New to DVD: Meant to Be, Starring Dean Cain and Bradley Dorsey (Review)

A Mother’s Search for Redemption and a Son’s Quest to Find His Birth Mother

Synopsis:

"For any person who has wondered if they can be forgiven for a choice they have made; or if anything good can come from their mistakes. Meant to Be is a heart-stirring film that shows us that even when we choose to go our own way, God can show us what was meant to be.

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  Psalm 136:16

20-year old Nathan Burr (Bradley Dorsey) is a man on a mission. When he loses his job and his girlfriend, he begins to question his purpose in life. Although he grew up in a foster home, Nathan decides to search for his birth mother in hopes of coming to terms with her rejection of him.
His journey begins by flying to the city where he was born. With very little information about his birth parents, he is told it could take a while to get answers. He decides to check into a hotel where he meets Mave (Della Reese) the hotel’s housekeeper.

Encouraged by Mave’s wisdom about life, and with the help of a hotel guest, Shelly, (Kristen Renton) Nathan finds the address of his mother, Linda Dixon (Erika Eleniak).

Linda and her husband Mike (Dean Cain) have just seen their daughter off to college. Though she tries to live a fulfilling life, she still wrestles with guilt over the decision she made with Nathan 20 years ago.

In an effort to ease the guilt of her past decision regarding her son, Linda risks her job as a social worker, when she gets caught up in the life of a teenage mother, Tori (Erin Sossoman) who is conflicted with her own choice to either go through with or terminate her pregnancy. When Nathan gathers the courage to meet his mother, he uncovers a terrible secret that totally redefines what was meant to be for his life.

Linda: “Maybe the circumstances are an accident but the baby is not. Even before your baby was conceived God had a purpose for your baby’s life…”

Linda: “Sunday after Sunday we got to church and we sit and listen to what God’s word says about a Christ-filled life. But where are the Christians that say, ‘let me take your hand, let me help you have this baby?’”

Nathan: “God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, but sometimes our choices change those plans.”

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My Thoughts:

I have always been a fan of Dean Cain, whether it be watching in him the popular "The Adventures of Lois and Clark" television series, or the wonderful family-friendly films he has starred in over the years.  So, when I saw the DVD cover art for "Meant to Be" and saw that he had a starring role, I had to get my hands on a review copy.  And, as a bonus, I was happy to see that Della Reese from "Touched by Angel" and Michael Gross of "Family Ties" also had starring roles in this film.

Even though my girls are too young to watch these types of movies with us, I am always looking for great inspirational family films that I can watch when my older nieces and nephews come to visit and stay for the weekend.  Having reviewed faith based films from Pure Flix Entertainment in the past, I know that their quality films are ones that everyone in the family will enjoy sitting down and watching together.  And, oftentimes, the movies leads to wonderful discussions after viewing, about lessons learned, faith, etc., and how they can be applied to our daily life.

Last weekend, my husband and I sat down with our 12 year old niece to watch this movie, after the girls went to bed.  As the movie opened, my niece chimed in about a friend's father who recently lost his job after working with a company for over 20 yrs.  This is what happened the main character, Nathan Burr (played by Bradley Dorsey).  If you have ever been laid off or quit a job, you have probably found yourself questioning your purpose in life.  This was the case with Nathan.  After losing his job and the his girlfriend, he wondered what he would do next.  This leads him to want to find his birth mother.  And, so the journey begins on self discovery, fear of rejection, the power for faith and importance of family. 

Once Nathan tracks down his mother, will he have the courage to meet her face to face, and will he find answers to questions he has, about being given up, etc?  Don't worry, as I will not ruin the ending for you.  I will say, though that with its sophisticated plot about adoption and abortion, that this film would be suited for children 12 years and older.  And, for those who have gone through an abortion or adoption, this film will resonate with you, and hopefully will help with healing and forgiveness.

About Pure Flix Entertainment: 

Pure Flix Entertainment, LLC (PFE) is the largest producing and distributing faith and family film studio. PFE unites some of the most respected and successful members of the Christian film community for the common purpose of positively influencing culture. It’s the industry leader for the production and distribution of high quality, inspiring movies and television programs, while doing so with integrity.  The Pure Flix Mission Statement: transforming the human spirit through values based entertainment.

Some of their recent releases including Sarah’s Choice (starring Rebecca St. James), The Wager (starring Randy Travis and Candace Cameron Bure), Me Again (starring David A.R. White, Ali Landry and Della Reese) and Brother White (starring David A.R. White and Jackée Harry).     For more information please go to www.pureflix.com

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this DVD from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.