If you have never heard of Jeremy Camp, you really should start. One of the most popular Christian Contemporary artists in the industry since his debut major label album in 2001, “Stay,” his story is one of perseverance and faith that can move mountains on every level. His story even inspired a book and film of the same name with “I Still Believe”.
“Riverdale” star KJ Apa stars as Camp in this film, which begins as he is leaving his hometown in Indiana to head to college in California. Shortly after he arrives, he is able to sneak backstage in hopes of meeting one of his favorite musicians, Jean-Luc (Nathan Parsons), and in doing so becomes a roadie for his band, The Kry. At the first show he works, he notices a young lady in the audience named Melissa (Britt Robertson), and instantly falls in love with her not knowing that Jean-Luc also has eyes for her. Jeremy’s career starts to take flight as they get closer, but for Melissa, cancer starts to derail their plans. It will take faith, love, and hope for the road that lies ahead for this young couple, and their journey puts them to the test.
I have known the story of the Camps for a few years now, as I am a huge fan. Now, before the bias accusations are thrown out there, it is important to understand that I fully cop to that fact and even myself was worried that it may jade my look at this film as I sat down to watch it. From a fan’s standpoint, this is a VERY good look at Camp’s story not only on a personal level, but also on a professional level. Granted, it is VERY high level and does not give a lot of detail, but to see what amounts to early working versions of his hits like “This Man,” “My Desire,” “and “Right Here” is pretty awesome, and they are even sung by Apa himself (who is immensely talented in his own right).
The chemistry with Apa and Robertson is also fully committed and believable, and even though they have worked with each other before in “A Dog’s Purpose,” this feels very fresh and new with their strong performances. Add to that the star power of Shania Twain as Camp’s mother and Gary Sinise as his father with some very strong supporting cast work, the Erwin Brothers (who do a lot of faith-based films) have truly hit one out of the park here.
Whether you are a fan of Christian Music or not, “I Still Believe” is a great family film with strong messages of the power of love and faith that I truly hope gets the wide release it deserves to reach as large of an audience as possible!
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