Flywheel
Tags: christian film

Plot synopsis:
Jay Austin (Alex Kendrick) is a car salesman who consistently cheats his customers, even to the point of overcharging his own pastor. He teaches his rotund salesmen, Bernie Meyers (Tracy Goode) and Vince Berkeley (Treavor Lokey), to do likewise. Jay occasionally attends church, but only because his wife Judy (Janet Lee Dapper) wants him to go. He also fakes giving a donation to the church. His relationships with his wife and son (Richie Hunnewell), who both disapprove of his dishonesty, deteriorate. In addition he is facing foreclosure on his lot by the bank. Jay becomes troubled in his conscience, and one day while flipping television channels, he sees a pastor preaching that "you're in the shape you're in today because of the choices you've made." Jay becomes personally convicted and becomes a born-again Christian, prompting him to change his business practices.
Jay apologizes to his pregnant wife and his son and decides to sell cars honestly from that point on. However, he is now thousands of dollars in debt and facing the loss of his dealership if he can't catch up on his payments to the bank. Jay decides not to worry about his situation and to "let God handle it," telling the Lord that it is His lot. After the two rotund salesmen, whose interactions often provide comedy, leave over a disagreement about the newly reformed business practices, a young, innocent-looking "newcomer" Kevin Cantrell (Daniel Titus) comes to Jay to work for six weeks and asks him questions, such as how he sells cars. Jay answers by saying, "Just sell the car to them by its real price and God will decide." Sales are honest, but the amounts are mediocre at best. Kevin leaves after the six weeks, but later Jay sees himself on television as part of a news investigation on car dealerships. Kevin was a carefully concealed undercover agent investigating which car dealers cheat, and the report says that Jay Austin Motors was the only honest dealership among them. The next day Jay comes to the lot and sees many people there to buy his cars. Jay even has to call his wife to help sell all the cars on the lot that day. The total of the sales above the cost of the cars is enough to cover what the banker demanded, who comes later that day and wonders where all the cars have gone.
Business continues to be brisk, and then Jay begins to feel convicted in his conscience about his dishonesty during the prior two years that he had been in business, and with his wife's encouragement decides to make restitution to all the customers he had overcharged. He also finds that the amount due them was the same as the profit he had after expenses and salaries.
Shortly thereafter, Jay is asked to do another live television interview, this time from reporter Hillary Vale (Lisa Arnold) of WALB-TV. On camera, Jay sees his now former employee Bernie saying that Jay Austin is a cheater, leading Hillary to say viewers will have to make up their own mind. However, many of his old customers (presumably all seeing the news) to whom Jay had just made restitution wasted no time to visit the lot to tell Hillary that there is more to the story. Hillary broadcasts an update 30 minutes after the prior live newscast to reflect the lot's new visitations. At home Jay's wife and son, who had been praying for Jay since the first report, also see this latest development on television, and then his wife starts to feel contractions. Jay exits the lot and rushes home to bring his wife to the hospital. She gives birth to a girl named Faith, to stand as a living reminder of Jay's newfound faith in God. At the end of the film, Jay drives away with his son in his 1958 Triumph TR3, an acquisition at the beginning of the film, which Max (Walter Burnett), his mechanic, had repaired with a newly installed flywheel (thus the film's title).

Review: It warmed my heart and strengthened my already strong faith in God, and the way He works in our lives.We often think that God has too many big things to do and He doesn't have time for our tiny lives.
God works in big and little things, and brings blessings to our personal worlds when we are patient and have faith in Him.The production values were such that I knew this film would not waste time with special effects or high production values but instead would concentrate its focus upon the message and the story.
Flywheel makes you think, cry, laugh and praise God. This movie was only to be in one theater for a couple weeks, a very limited engagement.
Although the quality is not what movie-goers are used to, the film more than makes up for that with a great story, awesome music and terrific actors.
Within a few minutes you will forget the lack of production quality.I was not involved in the production of the movie, but I know some that were; these actors, directors, crew and all others involved, sacrificed weeks and months of time and energy to make this film the success it is.The same production company is now making a new movie, "Face the Giants." The quality has been improved and I look forward to seeing what these talented people have in store for me..
