Jesus Revolution
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100RecommendedThis film
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it through
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100RecommendedThis film
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it through
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
Worldview score
What the story celebrates or condemns.
Why +2 for this film
The story celebrates the gospel's welcome to outcasts, repentance, baptism and the transforming power of Christ, and it shows drugs as an empty search. It also acknowledges church legalism, pride and human failure without cynicism.
- +2Affirms faithThis filmPresents faith in God positively and as true
- +1Positive valuesHonesty, sacrifice and family win out
- 0Mixed or neutralNo clear stance
- −1AmbivalentShows sin without judging it either way
- −2Glamorises sinMakes sin look attractive and rewarding
Age guide
How suitable this film is for each age group.
Why 12+ for this film
Realistic LSD and marijuana use, an overdose scare and a panicked drug trip are shown, though always as a dead end, alongside a brief Satanist gathering and mentions of suicidal thoughts.
- Under 8Wait
- Ages 8–12With a parent
- Ages 13–15Yes
- Ages 16–17Yes
- AdultsYes
A warm, faith-affirming true story of the 1970s Jesus Movement, in which drug-using hippies find Christ and a stiff church learns to welcome them. The main cautions are realistic LSD use and an overdose, both clearly shown as a dead end.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguageVery mild
No profanity is heard in the dialogue. The US rating mentions language, so there may be a few mild words, and there is the odd insult such as 'idiot'.
BlasphemyOne possible misuse
Nearly every use of God's and Jesus' name is reverent: preaching, prayer, baptism and worship. At most one exclamation of Jesus' name is ambiguous.
Sex and nudityKissing, brief reference
Greg and Cathe kiss and become engaged. Lonnie refers in passing to the promiscuity of his hippie past, and church members complain about girls in halter tops. Nothing sexual is shown.
RelationshipsChaste romance, broken homes
The young romance is chaste, and the couple put God first. Greg's mother moves from one failed relationship to the next and neglects her son. Lonnie's marriage comes under strain, and Cathe's father forbids the engagement before relenting.
ViolencePeril, no fighting
There is no real violence. A drugged friend drives recklessly and the car nearly crashes. Greg's mother is later in hospital with facial injuries after an accident, and assassinations and war are mentioned in news footage.
Frightening scenesTense, upsetting moments
Cathe's sister collapses from an apparent overdose. Greg has a panicked LSD trip, convinced he is dying, during the frightening car ride. A man bursts into church crying out that he is going to die. A brief Satanist gathering may unsettle younger children.
Drugs and alcoholLSD shown, cautionary
LSD is handed out at a festival, and Greg and his friends take it. Marijuana, an overdose, heavy drinking by Greg's mother and frequent smoking are also shown. Drug use is clearly portrayed as a dead end that faith replaces.
AttitudesRebellion, later challenged
Teenagers lie to their parents, sneak out and are disrespectful. Some church members are snobbish and legalistic, and Lonnie's pride splits the ministry. These failings are shown honestly and largely end in repentance and reconciliation.
OccultBrief Satanist glimpse
A brief scene at a hippie gathering shows a group of Satanists, whom the characters find creepy and move on from. Lonnie's healings and words of knowledge are presented as the work of God, not as the occult.
- To knowContent to know about
- Skip for kidsSkip for younger viewers
- DiscussWorth discussing
- 0:17
Drug use
At a music festival, LSD tabs are handed out freely to the crowd and Greg's friends are keen to take some.
- 0:21
Alcohol and neglect
Greg finds his mother drunk in a bar flirting with a stranger and has to take her home; he is clearly the one caring for her.
- 0:28
Drug useSkip if under 10
Cathe's sister collapses at a party from an apparent overdose while frightened friends try to wake her.
- 0:39
Welcoming outcasts
Pastor Chuck washes the bare feet of hippies at the church door and tells them the church is their home, after elders object to the newcomers spoiling the carpet.
- 0:43
Drug useSkip if under 10
High on LSD, Charlie drives wildly and nearly crashes; Greg runs off in panic, sure he is dying, until Lonnie sits with him and calms him.
- 0:47
Occult reference
A brief moment at a hippie gathering where a group of Satanists speaks; the characters find it creepy and move on.
- 1:08
Suicidal thoughts mentioned
During a tent meeting Lonnie tells a woman struggling with addiction that she had thought about ending her life that night, then prays for her and others to be healed.
