Let's face it, Christians are pretty easy targets sometimes, and amateur Christian musicians even more so. "...And On The 7th Day, God Rocked" could have easily lapsed into mean-spirited parody right out of the gate, but to writer-director Jason Page's credit, it doesn't - rather, it's a remarkably accurate and often hilarious examination of the whole Christian music scene and the motivations of those who get caught up in it.
Despite a few moments of over-extension (the delusional husband of the concert organiser who idolises televangelists and believes that Jesus is a literal, invisible presence sitting in the chair next to him), for the most part the satire hits home. A large part of why this works is the guileless sincerity of everyone involved; t-shirts being sold at the show portray a tattooed God with an electric guitar throwing up that classic rock-star devil's horns and no one bats an eye, and when asked about other faiths, various subjects - recognising that they're on camera - fumble around trying not to sound as biased as they actually are.
It's the bands themselves who really sell the film, however. The foul-mouthed, ex-convict brothers, recently born-again, in the metal band Saviour; "Old Testament" rappers Sons of Abraham; Angie Hynes, who has dragged her long-suffering band from punk to Christian country music in an attempt to achieve some kind of success; and the folk band Glory Authority, who are intent on spreading a message of universal acceptance and brotherly love. Make no mistake, their music is pretty awful - but it's no worse than anything else Contemporary Christian music has to offer, which is sort of the point.
"God Rocked" is not an unfair jab - Page is not targeting a religious group on the whole, but a particular industry and the mindsets of the people involved in it. The film manages to be a surprisingly incisive satire while at the same time maintaining a sympathetic tone: for all their questionable and\or misguided motives, the musicians are presented as unquestionably sincere. You may not find yourself rooting for any of them to win the contest (like I said, their music is really, really terrible) but it's hard to fault them for their sheer, self-involved enthusiasm.
Despite a few moments of over-extension (the delusional husband of the concert organiser who idolises televangelists and believes that Jesus is a literal, invisible presence sitting in the chair next to him), for the most part the satire hits home. A large part of why this works is the guileless sincerity of everyone involved; t-shirts being sold at the show portray a tattooed God with an electric guitar throwing up that classic rock-star devil's horns and no one bats an eye, and when asked about other faiths, various subjects - recognising that they're on camera - fumble around trying not to sound as biased as they actually are.
It's the bands themselves who really sell the film, however. The foul-mouthed, ex-convict brothers, recently born-again, in the metal band Saviour; "Old Testament" rappers Sons of Abraham; Angie Hynes, who has dragged her long-suffering band from punk to Christian country music in an attempt to achieve some kind of success; and the folk band Glory Authority, who are intent on spreading a message of universal acceptance and brotherly love. Make no mistake, their music is pretty awful - but it's no worse than anything else Contemporary Christian music has to offer, which is sort of the point.
"God Rocked" is not an unfair jab - Page is not targeting a religious group on the whole, but a particular industry and the mindsets of the people involved in it. The film manages to be a surprisingly incisive satire while at the same time maintaining a sympathetic tone: for all their questionable and\or misguided motives, the musicians are presented as unquestionably sincere. You may not find yourself rooting for any of them to win the contest (like I said, their music is really, really terrible) but it's hard to fault them for their sheer, self-involved enthusiasm.