You'll see in the first five minutes that it was shot with a video camera and, while the best that could be done with a prosumer video camera, it just doesn't look like a feature film quality production.
that's when God starts working through the film.Alex and Stephen have created a fantastic story here, and one you'll want to share with others.
What it lacks in production value it makes up for in everything else...and is not even noticed within 3 minutes after the movie opens.
"Audiences have been brought to tears and happiness" is right on the box and I have personally watched this movie in a theater with hundreds of people who were shaken from their foundations...and moved to change.
Shot completely on location in South Georgia by an independent film company, the heart of the movie is bigger than Hollywood's big budget box office flops and hits.
The wife in the movie got on my nerves at first because I wanted her to tell her husband how it was, but it taught me the lesson of praying for him and waiting for God to speak to him, then she stepped in and encouraged him and stood by his side through it all.
Unlike Hostle, people in this film actually redeem themselves, life is good, and can get better, and the world is NOT falling into ruin..
I see this film and know there are people out there who want to spend their time and money on GOOD thoughts and feelings.(Thank God, or whoever your "higher power" may be).
It is a fine example of a thoughtful effort to get a point across without explosions, car chases, or four-letter slang.The writer and lead Alex Kendrick has offered up a very sincere and cleverly told story.
A couple of plot twists near the end can be seen coming from a mile away, but that doesn't really hurt the film.Certainly there's a moral, and the movie succeeds at presenting food for thought.
However, this was a very good start and I look forward to more movies by this church in the future!
By the way, I loved "Facing the Giants" too.Funniest part of the movie was the joke about how the film staff at their church only copied tapes all day and did nothing else I'm sure they got a kick out of that!.
And the movie does not suggest that if you turn your life over to God that everything will be instantly better.
It's not very well shot, some scenes could use better transitions, some dialogue feels forced, and the sound needs work (the background noise when going from indoors to outdoors is noticeable like on any home movie camera).
So don't, whatever you do, try to compare this to today's big-budget Hollywood productions!HOWEVER, all that said, the storyline is great, and story is what makes a great film!
You'll be asking yourself, "How's it going to end?" There were a couple shake-ups I didn't see coming which made it quite interesting.I hope we see many more movies like this being produced.
This movie supposes that only addressing one of those issues is enough to solve all of his combined problems (I'll leave it to you to guess which one...) Still, chronicling one man's discovery of faith isn't this movie's problem, and in fact it could have been it's main strength; Christian values have their places in movie dramas, but this movie uses charm as an excuse for blandness and its boasted do-it-yourself/preaching attitude as a cover up for uninspired writing/acting.
It's especially painful when the movie reaches the end of the road and makes its point halfway through the running time, but then decides to spend the rest of the scenes rubbing our faces in it, making sure that it's ingrained enough in your head.
Most of all, even though this movie has a lot to say about what we should believe in, one thing the writers definitely don't believe in is a personal conscience - the power of oneself to extend goodwill to others based on right and wrong, not because a threatening God is judging everything you do.
and sorry...it is successful ONLy to people who don't like movies, and who only care about the values and themes present in it.
this movie is no doubt made by nice people who have good hearts and mean well, but when people want to use it as some sort of crusade against 'hollywood' and proof of the superiority of their personal preferences, i just have to stop it.
like i said, i have no desire to hammer this film and the people behind it, but when if you try to push this on people and, even worse, if you actually think this is as good as even the average student film, you are deranged.if you do not have either an agenda, to try and force the point that Christian media is superior, or you know someone personally involved in this film, you wont make it through.
to the people who claim that it is 'better' than anything 'hollywood' can do, well, you are sorely and sadly mistaken...and sure, you can say that it is a matter of opinion, but as someone who watches hundreds of movies, things like acting and the script and pacing do matter.this movie is for people who hate movies.
or, like i said, unless you personally know someone involved in the film, then you won't like it.if you have any standards for movies that actually involve any objective level of quality, avoid this.
Flywheel tells the story of dishonest car salesman Jay Austin who cheats his customers daily, and at home, deals with lack of commitment for his family.