- 1:24
Pride and leadership
Chuck stops Lonnie mid-service and the two argue publicly about spectacle, pride and who the movement belongs to.
How to play
- 1. Draw a cardOne person reads the question out loud.
- 2. Everyone answersThere are no wrong answers. Listen before you reply.
- 3. Pass it onThe next person draws, until the deck is done.
Faith & story
What does it say?
What's it about?The plot, without the ending
California, the late 1960s. Greg Laurie is a lonely teenager with an absent father and a mother who drinks, drifting into the hippie scene and its drugs in search of meaning. Across town, Pastor Chuck Smith leads a small, ageing congregation that is baffled by the counterculture, until his daughter brings home a barefoot hippie preacher called Lonnie Frisbee. As Lonnie's friends start turning up at church, Chuck has to decide whether to open the doors, and Greg, his friend Cathe and thousands of other young people find themselves caught up in what became known as the Jesus Movement. Based on a true story.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
Jesus Revolution is an openly Christian film that celebrates the gospel as an invitation to the broken. Its most memorable moments show grace crossing social lines: a conservative pastor washing hippies' feet, and a church choosing people over its furnishings, echoing Jesus' friendship with outcasts and the call to welcome the thirsty to the water of life. Drugs are presented honestly as a false spiritual quest that leaves a void, which Christ fills. The film is also candid about the church's failings, from respectable members who want the newcomers gone to leaders whose pride and craving for recognition damage the work. Lonnie's healings and words of knowledge are shown as genuine, reflecting the charismatic flavour of the real movement; families from different traditions may want to talk about how they understand spiritual gifts, and the film itself has Chuck warn against turning the Spirit's work into a spectacle. The closing note that God has long used flawed people, and that no one is important enough to block his work, is a gentle reminder that revival belongs to God rather than to personalities.
Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?
9 out of 9 fruits ripe in this film
Ripe grapes are shown in the film, buds are missing
Love and kindness run through the film: Chuck opening his home and church, Lonnie sitting patiently with a terrified Greg, and the community buying Greg a car. Joy fills the worship and the beach baptisms, and peace is shown in converts freed from addiction. Faithfulness and goodness appear in Cathe's insistence that God comes first. Gentleness marks Greg's reconciliation with his mother. Self-control is pictured as former drug users find sobriety. The film is honest about pride, jealousy and quarrels too, but these are shown as failings to repent of rather than celebrated.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
Greg LaurieJoel CourtneyA lonely, artistic teenager from a broken home who finds faith and purpose, though his fear of abandonment nearly costs him his relationship with Cathe.
Lonnie FrisbeeJonathan RoumieA charismatic hippie evangelist who bridges the gap between the counterculture and the church; gifted and sincere, but increasingly driven by pride and need for recognition.
Chuck SmithKelsey GrammerA traditional pastor who overcomes his prejudice to welcome the hippies, and later struggles with control and jealousy.
Cathe MartinAnna Grace BarlowA searching, outspoken girl who comes to faith with Greg and insists that God must come before their relationship.
Charlene LaurieKimberly Williams-PaisleyGreg's mother, who drinks and moves between relationships; her wounds shape Greg.
How Christians are portrayed
Christians are portrayed warmly but honestly, as flawed people God still uses. Some established church members are snobbish and more concerned with appearances, and a television preacher criticises the movement, but the film treats these as human failings rather than reasons for cynicism.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Strong language (the f-word or similar)?
Is this appropriate for Christians to watch?
Thinking of children? Add the youngest age you'd show it to.
Review
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Details
Film details
- In theatres
- Feb 24, 2023
- On streaming
- Jun 9, 2023
- Cast
- Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney, Anna Grace Barlow
- Directors
- Brent McCorkle, Jon Erwin
- Studios
- Lionsgate, Kingdom Story Company, A Walsh Works Production
- Genre
- Drama, History
- Run time
- 2h
- Age rating
- US PG-13 · UK 12A
How we analysed this
We counted language, blasphemy and other content in the film's dialogue and read it with the plot and film details, then rated each content area against our rubric and worldview scale, using AI models calibrated on reference titles. Not yet reviewed by our team. Confidence: high.
Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (2.21) + 8 × worldview (+2) = 81
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14