Kelsey Grammer takes over as ‘Jesus Revolution’ after a clear sign from God

Actor Kelsey Grammer last month shared on NBC’s The Tonight Show how he starred in Jesus Revolution, which just hit the box office this past weekend.

Grammer, who is of course best known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier, told The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, “The truth is, I had a sort of meditation evening at my house one night. and I got up quite late. It was around 3 or 4 in the morning.”

“And I started thinking, ‘I want to do something worthwhile, something that has a bigger purpose than just me.’ And I kind of prayed, I guess. And the next morning, the script falls on my door. I read it and said, “OK, that’s it.” I’m doing this story about Jesus.”

“It’s a sign,” Fallon said.

Grammer seemed to agree, saying, “That’s pretty cool.”

Grammer plays Southern California pastor Chuck Smith in The Jesus Revolution, about the latest great spiritual revival in the United States.

Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, came to the faith across the country during the Jesus movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, and Smith played a prominent role in all of this.

1966 Time magazine cover asking “Is God dead?” and the 1971 title “Jesus Revolution” are shown in the film to illustrate the arc created by American culture in a few short years.

What’s the difference 5 years. In 1966 Time asked the question “Is God dead?” and then in 1971 Time published the cover of The Jesus Revolution after a revival broke out across the country during #Jesus movement.

Is the same thing happening today? #Asbury there was also a great revival then. pic.twitter.com/vIohLk3t5S

— Randy DeSoto (@RandyDeSoto) February 21, 2023

Other important characters in the film are hippie pastor Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Rumi from the hit series The Chosen Ones) and Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney).

Laurie, now the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in the Los Angeles area, was a troubled teenager who became a Christian during the Jesus movement.

Laurie believes that many will accept Jesus into their lives while watching Jesus Revolution, especially when they see the baptismal scene.

In this scene, Laurie prays with Frisbee shortly before he baptizes her in the Pacific Ocean off Newport Beach, California. His love interest Kat (Anna Grace Barlow) is also christened Smith.

Grammer told NBC’s Today that filming the film took him back to his teenage years in the late 60s and early 70s when it all happened.

“In our time, love, a sense of community, what we all had was real, and I miss it,” he said.

“Who knows?” Grammer said. “Maybe this movie will bring back some of that. But the light in the eyes of people then was genuine and sincere, and the connection of faith was extraordinary.

Jesus Revolution more than doubled industry ratings, grossing over $15 million at the weekend box office and finishing third overall. The film was projected to earn between $6 million and $7 million in ticket sales.

Moviegoers gave it an A+ CinemaScore and a 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, although critics gave it a mixed 56 percent.

We polled @JesusRevMovie and got an A+! Congratulations #JohnErwin, @brentmccorkle, @JonathanRoumie, #Nicholas Cirillo@kelsythekilljoy and the entire cast and crew! #CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/oqHDeRJtXU

— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) February 25, 2023

John Erwin, co-writer and co-director of The Jesus Revolution, thinks it’s God’s time that the film came out right after a revival at Asbury University in Kentucky early last month. A similar outpouring occurred in February 1970, at the very heart of the Jesus movement.

Given the hype surrounding the film, it’s likely that Jesus Revolution will do well at the box office in its second weekend and sell well thereafter.

Our country needed some good news after all the turmoil of the past few years. Last summer, Top Gun: Maverick filled a need for an uplifting, unifying pro-American movie.

And now the Jesus Revolution is meeting people’s need to see and experience the love of God.

This article originally appeared in The Western Journal.

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