What’s up, readers?! I have come to you today with a review of one of my new favorite movies, A Week Away.
Everyone in my small group at church was raving about this musical, so I decided it was definitely worth a try to watch it! I was not disappointed. While there were a few things in the movie that I didn’t like, it was a really fun movie with a good Christian perspective, and the music is awesome! I would definitely recommend it.
Let’s start with a short summary of the movie, and then we’ll get into my thoughts.
A Week Away
Troubled teen Will Hawkins (Kevin Quinn) has a run-in with the law that puts him at an important crossroad: go to juvenile detention or attend a Christian summer camp. At first a fish-out-of-water, Will opens his heart, discovers love with a camp regular (Bailee Madison), and sense of belonging in the last place he expected to find it.
Plot
The plot of A Week Away started out really good, and there were a lot of exciting and laughable moments throughout! I was slightly disappointed with the end of the movie, but that was mostly due to Will’s character development and not necessarily the plot (although character development and plot do intersect).
But there were definitely a lot of fun moments, and there wasn’t a single part that seemed too slow or boring. The pacing was perfect, and all the transitional plot points were done well!
Characters
The characters were the BEST PART of this movie. They all had consistent personalities with clear goals, motivations, and desires.
Sean was my favorite, just because he made me laugh so much! His character played the perfect role of the villain and comic relief! Normally villains and humor don’t go very well together and make a movie or book cheesy, but I didn’t feel that way at all with Sean. He was the perfect mix of good and bad, and it was so relatable and funny.
Will and Avery were also really well-done… honestly, I’m so glad the movie creators decided to show a little bit of Avery’s struggles in the song Place in this World, because otherwise she would have seemed a little too perfect. Getting a look inside her actual thoughts and feelings made her all the more relatable.
George was hilarious and fun, and Presley was a little bottle of sunshine. The two of them were so cute together! It was a little cringey to watch them, but it made me laugh out loud. Same with Avery and Will–their interactions together were cringey at first, but as soon as it got deeper it made it all the more lovable and fun.
Themes/Messages
The themes and messages in the story started out really good. However, the end of the movie felt incomplete and didn’t end up sending the right message at all, because there were just a few details missing. I was disappointed that Will never became an actual Christian by the end. It almost felt like the message was, “It’s okay if you’re not a Christian, everyone belongs, and true love is the most important.”
If the movie creators just added a little more to the end of the movie, gave Will a full character arc where he actually realized that he needed Jesus the most, and portrayed that more clearly, then the themes would have been perfect.
Music & Movie Quality
I LOVED the setting of this movie! Camp Aweegaway was so beautiful!!! It was truly amazing!
Also, the music is really good! They re-used old Christian songs from popular Christian artists like Stephen Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, and Michael W. Smith. Dive is my favorite song, I highly recommend watching the music video for it! The choreography in all the songs was also really good and professionally done. It always makes me want to get up and dance!
Place in this World was also a really meaningful song in another beautiful setting. And I loved the Awesome God / God Only Knows – Campfire Medley, I never thought of those two songs together, and it was really fun to hear that!
The actors all did an AMAZING job. Kevin Quinn (the actor who played Will) is a Christian and has his own music, which I recommend checking out! His song It’s About Time is one of my favorites.
Sensitive Content
There really wasn’t much sensitive content throughout the movie. I’d say the biggest thing is the message the movie leaves you with at the end. That’s just one thing you can know before watching it, and then it’s fine. But I wouldn’t really recommend this movie for younger kids who don’t really consider the messages that they’re allowing into their minds; I’d say the minimum age any Christian kid should watch this movie is age nine.
Sexual Content – Avery and Will kiss, and Presley kisses George on the cheek at the end. Other than that, there was nothing.
Language – N/A
Violence – N/A
Magic – N/A
(This was actually a really clean movie!)
Overall Thoughts
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Age Recommendation: 9+
A Week Away is a super fun movie to watch, with really fun music, choreography, characters, and setting. I definitely would recommend it!
Your Turn!
Have you watched A Week Away? What did you think of it? What are your favorite Christian songs? Let me know in the comments!
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