I Still Believe: Review & Giveaway!

I STILL BELIEVE

If you are a fan of Christian music artist Jeremy Camp, you may know that his first wife’s death at age 21 could have made him lose his faith in God… but it didn’t.

I STILL BELIEVE is a movie based on his story.

Overview

Genre: drama, inspirational, romance

Themes: hope, faith, love, purpose, inspiration, romance

For fans of: romance, inspirational, true stories, KJ Apa, I Can Only Imagine

Rating: PG (Caution: some strong thematic material)

Run time: 1:56

Studio: Lionsgate/ Kingdom Studios

Theatrical Release: 3/13/20

Available on Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital – May 5th!

Description

I STILL BELIEVE is an inspiring love story based on the real-life story of chart-topping Christian singer Jeremy Camp. Believe it or not, this faith-based film was named the #1 romantic movie of the year by secular mainstream Seventeen magazine!

The movie was directed by John and Andrew Erwin, the same brothers who made I Can Only Imagine, Woodlawn, and Mom’s Night Out. I STILL BELIEVE stars KJ Apa (who sings!), Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland), Melissa Roxburgh (Manifest), Gary Sinise (Apollo 13), and country music star Shania Twain (but she didn’t sing!).

The film’s producer, Kevin Downes, told Christian Headlines that he hoped the cast would bring in moviegoers who normally wouldn’t watch a faith-based film. And it seems that he was right, judging by this movie’s honors which include:

  • #1 romantic movie of the year
  • #2 new movie, opening weekend
  • #3 movie overall

Its cinematic run was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, but I STILL BELIEVE was rushed to video-on-demand on 3/27/20 following the theater shutdown. It consistently receives audience ratings of about 98%, in contrast to critic ratings of 49%. (Boo to them!)

Jeremy Camp himself was pleased with the movie. He told CBN News that it “tells my story and shares what God has done amidst all the hard things I went through. It shows hope in the midst of pain.”

Review

Adults and teens alike will enjoy this movie, and some pre-teens may want to watch it, but be advised the storyline gets pretty intense about halfway through. Still, Jeremy Camp’s true-life journey of love and loss proves there is always hope.

As the movie starts, Jeremy Camp is leaving his home in Lafayette, Indiana, and heading to college in California. When Jeremy first arrives at Calvary Chapel Bible College, he meets his musical hero, veteran Christian rocker Jean-Luc La Joie (Nathan Dean Parsons) of The Kry. Jean-Luc becomes his mentor, helping him to get his first record deal. However, Jean-Luc and Jeremy are in love with the same girl. Awkward!

Melissa Henning was an amazing person. She sensed that she had a special purpose in life, but didn’t know yet what it was. Melissa was always reaching for the stars, looking toward heaven with a mature faith that most of us have yet to achieve. Wise beyond her years, toward the end she said, “I’ve learned that suffering doesn’t destroy faith, it refines it.”

This movie will make you want to stay close to the ones you love and not waste any day that you can be with them. Tragedy can strike at any time without warning. Some of us have to suffer more than others, but the message of I STILL BELIEVE is to always keep the faith; and whatever we have to endure is what makes us who we are.

A hopeful reminder that faith tested is a faith worth sharing, the movie ends with Jeremy Camp promising to share Melissa’s story, believing that God will use it to change lives. He figures if even just one life is changed, it would be worth it – and at the end of the movie that one person came forward! You won’t believe who it turns out to be!

The only negative comment I have is just a nitpicking one. The events supposedly took place in Southern California, and being familiar with that area I was looking for recognizable landmarks, but even the coastal scenes seemed off. The dead giveaway was when Jeremy meets Melissa on the beach one morning and the sun is rising over the ocean behind them. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so it couldn’t be California. In the end credits I found out that the movie was filmed entirely in Alabama!

Overall, this is a film well worth watching whether you’re a fan of Jeremy Camp or not, and even if you’re not particularly religious. (Disclosure: I watched a complimentary digital screening of I STILL BELIEVE for the purpose of writing this review. ~Teri)

Things to Do

Giveaway & Exclusive Q&A with Jeremy Camp!

Enter our giveaway contest for a chance to win:

  • FREE digital edition of I STILL BELIEVE**
  • I STILL BELIEVE pop socket (for your smartphone)
  • I STILL BELIEVE wristband
  • Exclusive Q&A with Jeremy Camp (via video)
    **Prime Video or comparable (platform TBD)

Instructions for entering the giveaway:

Submit one or more questions for Jeremy Camp to answer – about the film, about his music, about his life, about his source of hope… anything at all! Have more than one question? Post multiple times for additional chances to win! Post your questions(s) in the comment form below. Include your first name and city, and Jeremy can possibly give you a ‘shout’ in his answer!

Entries must be received by 5/17/20 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). On 5/18/20, we will pick one prize winner from among those who have submitted questions.

We will compile all of the questions and submit them to the film studio who will share them with Jeremy. He will answer select questions by video. Keep in mind, not every question will be answered due to the likely volume of questions submitted. After we receive the finished video from Jeremy Camp, we’ll post it for you to enjoy!

