Movie Synopsis   

The movie opens with Jake attending Roger's funeral.  Jake and Roger were best friends until they got to High School.  Jake was accepted; Roger was rejected.  Roger decides that life is not worth it and ends up taking his life at school one day.  After the funeral Jake struggles with the fact that he had abandoned Roger.  Maybe if Jake had been a better friend, Roger would not have killed himself.  During Jake's struggle, he meets Chris, a local youth pastor.  Through Jake's relationship with Chris and starting to attend church he meets Christ.  However, even though Jake has found Christ, he realizes that all of life's problems aren't solved but discovers that Christ is always with him.

Ed's Critique

This is a great and very realistic movie.  The movie deals with many issues that teens face: drinking, sex, cutting, fitting it, being an outcast, divorce, teen pregnacy and struggling to figure out who you are.  There are a few curse words said and a sexually suggestive scene so you need to be aware of that, but I would still feel completely comfortable taking a church group to watch it.  My biggest complaint was that they tried to cover too many topics within the movie that it came close to "jumping the shark."  (Note: "Jumping the shark" is a reference to a movie that loses its realism.)

Discussion

• Is there anyone you know in school that needs a friend?
• Who have you judged?
• Jake's asked Chris the quesiton, "What's the point of all this if you're not going to let it change you?"  Pose that question to your teen.
• What have you done to fit in at school or with a group of people?
• What can you do to show Christ's love to other's at school?