Electric Jesus

This is a surprisingly funny faith-based coming-of-age story about a Christian hair metal band trying to find success on the fundamentalist church circuit of the 1980s. Secular audiences can often feel left out and bored when viewing faith-based movies, but Electric Jesus strikes a fine balance between humor that doesn't interfere or mock any positive messages faith-based characters have to impart, but is actually funny for those who don't attend megachurch every Sunday. The songs and the performances of the songs are falsetto-pitch perfect -- and the shrieked lyrical hook "Let's all go commandooooooh!" in "Commandos for Christ" by the lead singer of this band 3:16 is as hilarious as it is catchy. It's a story that strikes a nice balance between a story that is equal parts This Is Spinal Tap and Almost Famous, filtered through the prism of the Christian culture of the southeastern United States.

All in all, it's still a movie best enjoyed by faith-based viewers, particularly those who came of age in an era of spandex, big hair, and shredding guitar solos…and are also followers of Jesus Christ in 1980s America. However, even if you didn't grow up in fundamentalist circles, the depictions and performances of '80s heavy metal, secular and Christian alike, are very funny but also accurately executed, from the overuse of mascara to the overuse of the whammy bar on the guitar. The production values and acting also place this movie miles above standard faith-based entertainment fare. It stays mostly fun without losing sight of the positive messages, and positive messages are preached without it being, well, preachy.