CONTEST RULES: Anyone can ask a question, but the studio will ship prizes to U.S street addresses only; no P.O. boxes. If you have already won a prize on this blog, you are not eligible to win another one. Sorry, but “professional” giveaway players are automatically disqualified. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to an email and provide your shipping address. If one winner is deemed ineligible or fails to respond within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen. No purchase necessary. By entering the giveaway, you agree to these rules.

P.S. It may take a while for your comment to appear after you post it. #BELIEVEL3

Subscribe to the Homeschooling Teen e-zine, follow us on Twitter, and/or “like” us on Facebook so you won’t miss any upcoming giveaway announcements.

6/27/20 UPDATE: Here is Jeremy Camp’s exclusive “Ask Me Anything” video! Jeremy answers quite a few questions and gives a shout-out to Homeschooling Teen at 13:25!

23 Comments

Add a Comment
  1. What was your initial reaction when you heard of plans to make a movie about your life?

  2. Woop sorry, that wasn’t all. I wanted to say I was very excited about this, and that I love this magazine. Keep it up! Also, in case I do “win” something, I don’t have enough signal for an actual video call so that’s not a possibility.

    1. Hey Vanya, you’ve been asking some great questions. Are you a fan of Jeremy Camp? What city are you in?

    2. Oh, and I hope you won’t be too disappointed, but the winner does not actually get to do a video call. How it works is like this… We forward the questions to him, he chooses which ones he wants to answer, he makes a video of himself answering the questions, and then he sends the video to us so we can see it.

  3. Okidoke, I have way more questions for the vid so let’s keep em coming. You said to post multiple times for multiple questions which seems like you *want* me to clog up this page, but okay.

    Question: “What is the single most important message you want to teach your children?”

    1. Vanya, you’re right, we did say that. Usually we hardly get any comments so it’s nice to get a lot for once. You’ve single-handedly taken care of that!

  4. “What would you want to tell any struggling Christian?”

  5. “Besides Mrs. Melissa and God, what other person/people has/have greatly impacted your life?”

  6. This one might be a bit too personal…

    “Are you ever afraid you or someone you love might die early, just as Mrs. Melissa?”

  7. “Are you happy with how the movie turned out and the message it conveys?”

  8. Hey guys! Well, I have listened to some of his music but basically I just did some research into his life before asking questions so that they were appropriate for the story. His story did impress me very much and I love the songs I do know, so you could say I’m a bit of a fan. I don’t live in America, but in Europe (the Netherlands). The reason I wouldn’t want to do a video interview is that I’d like to retain some anonymity on the Internet. But I know lots of friends who would love to have one, so I’ll tip them on this.

    By the way, I absolutely love this magazine! It’s got something for everyone, which is absolutely great.

    1. But you know what? I’ll ask my parents first, because an interview does sound absolutely cool.

      ((So sorry if I sound presumptuous. I’m not assuming I’m going to actually “win”, but just making sure it would even work. I’m Dutch, and where I live, this isn’t considered impolite lol))

    2. Also, if I do win, I have missionary friends in America, so that wouldn’t be a big deal.

    3. So I asked my parents and it’s completely fine I’m really dim sometimes but I guess that’s why they don’t expect teenagers to be fully functioning adults yet lol. So, if nobody else shows up (why is this not popular yet) a video q and a would be fine. Im still telling other homeschool friends about it. I think they’d love this blog and giveaway

    4. Hey Vanya, thanks for telling your other homeschool friends about this! I don’t know why no one else has left a comment yet. It’s so cool that you’re Dutch. Is homeschooling very popular over there?

  9. Hey guys! Nah don’t worry. I was already pretty sure I had misinterpreted lol. It was more the person I was reading it with who was like: oh wow it’s a video call and theyre usually right so I was just like whatever. I was more interested in the free movie anyways.

    Actually, homeschooling was pretty rare over here before the whole coronavirus thing. People are usually rather suspicious when you say you’re homeschooled…

    1. So have you always been homeschooled? And what city are you in? I didn’t know this before, but when we submit the questions, we’re supposed to include your first name and city. Maybe Jeremy will mention you in his video if he picks one of yours!

  10. No I have been homeschooled since I was 7. Before that, I went to a primary school. I’m in a city called Den Helder.

    Oh, I had another question: besides singing, do you have any other passions (aka hobbies)?

  11. Congratulations, Vanya! You’re the winner because you not only submitted the most questions, you were the only one who submitted any!

  12. Hey, that’s great! Sorry for not checking in within 24 hrs, it’s 26 hours lol… Aw, to be honest, I’m kind of sorry for you guys. By the way, I didn’t get any email, could you maybe send it again?

    1. Yeah, you’d think there would be more people commenting since everyone is home due to the coronavirus. But it turned out to be the exact opposite, I don’t know why. I never did send you that e-mail; I will do it now.

  13. Then again, I guess it depends on how much time you have for PR. That’s all right. Did you get my answer?

    1. That’s for sure, I don’t know how people do it. I’ve got a life, and I don’t have time to be on social media all day. LOL

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