Johnny Remo | Through the Shattered Lens

You have to feel bad for Luke (Justin Schwan).

I mean, here he is. He’s a senior in high school. He’s about to graduate. He’s also one of the best surfers on the beach. Just about everyone who sees him surf says that he should go pro. More than one person says that God has blessed Luke with amazing surfing ability and obviously, that wouldn’t happen unless Luke was actually meant to do something with that talent.

But his parents …. agck! His mother (Raquel Gardner) keeps pressuring him to go to church and to say grace before dinner and to attend youth group. She even invites the new youth pastor (Danny Smith) over to the house so that he can meet Luke. The youth pastor is so cool that his name is Pastor Shane but Luke’s really not interested in any of that.

Meanwhile, Luke’s father (Greg Carlson) is a hardass cop who is hardly ever home because, according to him, he’s got to go on a stakeout. Luke’s father has decided that Luke is going to go to college and that he’s not going to waste his time as a pro surfer. When Luke tries to argue with his dad, Luke is sent to his room and told that he is “under restriction.” Luke’s a senior in high school but his father treats him like a kid who can be ordered around. When Luke comes home from a party drunk, his father totally freaks out. His father freaks out a lot.

Luke’s closest friend is Casey Sanchez (Angel Cruz), who is a natural-born joker who keeps talking about how he’s going to learn how to surf someday. He encourages Luke to pursue his dreams. He also encourages Luke to talk to the new girl at school, Jessica (Jessie Nickson). When you’ve got a friend like Casey, what could go wrong, right? Unfortunately, Casey is killed in a tragic car accident shortly after attending Shane’s youth group and announcing that he has decided to become a Christian.

Casey’s dead and Luke no longer knows what he wants to do with his life. Jessica’s attempts to comfort him by telling him that it’s all part of a bigger plan do not provide him with much comfort. (And, to be honest, saying that God planned for Casey to die so that it can somehow benefit Luke does seem to be a bit callous.) With the try-outs coming for the national surf team, will Luke be able to get it together or will he lose the spot to his rival and frenemy, Matt McCoy (Andy Shephard)?

Though there’s nothing particularly surprising about the plot, Cutback is a likably earnest film. Justin Schwan, in particular, gives a sympathetic performance and the film captures the beauty of the beach and the ocean. If anything, it probably works better as a commercial for surfing than one for religion. In the end, Luke finds some success and he finds some peace and you’re happy for him, even if it is difficult to accept the idea that Casey had to die for him to do it.

So, stop me if this sounds familiar.

You’ve got an old country boy named Bo (played by Billy Ray Cyrus) who, years ago, reacted to a family tragedy by abandoning his wife and son. He’s spent the last decade on the road, drinking and doing drugs and basically being totally irresponsible. Now, he’s returned home and he’s trying to be sober and he’s hoping that he might even be able to reconnect with his family.

And then you’ve got Jake (played by Joel Smallbone), who is an up-and-coming country music star. He’s cocky. He’s arrogant. He’s still in love with his ex. He’s returned home because he’s lost. He’s also Bo’s son. Years ago, his mother (Jennifer Taylor), told him that Bo was dead.

So, now, Bo and Jake are both wandering around the same town. Do you think there’s a chance that Bo and Jake might meet each other? And maybe Bo’s going to see that Jake is heading down the exact same bad road that Bo’s spent the last few years traveling?

Does that sound just like a country song?

Superficially, yes. However, there are a few differences. For one thing, 2014’s Like A Country Song was rated PG-13 and clearly made for a family audience. That means there’s far less sex in this movie than you’ll find in the average country song. This is one of those films were characters are described as being wild but they’re also rather chaste. Jake’s ex (and perhaps future) girlfriend, Becca (Kerry Knuppe), is too busy volunteering to feed the homeless to spend much time doing anything else.

Also, since this is a faith-based film, there’s considerably less cursing to be found here than in the mildest of country music. I may be mistaken but I don’t think I even heard a single “damn” in the film. Trust me, I’ve spent a lot of time around country folk and even the most religious of them can turn profanity into an art form. If you really want to attend a symposium on creative ways to use the f-word in casual conversation, go hang out with a bunch of retirees in Arkansas.

Traditionally, this would be the point of the review where I write about how, despite being from Texas, I’m not a huge fan of country music but actually the music in Like A Country Song isn’t that bad. Say what you will about Billy Ray Cyrus, he can sing. So can Joel Smallbone, for that matter. Neither one is a bad actor, either. They’re believable as father and son, except for a few instances where Smallbone’s native Australian accent breaks through.

Anyway, this is one of those films that won’t surprise you but it deserves some points for 1) being exceedingly pleasant and 2) not being as preachy as some of the other faith-based films out there. Though the film was made on an obviously low-budget, it makes good use of its country setting and the cast does their best to bring some life to the material. It’s a good-natured movie and sometimes, that’s enough.