Death by three

Let There Be Light won’t counter the reputation faith-based films have for laying the gospel on thick while skimping on acting and storytelling. But in addition to delivering doctrinally sound sermonettes, the new film also dishes out holy sounding hooey. And while death prompts the protagonist’s soul-searching in many stories, Let There Be Light draws from this well three times.

Death number one: After losing his 8-year-old son, Davey (Ethan Jones), to cancer, Sol Harkens (Kevin Sorbo, also the film’s director) channels his grief into God-bashing celebrity. He becomes the world’s foremost atheist, regularly trouncing his Christian opponents on the debate circuit. But Sol’s hate-God speech and sorrow-numbing alcoholism have driven away his Christian wife, Katy (Kevin’s real-life wife of almost 20 years, Sam Sorbo, one of the film’s two writers). They’re divorced, and their two surviving sons, Gus and Conner (Braeden and Shane Sorbo), live with her. This should be plenty of material to sustain a story about suffering, but no.

Death number two: Driving drunk after his book launch party, Sol crashes his car. (The film’s PG-13 rating cites thematic elements and alcohol use, but fails to mention several close-ups of a scantily clad woman.) During the four minutes Sol’s clinically dead, he sees Davey in a swirl of lights. Telling Sol he must go back, Davey repeats a mysterious message: “Let there be light, Daddy.”

Sol’s doctor attributes Sol’s near-death experience conversation to a “surge in the cortex,” but Sol’s not so sure. Ignoring the pleas of his agent (Daniel Roebuck) and publicist (Donielle Artese) not to ruin his chance to become “the next Bill Maher,” Sol visits Katy’s pastor, a former Mafioso. In an extended monologue, Pastor Vinnie (Michael Franzese) shares the gospel in mobster-speak, describing the crucifixion as when “Jesus gets whacked.” Okay. But then Vinnie goes too far.

“Just like God sent His only Son, He sent you your son” to prove there’s life after death, Vinnie explains.

Gus misses the mark, too. “If you think about it, Dad, it’s like Davey saved your soul,” Gus says after Sol’s conversion. But the film doesn’t end there, for out of nowhere comes …

Death number three: As Sol sets out to woo Katy back, a character is diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. The character’s final weeks are spent promoting an app called Let There Be Light that synchronizes the activations of cell-phone flashlights. On the darkest night of the year, millions of people around the world point their lit phones skyward to express peace and solidarity—and (I promise I’m not making any of this up) to take a “selfie with God.”