Jay soon finds the error of his ways and makes his heart right with God. That's all I'm going to say about the plot, so I don't spoil anything.
A much better allegorical message would have been that the flywheel of the engine keeps it running smoothly and evens out the individual explosions/life events -- just like faith in God, etc.In all fairness, the flywheel of self-starting engines does have gear teeth round the outer edge to mesh with the pinion gear of the starter motor.
Next film you need to use subliminal messages flashing Christ/Jesus or whatever because your horrid movies are not going to save anyone.
I think God himself would turn this movie off..
Even though this movie was produced by a church in Georgia (Sherwood Baptist), with no paid actors and on a shoestring budget, it is excellent.
If the movie industry would provide the public with this type of uplifting and inspiring movie on a regular basis, they could regain much of the audience that they've alienated over the years.This movie is just as good, in its own way, as the newer Sherwood Baptist production, "Facing the Giants," which has done very well indeed.
First off, this is a great story...honesty is not the subject of many movies anymore and I commend the writers for coming up with a great story.This of course was their first movie, so from a technical standpoint there are a lot of goofs and technical things wrong.The lighting is the most prominent of these, and you do spot the microphone in one scene, but these are understandable on a very small budget from a new film maker.I really recommend this and Facing the Giants.
One thing people complain about when it comes to Christian movies is their production quality.
Everything I said about every other Kendrick movie fits here-it's funny at times and has a great, important message.
Poor low-budget acting but films message remains good throughout..
The first time I watched this film was several years ago with my Church's Youth Group and I found it hilariously ridiculous due to it's poor acting and bad cinematography over all.
The story follows the life of a crooked car salesman who finds that instead of being crooked and blatantly ripping off his customers that God is the only way to keep his business successful.
Whilst the story holds strong bear in mind that this is a low budget film, and that not all the main protagonists circumstances are presented in a way that you feel sympathetic for him, not to say that you can't though, it is just fairly difficult from my point of view.
This film had a lot of potential the story is great, if a larger Christian film producer had this in their hands it would be fairly good.
Overall I do not recommend this film to everybody as I do not think people without Christian beliefs would be able to appreciate the message as much as people who do would, due to it's poor acting.
I do think people that do have Christian beliefs or are fairly open to a film that is solely based on the fact where God is the solution to it all then yes.
Flywheel is the story of Alex Kendrick a member in good standing of a profession that's looked down on, selling used cars.
In fact it summed up the standing of the profession.And Kendrick is owner of such a lot in Albany, Georgia where this film was shot on a shoestring budget.
As is shown in Flywheel the Lord does move in mysterious ways.As a Christian film it's not a bad representation for the genre.
In other words, it's really simple.God then proceeds to work miracles, and the formerly sleazy used-car salesman has a miraculously new and wonderful life.
Maybe we'll see movies about how it's possible to be an honorable politician, or honest lawyer, or even a noble drug company executive.In spite of those negative reviewers who say otherwise, God really does work miracles today, and the miracles God typically works in people's lives are precisely like the ones described in this little gem.
The camera quality looked okay, some of the performances were okay but the one quality that kept me hooked to the film and the reason why I liked it so much was the fantastic story it had.Writer/Director/Actor Alex Kendrick gives a powerful performance playing Jay Austin, a used car salesman who is the type of person we usually come to hate.
He rips off customers, teaches his employees how to do the same and his family life is going downhill along with his belief in God. But after many arguments and painful situations, he decides to change his lifestyle all for God, even by giving his car lot to God. And day by day, his life improves.The first twenty minutes or so, I wasn't quite impressed with what I saw, but then again I should expect that considering that this was their first movie.
Writer/ Director Alex Kendrick who co-wrote the script with his brother Stephen Kendrick should be commended for writing a good script, and for creating a movie that in the end, will make you feel good and have a want to praise God more than you ever had before..
But this movie is over the top (in a very good way) with a positive message, a realistic portrayal of how any person has the ability to change for the better with the right help and the right focus.
I only hope more fabulously inspired writers and film makers would take the risk to use their influence for good the way Sherwood has with Flywheel..
