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Parents' Guide to

Believe Me

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Con men bilk the faithful, and no one gets punished.

Movie PG-13 2014 93 minutes
Believe Me Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Pierce (Miles Fisher) invites his college fraternity brother, Sam (Alex Russell), to church services as a way to meet girls. Both of them are charismatic, fast-talking con men who have little interest in doing the right thing. They're also engaged in hazing fraternity pledges, and Sam presses one boy to lie to school investigators about the severity of the hazing practices. "Sometimes," he explains, "people DO want to be lied to." However clunky, this exchange raises the film's central theme and establishes the shakiness of Sam and his friends' morals. And it turns out that lying is the least of their transgressions. Sam and friends put on a fake Christian charity fundraiser to come up with his tuition, plus a little extra for the rest of the crew. Their energetic and successful event attracts the attention of Ken (Christopher McDonald), a preacher-promoter who hires them to preach and fundraise for his cause. When Sam and company are caught skimming off the top, Ken doesn't send them to jail, because he fears the scandal will damage his ministry. Instead, he forces them to keep their mouths shut and praise the Lord for his charity shows. He condones their dishonesty as long as it helps position his organization as the "number one ministry" in the country.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Russell, Fisher (a ringer for William Devane), and co-star Sinqua Walls are all good actors, but their performances alone can't clarify what the script leaves murky. The 1960 film Elmer Gantry covers this subject -- religious hucksterism -- far more compellingly, raising the deeper question of whether all preaching might fall into the category of hucksterism insofar as it exploits people's dedication to faith (by definition, a strong belief in something without proof of its existence).

Such logical lapses may leave parents with a lot of explaining to do, far beyond the basic issues of morality and selfishness. The film even ends mid-sentence, which is the perfect metaphor for an idea that doesn't know how to resolve itself.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Believe Me's message. Is there a clear take-away? Do you think the characters should have faced more consequences for their actions?

  • Is it OK to lie if you're telling people what you think they want to hear?

  • Is it more important to give people hope or to tell them the truth? Is it possible to do both?

Movie Details

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