HARLEM GRACE

Name: HARLEM GRACE
Item: HARLEM GRACE
Author: Lillie Jaenchen

"Saved Man Saves Others"

Family Content: -1 Caution advised for older children, including teenagers, and sensitive adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

HARLEM GRACE is an inspiring true story of a Harvard Law graduate, Joe, who moves to Harlem to minister to the homeless during the 1980s. He is trusting, which leaves him robbed and deceived at times. He shares the word of God on the streets of Harlem, but no one will listen to him. Then, Joe befriends a homeless man, Harvey. Ultimately, along with serving the men in need of food and shelter, he teaches them skills to help them thrive on their own. Joe also teaches them about the saving power and love of Jesus Christ.

HARLEM GRACE exhibits an attitude of warmth and compassion toward those in need. It is a testament to what one person who cares can do to help others and build the kingdom of God. The main characters are without chemistry at times, and the story lacks development. However, HARLEM GRACE is a wonderful, heartwarming tribute to a good Christian life lived well. It has some dialogue about drug use, a dysfunctional family, mild violence, and a prison scene. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.

Content:

(CCC, BBB, V, DD, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Very strong Christian, biblical worldview extols compassion, helping others and sharing the saving power and love of Jesus Christ;

Foul Language:

No foul language;

Violence:

Man punches another man in the stomach and knocks him down, and a man steals from a roommate;

Sex:

No sex;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking, but there’s dialogue about an addiction to crack cocaine and using money for drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Dysfunctional family man uses his family’s rent money to buy drugs and abandons his family for drugs, but this behavior is rebuked and corrected.

More Detail:

HARLEM GRACE is an inspiring true story of a Harvard Law School Graduate, Joe, who moves to Harlem to care for and minister to the homeless during the Eighties. He is trusting and open, which leads to him being robbed and deceived. Ultimately, he wins many people over by sharing the word of life given to us by Jesus Christ. There is some dialogue about drug use, dysfunctional family situations, some mild violence, and a prison scene.

Joe is a successful lawyer who has recently graduated from Harvard Law School. His father was the first Black Director of the New York Stock Exchange. Joe credits his success to Jesus Christ. He sets out to share the word of God on the streets of Harlem, but no one will listen to him.

Then, Joe befriends a homeless man, Harvey. At first, Harvey steals from Joe and even punches him for trying to help him. However, Joe perseveres because he feels compelled to share his blessings with those who struggle with discrimination and homelessness. Harvey eventually accepts the help and becomes a better man.

Joe sees a void in the available resources for homeless men and decides he must do more. So, he convinces a pastor to donate the basement of her church so he can build a shelter for men. Along with serving the men in need of food and shelter, he teaches them skills to help them thrive on their own. Moreover, Joe teaches his men about the saving power and love of Jesus Christ.

HARLEM GRACE exhibits an attitude of warmth and compassion toward those in need. It is a testament to what one person who cares can do to help others and build the kingdom of God on earth. The main characters are sometimes without chemistry, and the story lacks development. However, HARLEM GRACE is a wonderful, heartwarming tribute to a good Christian life lived well.

HARLEM GRACE has some dialogue about drug use, dysfunctional family situations, mild violence, and a prison scene. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.