Some films may be hits, but the very notion of a sequel seems bizarre, or even desperate.
At first blush, another “I Can Only Imagine” film fits in that category. The 2018 drama made serious cash for Lionsgate, but the tale of a son coming to grips with his difficult childhood and the dawn of his music career seemed like the ultimate one-and-done story.
Not so fast.
“I Can Only Imagine 2” expands on Bart Millard’s story, digging deeper into that father-son dynamic to include his troubled teen. Plus, a key musician in MercyMe’s orbit brings something fresh and haunting to a franchise that we didn’t know we needed.
Looks, as always, can deceive.
Bart (John Michael Finley) appears to have it all as the sequel opens. Music career? Check? Lovely, loyal wife (Sophie Skelton)? You betcha? Adorable kids? Yeah … hey, where’s the dramatic tension?
Try a musical dry spell, a shrinking fan base and a blockbuster single (the film’s title) that’s gathering dust. Plus, Bart’s teen son Sam (Sammy Dell) comes down with a chronic illness that upends everything the family has established.
And there’s more heartache on the horizon. It takes a while for the latter to bubble up, and at times we wonder if there’s enough conflict to sustain a sequel.
Directors Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle once again prove modestly budgeted faith-based stories can look world class and deliver acting that matters. Finley didn’t break out as a film star following the first “Imagine,” but once again, he’s relatable and dutifully tortured.
Country star Trace Adkins lends his grumbly baritone as the band’s no-nonsense manager. And young Dell is surprisingly effective, not just as a wannabe musician but a teen torn between adolescent angst and a fractured love of family.
Some faith-based story tics may make some groan – one bucket-list item is mentioned early in the film and comes to pass later, for example. And watching Bart stare at a mostly blank notepad while trying to come up with another hit song is equally bland.
Still, the insider’s glimpse of life on the road is intriguing and the addition of a key character sells the sequel, full stop.
That’s Milo Ventimiglia as Tim Timmons, another key part of the MercyMe saga. He plays the band’s opening act, a quirky soul who makes Bart’s life more complicated. Tim is the very opposite of a pop star, and Ventimiglia plays him like an eccentric you might keep at a distance.
Sure, he means well, but …
It’s either a defensive mechanism or a sign that not all musicians are ripped from Central Casting. Either way, the actor’s performance is both peculiar and vital to disproving a cynical theory behind the film’s existence.
One downside?
The sequel feels like it has two focal points, given Ventimiglia’s dominating turn. It’s easy to see the sequel transformed into a limited series, where that kind of imbalance would be easier to digest.
Fathers will especially connect with the themes in play, and the brief return of Dennis Quaid as Bart’s supremely flawed father pays off handsomely.
Redemption. A concert sequence at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. And a real-life story that continues to inspire.
Yeah, we’re on board with a second helping of “Imagine.”
HiT or Miss: “I Can Only Imagine 2” shakes free from most sequel skepticism by digging deeper into key father-son dynamics.
The post ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ Debunks Our Worst Expectations appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.