All Saints (film)


All Saints is a 2017 American Christian drama film directed by Steve Gomer and written by Steve Armour. The film stars John Corbett, Cara Buono, Myles Moore, Nelson Lee, Barry Corbin, David Keith, Angela Fox, Chonda Pierce and Gregory Alan Williams, and follows a small-town Tennessee preacher who attempts to save his struggling church. It was released on August 25, 2017, by Affirm Films and Provident Films.

Premise

Based on a true story, a salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock of a tiny Episcopal church in Smyrna, Tennessee is ordered to shut it down. He attempts to save the church, as well as a group of refugees from Karen State, Myanmar, in Southeast Asia.

Cast

Filming began in September 2016 and continued through October, shooting in Nashville and Smyrna, Tennessee.

Reception

Box office

In North America, All Saints was released on August 25, 2017, alongside Birth of the Dragon and Leap!, and was projected to gross around $3–4 million from 846 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $150,000 on its first day and $1.6 million over the weekend, finishing 15th at the box office. The film's low opening was attributed to Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas and surrounding areas–typically faith-based regions–causing theaters to close, as well the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on the Saturday. The combined weekend box office was the lowest-grossing since September 2001.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 85% overall positive score.
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, writing: "By avoiding excessive proselytizing and instead simply and effectively relating its moving tale, All Saints proves stirring in a way many of its cinematic brethren do not."