ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

wadechurton This is a prime example of an enjoyably bad movie; one whilst failing completely at its primary purpose of transporting the viewer with skill, talent and the 'magic of the movies', nevertheless succeeds by entertaining via sheer vigorous ineptitude. The other reviews here relate exhaustively most of what ails 'Pamela's Prayer', so I'll just make a few additional observations.-Rick Scheideman's performance as Pamela Bucklin's steadfastly Bronze-Age dad Wayne is worth noting as a contender for one of the ten creepiest fathers in cinema history. Even forgetting Wayne Bucklin's jaw-dropping 'Old Testament' values and possessive-obsessive behaviour re daughter Pamela, his psycho pinned-pupil stoned stare and skin-crawlingly quiet, measured tone of voice (neither of which he deviates from throughout) will send chills down your backbone. It is as though he were constantly keeping up an artificially calm appearance whilst stifling the seething cauldron of inhuman rage inside. Quite seriously, if you'd begun watching 'Pamela's Prayer' without being told it was a 'Christian movie', you could be forgiven for assuming that the palpably sinister father would soon begin eliminating permanently any hapless kid unfortunate enough to fall for his Pamela. It is a pity that Scheideman only appeared in this one movie, because on the strength of 'Pamela's Prayer' he could easily have carved out a long career in horror. They could have had a 'Wayne Bucklin' franchise.-Yes, the acting is pretty bad, but even the best actors would have trouble with a script which seeks to trumpet Taliban-like family relationships which border upon child abuse. The father has never missed an evening praying at his daughter's bedside until she's almost a teenager? She's gone through childhood with no school camps, no sleepovers, no nothing except Daddy? He lost his wife, and apparently his mind, too. He also seems to have no friends. This movie is just crying out to be remade as a horror.-Also note that the wardrobe department have decided to clothe Pamela in the least sexy garb possible; all bulky jackets and baggy trousers. In addition, notice that the only boys who are interested in Pamela seem remarkably less-than-macho. Why so? In any case, Pamela's eventual beau gets her overbearingly Patriarchal dad's approval, possibly because Fredric exhibits an eerily calm demeanour and creepy stoned stare similar to his own. And they both work in a film library. In 1990. Ever heard of 'videotape', guys? It's really catching on.-Oh, and in case you're squeamish about lip-contact (which this movie seems to regard as the first step on the Stairway to Hell), you will be relieved to learn that the movie cuts away just before the happy couple actually perform that first kiss as newlyweds. So you won't need to hide your eyes. Guess to where -or rather to whom- it cuts?

greghahn-1 Well, it does display good Christian values, and strict ones by today's standards. It's very reminiscent of "Leave it to Beaver", only on a Christian scale. Believers from Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches and those of like faith and practice will *love* this movie for the message that it delivers, even if the acting and storyline aren't very well done.On the other hand, I think most people will think it is extremely corny, especially the more "church hardened" youth. (But frankly I was surprised at the relatively positive response given by the youth of a camp for kids that I viewed it with this weekend. These were unchurched kids, many of whom live in tough situations and with tough backgrounds, so maybe *I* am the more hardened one!) One value that was central to the film was the idea that one doesn't kiss until the pastor says, "You may now kiss your bride." To me, most people will find that idealistic at best and Pharisaic extra-Biblicalism at worst.The bottom line: It's a somewhat cheesy movie with legalistic leanings. But some folks will love that!

caledvwlch79 I don't think anyone who sits down to watch "Pamela's Prayer" is really expecting an Oscar-caliber experience, but even with lowered expectations this movie would would be best as fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000 - that is, really good for a group to sit down and make fun of.Pamela is a young girl who feels as if everyone is dating but her, problem is... she's right. Her father believes that she should not date or kiss anyone until her wedding day. How that helps a teenager develop socially I'm not sure, but the father's opinion is placed on par with the Will Of God. One of my biggest problems with this movie, aside from the acting (which I'll get to in a minute), is that some of the father's actions just don't make any sense. He won't let Pamela go on a group date while she's in high school, but as soon as she graduates he'll let her go on a single "date" unattended to an isolated area. Wha...? That just doesn't make any sense to me. While I can applaud the relationship between the father and Pamela, it just seems so far moved from reality as to be laughable. For example Pamela's father is asking her about how she would feel if she had to tell her husband that she'd kissed another man, or how she would feel if he told her he'd kissed another girl. My first response was, "I'd say, 'Oh... okay.'" The act of kissing is portrayed as being so intimate... almost rivaling actual sex.Speaking of laughable, the "acting" in this movie is abysmal. All of the father's lines are delivered in the actor's best "stained glass pastor" voice. It never really changes even when he's disciplining his daughter. The rest of the cast doesn't fare that much better. Everyone sort of goes about the scenes and the dialog as though it were a skit for church. Though honestly I'm not sure how much life the cast can inject into a script with such lines as, "Do you know what a Christian Film Library is?" Seriously, I can't believe that line got past the rough draft stage let alone into the movie itself.If I must give the movie credit I can say that all of the scenes were edited as to form a comprehensible story. There weren't any glaring continuity errors such as sudden day/night changes. The music, while clearly from a Casio, services each scene and makes sense.I will not argue the merits of waiting to kiss versus not waiting though if you are a parent who wants to instill the "not kissing" virtue, you're better off doing it yourself instead of showing this film. In fact, I would dare say showing this film might push them in the opposite direction. Ultimately the movie just doesn't work because it takes itself too seriously causing the audience to not take it serious at all. Instead of a heartfelt plea for purity, the movie comes off as unrealistically hilarious.

Nolan Price This is a Christian film and is promoted that way. The story is about a teenager named Pamela who likes a young man and her personal turmoil of peer pressure as well as the normal pressures that teens put on their own personal beings. The young man knows of her beliefs and desires, but he still pushes for his own personal desires without carrying for her feelings.My 12 year old son watched this movie just recently and felt that it did not pertain to the real world of today (movie was made in 1998), but my wife explained the many different decisions that one must make when deciding on a sexual relationship.We highly recommend this film to any parent, Christian or not, simply to help open the doors for life altering discussions.