The Way Home

Workaholic Randy Simpkins (Dean Cain) is preparing for a much needed vacation with his wife Christal and their 3 sons. Somehow as they are loading the van to leave, their youngest son, 2 year old Joe, disappears. Their initial minor annoyance turns to gut-wrenching fear as police and search crews arrive to comb the acres of woods and ponds surrounding their rural Georgia home. As more time passes, the chances of finding Joe safe become slimmer. The whole community comes out to aid in the search, and Randy realizes that his work habits have prevented him from having a good relationship with his family.

I have had The Way Home on my to-watch list for a while and finally found time to watch it last night. I wish I hadn’t waited so long! This true story was extremely well done. Much effort was made to keep the film true to the actual story. First, Randy Simpkins was the Executive Producer of the film. Second, both he and Christal had cameo appearances in the film, and finally the movie was shot at the Simpkins’ home. Dean Cain was excellent as Randy Simpkins. He was completely believable in the role.

The message of the movie, though nothing new or earth-shattering, is still something all Christians need to hear. We all recognize the need to put God and our families first, but we allow the things of this world to take the place that rightfully belongs to God and our family. And it’s often such a gradual change, that we don’t realize that we have allowed our priorities to become skewed.

I do think that the film missed a major opportunity to emphasize the wife’s role in keeping the right priorities. Christal nagged her husband about how he wasn’t doing a good job as a husband and father. She spoke to him very harshly. There was no mention of repentance on her part. I think that wives need to remember that we need to be easy to come home to! I am reminded of Proverbs 21:9–

[It is] better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

and Proverbs 21:19–

[It is] better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

I am not blaming the wife for a husband that fails to fulfill his God-ordained role, but it is still her responsibility to fulfill her own role. (I am definitely preaching to myself here. I could hear my own complaining tone as I watched the movie. I wondered how I would respond in the same situation.)

I really enjoyed and would recommend this movie to others.

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