A Father's Legacy

This film has great intentions and solid performances, but its general predictability and some improbable plot turns undermine its quality. The fact that first-time feature filmmaker Jason Mac, who also plays Nick, kept A Father's Legacy to a tight 86 minutes with beautiful cinematography keeps it watchable. The third act is definitely the best, when the characters reveal their stories and discover their common ground. You know this is coming, but it's still touching when it does.

To get here, however, you'll have to suspend disbelief in a couple of early scenes when Billy succumbs to Nick's threats (how do the police at the door not see Nick's shadow behind a thin white curtain?) and then opts to help the younger man rather than turn him in. There are also some awkward time lapses (the men seem to go from breakfast to bed in back-to-back sequences), and the use of flashbacks isn't entirely smooth in the narration. Dialogues don't feel exactly forced, but there's also nothing very unique or new in these characters or their conversations. The film will mostly speak to a specific audience, Christian males, and those in need of its message of hope.