Despite turning a good profit, those around him, like his persistent wife and child, see his practices as dishonest and unethical, to which he decides he needs to dedicate his life to serving the lord.
This further leads Jay to discover the word of God, but more importantly, discover a more human side of reality, which is just because he is struggling, that's no excuse to rip off other in his path.Writers Alex Kendrick and his brother Stephen paint Albany, Georgia in a realistic, unglamorous light, which is part of the reason the film succeeds on an unforeseen level.
Rather than paint the town and its locale as the kind of bland, vanilla caricatures that should exist as real people but don't, the Kendrick brothers keep the whole thing honest and ruffled in the sense that no characters appear perfect, everyone's wearing clothes that have a little stain on them or need ironed, and everybody looks like practical, working class people.
Because this is absent, the characters can carry on with being just that - characters in a film about one person's desire to change hi sold practices and become more morally good.Yet Flywheel does still have some issues it needs ironed out.
With this, the film doesn't seem to shortchange and simply seems like it's trying to enlighten.Flywheel may not be polished in terms of production values, nor perfect in its representation of events, but it is a solid start for a Baptist Church turned film company to make and produce above-average Christian films for a clearly demanding and willing audience.
Any decent person will probably like this film.More depth: Jay Austin sells used cars.
However, I have an issue with these types of movies that make out like all your problems will be resolved for the better and things will get so much better in your life.
After Jay Austin(the protagonist; played by director and writer, Alex Kendrick) genuinely trusts and offers himself, his car lot, and his family to God...the viewers begin to see the stirring vicissitudes that God composes in Jay's once shattered life.
Make sure you look out for "Facing The Giants," Alex Kendrick and Sherwood Production's next film endeavor..
This is true to life, and is not "fantasy".Jay Austin is a "lip service" Christian (someone who claims to believe in Jesus, but doesn't act like it, a hypocrite in other words), who owns a used car lot.
I wanted to cry a couple of times, because the things I've seen portrayed in this movie demonstrates God's love and provision to us in real life, and makes me realize once again, what an awesome God we have!
Writer, producer, and director Alex Kendrick lays the Christian propaganda on pretty thick in his freshman effort "Flywheel," a modest, occasionally moving, but far-fetched account of a dishonest car salesman who hits rock bottom and decides to stop cheating his customers and get right with God. The theme of this shoe-string budgeted, spiritual saga is basically 'what would Jesus do?' After two years of ripping off his customersincluding his own minister, Jay Austin (Alex Kendricks) turns his life upside, sinks to his knees, and vows to be a better businessmen, husband, and father to his third grade son.
Earlier, before he changed his ways, Jay heard his son complain to one of his little friends about how he doesn't want to sell cars like his unscrupulous dad.
FLYWHEEL is the third in a series of inspirational based movies grouped with FACING THE GIANTS and FIREPROOF from Sherwood Pictures.
Throw in the fact that I have always liked small foreign cars and when I saw this on the shelf at the video store, it seemed like a good movie for me.The film seemed amateurish at first but I did not let that deter me from continuing because I have been pleasantly surprised by films with similar low-budget production values in the past.
And it happened there on the movie screen right in front of me.If you are really interested in seeing miracles on film, I highly recommend that people who rented "Flywheel" go rent "Jesus is Magic" starring Sarah Silverman.
But if you are not one of those people and want something that is entertaining and truly inspiring, DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE!
That movie is based on a true story about a man who achieved greatness because he believed in himself, and thus is REALLY inspiring..
Although the depiction of the realization of God's providence is really looking coincidental and forced to dramatize the movie, but its presentation really is sufficient in telling a solid story.
The story is set in a used car lot, where we meet the owner, Jay Austen (Alex Kendrick), an unscrupulous and unhappy man.
Then, a chance remark by one of his clients causes Jay to rethink his whole outlook on life.This was the first of the four movies (so far) made by the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, and like the others, it is touching and inspiring.
Though they are amateurs, they are very good and believable.This story of how one man's life is changed by God is a heartwarming one the whole family can enjoy together.