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The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

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Director
  
Initial DVD release
  
May 4, 2010

Duration
  

Language
  
English

6.8/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Drama

Budget
  
1 million USD

Country
  
United States

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry movie poster

Release date
  
April 27, 2008 (2008-04-27) (USA Film Festival)September 18, 2009 (2009-09-18) (United States)

Cast
  
(Jonathan Sperry), (Dustin),
Frankie Ryan Manriquez
(Albert), (Mr. Barnes)

Similar movies
  
Rich Christiano directed The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry and A Matter of Faith

Tagline
  
What he teaches you...will last forever.

The secrets of jonathan sperry 2009 official trailer


The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry is a 2008 Christian film, released to theaters on September 18, 2009. It was directed by Rich Christiano, and the majority of the film was filmed in Holley, New York, beginning August 18, 2007. Its world premier was at the Merrimack Valley Christian Film Festival. Gavin MacLeod, who also starred in The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show plays the lead role in the film.

Contents

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry movie scenes

Plot

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry wwwgstaticcomtvthumbmovieposters3626161p362

Dustin (Jansen Panettiere), Albert (Frankie Ryan Manriquez) and Mark (Allen Isaacson) are 12-year-old friends looking forward to Summer fun in 1970. Dustin likes a girl named Tanya (Bailey Garno), and so he wants to ask her on a date, but he is nervous because he has never asked anyone out before. Dustin's main obstacle is the town bully, Nick (Taylor Boggan), who also likes Tanya. When Dustin mows the lawn of 75-year-old Jonathan Sperry (Gavin MacLeod), a man he has seen at church, the two become friends.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Wikipedia

Mr. Sperry begins a Bible study with Dustin and his friends, and encourages them to be kind to Nick. Sperry also pays Dustin to mow the lawn of a stubborn, elderly neighbor, Mr. Barnes (Robert Guillaume), although Dustin is told not to let Mr. Barnes know the benefactor of this kindness. Throughout the summer, many other boys in the neighborhood get involved in the Bible study, including Nick, who is remorseful and turns from his bullying ways after a couple of encounters with Mr. Sperry. Meanwhile, Dustin finally gets the courage to tell Tanya how much he likes her, but instead of asking her to be his girlfriend, he suggests she start reading the Bible.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry The Secrets Of Jonathan Sperry Now on DVD

Then one day, Dustin rides his bicycle by Mr. Sperry’s house and discovers a crowd has gathered there and Mr. Sperry has died. After the funeral, Mr. Barnes visits Dustin to thank him for mowing his lawn, and to tell him he figured out Mr. Sperry was his motivation. Mr. Barnes tearfully calls Mr. Sperry a great example of a Christian man. After this visit, Dustin’s mother reveals the secret background between Mr. Sperry and Mr. Barnes. Mr. Sperry’s wife had died four years earlier in a car accident caused by Mr. Barnes who was drunk. Inspired by Mr. Sperry’s kindness after such heartbreak, Dustin decides to continue the Bible study with the neighborhood boys, repeating one of Mr. Sperry’s first lessons with Dustin and his two friends.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Amazoncom The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Gavin MacLeod Robert

In the years that follow, Dustin and his friends end up going their separate ways. Even though Tanya started reading her Bible and became a Christian, she and Dustin never dated or formed a relationship with each other. Mr. Barnes became a good friend to Dustin before he died four years afterwards. Dustin's two best friends, Albert and Mark soon became involved in speaking on Christian radio shows. As for Dustin, he became pastor of his church for 15 years using Jonathan Sperry's Bible.

Cast

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry DVD

  • Gavin MacLeod as Jonathan Sperry
  • Jansen Panettiere as Dustin
  • Robert Guillaume as Mr. Barnes
  • Frankie Ryan Manriquez as Albert
  • Allen Isaacson as Mark
  • Bailey Garno as Tanya
  • Taylor Boggan as Nick
  • Mary Jean Bentley as Dustin's Mother
  • Soundtrack

    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry 2009 Official Trailer YouTube

    The soundtrack, composed by Jasper Randall, won Best Original Score in the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

    Release

    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Film Score CD at Christian Cinemacom

    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry was released theatrically on September 18, 2009 in 118 theaters. By November 2009, a total of 240 theaters had been booked, each sponsored by a church or Christian group. Each group paid $2,000 to get the film into a theater, and were given back the investment if the film grossed $4,500 in their individual theatre.

    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry REEL CONSERVATIVE The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

    In its opening weekend, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry made $258,400 domestically. It had strong box office holds for several weeks, accumulating $1,169,828 to date. Randall Christy of the Gospel Station Network stated the film was number one at the Ada, Oklahoma box office over the November 6–8, 2009 weekend.

    Reception

    Christian actor Kirk Cameron said, "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry moved me with its message of eternity and how one faithful man can make a difference in the lives of many. I recommend this inspiring movie for any family to watch together." Common Sense Media gave the film only two out of five stars, citing its "very thin story," "amateurish performances by the young actors," and "unquestioning point of view."

    References

    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Wikipedia
    The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry IMDb The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry themoviedb.org