Where Hope Grows

Director Chris Dowling should have taken another swing at his script for the sake of clarity and dimension before cameras rolled.

Not to be flip, but "Where Hope Grows" has the potential to be a decent inspirational film until God shows up.

Like most if not all faith-based entertainments, "Where Hope Grows" embraces the idea that God works in mysterious ways. But it also insists that God helps only those who help themselves.

Chris Dowling's second feature at first seems anodyne enough, but once the plot mechanics kick into high gear, the film becomes as unsurprising as a prix fixe menu.

"Where Hope Grows" wears its heart on its sleeve, hawking its message of salvation through faith to anyone who's in the market for cheesy uplift and saccharine sentiment.

Writer-director Chris Dowling handles [the] worrisome premise with a more even hand than this genre's ill-advised predecessors ...

This is how you make an emotionally satisfying and intellectually stimulating faith-based film.

DeSanctis is a force of nature, and for the most part this is less of a Bible thumper than a Bible tapper, but it gets downright shameless in the third act.

More admirable for its effort than its execution.

Moving faith-based friendship drama not just for believers.