Country music star Randy Travis has been acting in TV programs and movies since 1992. Obviously, he and I travel in different circles.

Finally, though, he’s crossed my radar as the star of a new film being distributed by Pureflix Entertainment, the same outfit that brought us Hidden Secrets earlier this year. In a much-ballyhooed but as-yet-untested distribution scheme, before debuting on DVD The Wager will premiere on December 31—in “an exclusive direct-to-church film release program,” rather than through theatrical distribution. Outreach Cinema exists, says film producer and Outreach co-founder David A. R. White, because “many movie theatres have been reluctant to embrace movies with strong faith messages.” Since churches have more seats than the nation’s theaters, reasons Outreach, why not connect faith-based movies directly with the target audience?

The guinea pig in this distribution experiment is The Wager, a story about an Oscar-nominated actor, played by Travis, whose life is falling apart around him even as his star is ascending. As the red-carpet day approaches, will Michael Steele sell his soul to win the statue? Will the tabloids get a scoop on a scandalous affair, with the family-and-values man Michael caught in a compromising position with costar Cassandra? Will Steele’s wife stand by him? Can Steele withstand rumors about inappropriate relations with a young boy?

Ultimately, the real issue is whether Steele’s faith is strong enough to see him through all this testing. The titular wager, it appears, is a prophetic challenge for Steele to actually manage his life according to The Sermon on the Mount—and every curve ball being thrown at him is designed by God to challenge his convictions. It’s tough to turn the other cheek when you’ve got an anger problem; and when you’re stinking rich it’s hard to cast oneself in the role of “the poor in spirit.”

The premise is particularly interesting, especially when one of the year’s more controversial books has been A. J. Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. And Travis does a creditable job of portraying a man who is forced to take Scripture seriously. He has perhaps set his sights on someone else’s dreams and become a little too successful for his own good—and to the detriment of those around him.

The rest of the cast is pretty decent, too. Nancy Stafford is particularly engaging as Steele’s sister Annie, and it’s always fun seeing Bronson Pinchot—particularly in a role like this one, where he gets to play an over-the-top film director (even if the role peters out long before the film’s final reel).

Sadly the film’s weakest point is its failure to really explore the central premise in much depth. Steele’s struggle doesn’t seem to be focused on The Sermon on the Mount so much as with the New Testament in general. Which is okay—it just seems a little like bait-and-switch.

Instead, the film seems more interested in Steele’s relationships—in his struggle to be a peacemaker between his director and his co-star, Cassandra; in trying to honor his wife while she sues for divorce; in trying to be both a big shot and a responsible brother to his ailing sister, Annie; and in figuring out how to relate to Charlie, a foster child being cared for through Annie’s social work center. And on this level, the film succeeds pretty well. The climax is even surprising, as well as understated and effective.

Most critics will also complain about the film’s structure, which seems to resemble a contemporary worship service—periods of teaching broken up by musical interludes—more than a conventional screenplay. But given the target audience, the structure actually makes sense. It will feel completely at home in a worship center, even though it might play like a film from another planet if it screened at the local multiplex.

One thing’s for certain—The Wager pitches the Gospel without coming off either as a sermon or as a lecture. If that’s what you’ve been looking for in entertainment, The Wager delivers in almost as good a fashion as Facing the Giants or Flywheel. Pureflix seems to be on track with Sherwood Pictures as one of the front-runners in competing for faith-based film allegiance.

The Wager is unrated by the MPAA. The story is fairly mature, and is not structured for an audience heavy on children. Still, there’s very little here to offend young folks. I’d probably rate this as PG for thematic material.

Courtesy of a national publicist, Greg viewed a promotional screener of The Wager.

If you’re interested in having The Wager screen in your church as part of its direct-to-churches release, click here to visit the Outreach Cinema website.