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Son of the Preacher – Review
Son of the Preacher – BET+ – 1 hour and 25 minutes
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Jasmine uses her chemistry degree to create a natural hair care line, Halo and Honey. She still hasn’t found her customer base because she has to choose between her ingredients and her utilities. Her roommate, best friend India, tells Jasmine to dream big every time Jasmine questions her abilities. India knows the proper endorsement will launch the brand. An endorsement from someone like Caleb Samuels, known online as @SonOfThePreacher. His father, Reverend Samuels, heads the Kingdom of God church and preaches the prosperity gospel. Jasmine throws caution to the wind and goes to the church.
Caleb enters his father’s office after service. Reverend Samuels is furious because Caleb came late and stayed in the back. He dreams of Caleb taking the reins but feels Caleb isn’t serious about leading the flock. He believes Caleb is more interested in getting likes than saving souls. Caleb states that his generation uses social media to connect. Reverend Samuels doesn’t care and kicks Caleb out of his office. Caleb sees Jasmine at the front desk and listens to her spiel. He’s not sure about the partnership, but invites her to his party so they can iron out the details. Jasmine agrees.
Jasmine arrives at Caleb’s home. He confesses that he threw the party at the last minute so he could see her again. Jasmine is flattered and pitches her idea again. Caleb doesn’t think it will fit with his brand and could cause him to lose followers. Then, Reverend Samuel breaks up the party. He’s over Caleb’s antics and cuts Caleb off. Caleb has until his birthday, on Christmas Day, to change the direction of his life. If not, Pastor John will lead the church when Reverend Samuel steps down. To get in the Reverend’s good graces, Caleb takes a 3rd look at Jasmine’s idea. She wants him to start a God Challenge campaign. He inspires others to do good in the community, and her brand can sponsor it. Caleb believes this campaign will put him in his father’s good graces and demonstrate the power of social media. This campaign will affect the church, impact the community, and change the Samuel’s family forever.
Don’t let this review fool you. It’s a synopsis of this film’s charming side. The script is gritty and salacious. It’s reminiscent of Greenleaf with an affair, a greedy deal, and a stream of secrets (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). And when you think you can’t handle anything more, viewers get a violent carjacking. The writers properly balanced the drama with the Christmas spirit. The script highlights issues with the prosperity gospel without condemning it. This film is funny and pearl-clutching. It properly foreshadows without giving away the ending. BET+ proves you can add drama to the holidays and make it entertaining. This film will make you ask for a holiday series.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars
Ashy hair is a sin – Jasmine
You? In a uniform? – India
What legacy are you building – Reverend Samuels
You’re wrong about me, Dad – Caleb
Christmas by Design – Review
Christmas by Design – BET+ – 1 hour and 25 minutes
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Handbag designer Tuesday preps her team for the Christmas Eve launch of their Angel Line handbags. They will use the proceeds for their Comfort Foundation. She warns her team to keep the designs under wraps until the launch. If someone released the designs, it would ruin the launch, their reputation, the staff’s paychecks, and the foundation. After the meeting, Tuesday relaxes at home and ponders over the spring and summer lines.
Tuesday returns to work and sees that everyone is on edge. Her mentee, Alex, and business partner, Caroline, run into Tuesday’s office with alarming news. Someone leaked the Angel Line and posted the photos on blog sites. With three weeks before Christmas Eve, Tuesday knows the counterfeiters will have dups of her bags before she releases her collection. Tuesday panics but strategizes. She has Caroline publish a press release stating it’s not the complete collection and there will be more to come. Bill, head of cybersecurity, fears they have had a breach that could affect their customers’ private data. So, Tuesday tells Bill to hire the best in the business.
Tuesday exits her office and hides when she sees a familiar face, David. She and David met a year ago during a Christmas party. They conversed, drank, and laughed. They went their separate ways until they met again in the coat closet. They passionately kissed before David told her to stop. Embarrassed, Tuesday ran away. Bill hired David to investigate the breach. Tuesday avoids him on the first day, but must meet him the next. She puts on large glasses to cover her face, hoping he won’t remember her. David doesn’t acknowledge her. However, Tuesday knows he remembers when David makes a quip about Eggnog. He’s pretending not to remember her. Tuesday rages and aims to understand why David rejected her then and now. Will these two have a second chance?
This film differs from other holiday films because the leads have difficult conversations. The writers didn’t wait for the conclusion to lay out their feelings and why. The script has the leads reveal themselves like peeling away an onion. Their childhoods were vastly different, but they ended with the same drive to succeed. While David wants to stay close to the people, Tuesday wants to rise and reach above. It causes riffs in their budding relationship. While the concept is intriguing, the dialogue makes Tuesday whiny, needy, and contradictory. This aspect may cause viewers to tune her out when she’s wise and introspective. While the mature dialogue is nice, the script doesn’t differentiate itself from other holiday films.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
No ma’am. You aren’t trying, you’re doing – Alex
That sounds like free to me. Act like you don’t know – Helena
I’m doing it, Nana. I’m doing it – Tuesday
Well, that was very adult of you – Caroline
That would be another mistake – David
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