles between Mark and Jim trying to convince each other of their beliefs.

Final Comment: I based my grade on the fun-loving storyline and the entertaining rendition from the performers.

Stars 3 out of 5