I Am Potential

I AM POTENTIAL is a beautiful, heartfelt movie about love and dedication. It captures the devotion Patrick Henry's parents had helping their son use his God-given talents to reach his full potential. Throughout all the horrible situations the family faces, they were able to stick together and keep on fighting. I AM POTENTIAL is well done. The strong cast works well together. I AM POTENTIAL tells a story that's sometimes very sad, but the powerful, inspiring, underlying Christian message makes it worthwhile viewing for the whole family. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 3/16/2021

Other than a reference by a female friend of the mother who says that God doesn't give folks more burden than they can handle, something I think that the survivors of suicides would disagree with, there's no overt preaching I Am Potential. It is the story of a couple whose first born is born without eyes and a crippling leg condition that requires many surgeries that in the end don't help. It's a double whammy for this poor kid. However with a pair of glass eyes inserted where his real ones should have been, young Jimmy Bellinger has an ear for music which is developed in an inspiring story. He's a courageous and plucky young lad and his parents played by Burgess Jenkins and Jama Williamson have the right stuff. I certainly was impressed by the story. But if this had not been produced by the fundamentalist American Family Association we might have had a serious discussion on his health care coverage. The kid was certainly born with a pre-existing condition. And the family finances are strained to the breaking point. Sounds like they could have used universal healthcare coverage. But this film was not about to take the story in that direction. I Am Potential is a good story, decently if not greatly acted by its unknown cast with the exception of Judge Reinhold who plays the young man's doctor. The film not viewed by a fundamentalist church audience raises more questions than it answers.

It did indeed have potential, the acting was pretty good the characters are likable but it's just all very flat. It's made by a company of which I believe is a religious film-company and everything is just extremely sugar-sweet, every single person in the movie is the kind that you could let borrow your dearest possessions and just know that you would get it back and in one piece. Now that would be really nice if that was the type of world we all live in, I'm not saying it wouldn't but in my experience it's not real life. Not that necessarily movies have to be exactly like real life but couldn't they have at least one bully in it or something? Or have him dealing with issues of trying to get a girlfriend or something. SOMETHING, anything to make us feel a little extra for the young man when he's trying to overcome his hardships. Hardships that he instead seemingly takes with a smile.