Christian Mingle (sometimes promoted as Christian Mingle The Movie) is a 2014 American faith-based romantic comedy film written and directed by Corbin Bernsen and starring Lacey Chabert as a woman who uses the online dating website ChristianMingle to meet a man. The film was released in the United States on October 10, 2014 to VOD.[2][3][4][5] The film received mixed reviews and was released in theaters on October 10, 2014.
| Christian Mingle | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Corbin Bernsen |
| Written by | Corbin Bernsen |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Scott Williams |
| Edited by | Benjamin Earl |
| Music by | Brenton Costa |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Capitol Christian Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $25,480[1] |
Plot
editBusy ad executive Gwyneth Hayden has been unsuccessful in love. After a friend's recent engagement leaves her as the only single woman in her group, she sees a television advertisement for the dating website Christian Mingle and decides to sign up. She confesses to her co-worker Pam that she hasn't been to church in years despite having been raised Christian, and before going on a date with Paul, she buys The Bible for Dummies and Christianity for Dummies. After a couple of successful dates, Paul takes Gwyneth to a Bible study group at his friend's house. She meets Jessy and Jimmy, a couple who also met through the site, Gabby and Tommy, who are expecting their first child, and Kelly, a childhood friend of Paul's.
Paul asks Gwyneth to go to church and meet his parents, Lacie and Bill. After Gwyneth meets with Jessy, Jimmy, Gabby, Tommy and Kelly, Paul reveals that he will be travelling to Mexico with his father's construction company to repair a church in Mexico. Gwyneth is annoyed that she wasn't told but is persuaded to join everyone in Mexico. She takes time off from her job but while there her copy of Christianity for Dummies is discovered and she confesses to Paul that she wasn't a practicing Christian when she signed up to the site. They break up and she returns to America.
When Paul and his family returns Gwyneth goes to see him and learns that he is with Kelly. Her boss, Douglas McCarver, has Gwyneth write a campaign to sell a cure for baldness for their client Donny Da Bona, but she cannot lie due to her newly discovered faith and quits to go become a teacher at the village in Mexico. Some months later, Paul returns to the village to tell Gwyneth that he has broken up with Kelly, and he and Gwyneth happily reunite. Gwyneth then, hand in hand with Paul, introduces him to her students. Paul proposes to Gwyneth during the end credits.
Cast
edit- Lacey Chabert as Gwyneth Hayden
- Jonathan Patrick Moore as Paul Wood
- Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Pam Thomas
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Douglas McCarver
- John O'Hurley as Donny De Bona
- Morgan Fairchild as Lacie Wood
- David Keith as Bill Wood
- Corbin Bernsen as Matt
- Jill Saunders as Kelly
- Sascha Alexander as Jessy McKenzie
- Justin Dray as Tommy
- Tony Czech as Jimmy McKenzie
- Jessa French as Gabby
- Jelynn Sophia as Sable
- Anna Anderson as Allison
Reception
editDonna Rolfe of Dove.org, a website which bases its reviews on "Christian values", awarded the film its "Dove 'Faith Friendly' Seal for all ages", calling it "a sweet romantic comedy that is faith friendly".[6][7] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In, a publication of the Christian conservative organization Focus on the Family, wrote that "While this flick will never be mistaken for an Oscar contender, it mingles together a number of positive things", praising the film's "clear and unforced Gospel presentation".[8]
Vince Mancini of Uproxx gave the film a negative review, calling it "an unintentional parody of whiteness" and writing that "it's a movie where ching chong background music plays when the characters go out for sushi and at least one kid has to be wearing a straw cowboy hat and walking a pet burro to make sure you know they're in Mexico".[9] Jacob Oller, writing for the website Vague Visages, criticized the film as being "a spastic blurring of the line between infomercial and parody".[10]
References
edit- ^ "Christian Mingle (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Chase, Serena (October 10, 2014). "Interview: Corbin Bernsen of 'Christian Mingle: The Movie'". USA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ Mora, Celeste (August 11, 2014). "Lacey Chabert's 'Christian Mingle' Isn't the 'Mean Girls' Star's First Declaration of Faith". Bustle. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ Shulgasser-Parker, Barbara. "Christian Mingle Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ Lusk, Darian (June 9, 2017). "Weekend Stream: 'Christian Mingle' Unintentionally Funnier Than Most Rom-Coms". New York Observer. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ "The Story of the Dove Foundation - About Movies for Families". Dove.org. The Dove Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Rolfe, Donna (October 10, 2014). "Christian Mingle the Movie - Dove Family Friendly Movie Reviews". Dove.org. The Dove Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Waliszewski, Bob (January 13, 2015). "Christian Mingle Movie Review (2014)". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Mancini, Vince (February 26, 2015). "'Christian Mingle: The Movie' Is An Unintentional Parody Of Whiteness". Uproxx. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Oller, Jacob (June 7, 2016). "Review: Corbin Bernsen's 'Christian Mingle'". Vague Visages. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.