SHOCKING NEWS: Sergeant Darren Hill (Liam Matthews) was just finishing up a tour of duty in Afghanistan when he was killed during an ambush of his unit.

By Kam Williams

Sergeant Darren Hill (Liam Matthews) was just days away from finishing up a tour of duty in Afghanistan when he died during an ambush of his unit. The shocking news devastated his wife, Amber (Lindsay Pulsipher), and their young daughter, Bree (Makenzie Moss).

In fact, Amber was so embittered she stepped down as her church’s choir director, saying, “Look where my faith in God got us.” And pep talks from Pastor Williams (LaDainian Tomlinson) and her friends, Bridgette (Jordin Sparks) and Karena (Robin Givens), fail to bring her back into the fold.

Two years later we find the grieving widow struggling to keep a roof over her head. Waitressing at the local diner simply doesn’t pay enough to keep the bank from threatening to foreclose on her house.

When Amber is served with a notice to vacate the premises, she borrows $800 from a loan shark at a usurious rate, a short-term fix certain to come back to bite her. It takes hitting rock bottom for her to rethink turning her back on God.

Thus unfolds the opening act of God Bless the Broken Road, a faith-based drama directed and co-written by Harold Cronk (God’s Not Dead 1 and 2). Unfortunately, the cliche-ridden, modern morality play is less concerned with character development than with its heavy-handed message about the virtues of Christianity.

Predictably, Amber’s fortunes do improve, but only after her faith in the Lord is restored. Meanwhile, the screen is filled with one-dimensional characters who bear no resemblance to real people.

Fair (*). Rated PG-13 for action, peril, profanity, and bloody images. Rated PG for combat action and mature themes. Running time: 111 minutes. Production Studio: 10 West Studios / A Really Good Home Pictures. Studio: Freestyle Releasing.