Movie Review - Mr. Church

Mr. Church (2016)

Starring Eddie Murphy, Britt Robertson, Xavier Samuel, Lucy Fry, Christian Madsen, Natalie Coughlin, McKenna Grace, and Natascha McElhone

Directed by Bruce Beresford

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

There's nothing wrong with sentimentality done right and Mr. Church has mushy sentiment in spades...now, whether it's done right is the question.  Based on a "true friendship" (as the title card at the beginning of the film relays to us), the film focuses on Marie Brooks (Natascha McElhone) and her daughter Charlie (played as a young girl by Natalie Coughlin and as a teen by Britt Robertson) and the secret that Marie is keeping from her daughter -- cancer is riddling Marie's body and doctors tell her she only six months to live.  Marie had been dating a rich entrepreneur, only to break up with him once she discovered he was married, but that didn't stop her former beau from hiring a chef -- Mr. Church (Eddie Murphy) -- to help Marie until she passes.  Marie, however, is a fighter and those six months come and go, allowing Mr. Church to become a permanent fixture in the Brooks household with Mr. Church becoming a father figure to the young Marie.

I'm going to be honest -- writing this summary, I had the most difficult time trying to make this film sound anything but boring.  I don't think I succeeded in the slightest, but it should be noted that Mr. Church is an okay flick that's unfortunately weighed down by treacly mushiness.  Eddie Murphy, Britt Robertson, and Natascha McElhone elevate the simplistic and typical material.  In the end, Mr. Church is like a really good Hallmark movie, but even really good Hallmark movies aren't that good.

The RyMickey Rating:  C