An Unlikely Angel. Robert Amaya.
As soon as I saw the movie title and the actor’s name together, I chuckled. I could hardly wait to see it. Amaya is one of today’s most polished actors. You can count on him to strum your heartstrings with emotion and strike your funny bone with laugh-out-loud comedy all in the same character.
An Unlikely Angel is a new release from Pure Flix in the company’s end-of-year parade of family-friendly films.
In this one, contemporary New York City street scenes roll across the screen as a brief voice-over portrays God giving His angel “Gabe” a new assignment:
Gabe: What a gorgeous day!
God: Thank you.
Gabe: So … are we looking at anybody in particular or just sightseeing?
God: You know we always have a purpose.
Gabe: Good point. What’s the assignment?
God: There’s a woman I want you to watch ... and I think she may need a little help.
Thus Gabe is loosed, careening his classic mid-1950s Chevy sedan into various scenarios as he ministers to Janie and Dave, a young couple who will soon face multiple major challenges – crises of faith, troubled relationships, misplaced priorities, long hospital stay, and literally life and death.
To whet your appetite for the story, Gabe arrives in perfect time to drive Janie to the hospital for her emergency early delivery. She readily gets in the car, he tells her he’s an angel sent to help her. Then he promptly crashes the car. But I’m not telling any more than that.
Family film extravaganza
Welcome to the movies! On tap this season are 190 movies and series that Pure Flix assures us are family-friendly. No, I haven’t screened all 190 titles on the lineup, but I have watched several, and I think we’re on pretty safe ground here. The Pure Flix program lists a broad range of classics, new releases, year-round favorites, and Christmas fun and inspiration.
Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott assured The Stand in an exclusive interview, “We want to get away from all that sex, violence, and language that you see in so much content out there today and really bring something that is God-honoring, that puts God first in what we show and what we present.”
With weekly themes, Pure Flix kicks off the parade November 13-19 with the theme of miracles, including An Unlikely Angel. Amaya is perfect for the role of Gabe; it lets his best shine through capitalizing on that serious/comic element he has mastered. He has been a crowd favorite since he portrayed Javier in the movie Courageous. Remember Javier? No?
How about “Snake King?” Yes, Amaya created the hilarious and unforgettable menacing “Snake King” pretending in one scene to be a dangerous threat to a handcuffed and terrified gang member trapped in the backseat of a cop’s car. If you’ve not witnessed that scene, it’s worth tracking down.
At robertamaya.com, you can follow his career and even sign up to receive this Snake-King Newsletter. But I digress.
Faith and family balance
Amaya’s authentic Christian faith and commitment to family are reflected in his life choices. For example, following the birth of one daughter, he stepped back from a burgeoning career to be at home with his family.
Back on the screen now as the unlikely Gabe, Amaya again demonstrates the wide range of his talents. As always, he creates a character who is lovable, laughable, and in the end laudable for how his role helps build a story with a Christian message.
He has appeared in many family-friendly hits including Mom’s Night Out, Altar Ego, War Room, and Nothing is Impossible, another new Pure Flix feature releasing in the fall lineup.
I had the opportunity for a brief conversation with Amaya about both An Unlikely Angel and Nothing is Impossible.
The latter will appear during the week of December 11 with Amaya joined by actor David A.R. White, another recognized name in Christian films. The theme of that week is new beginnings.
White plays Scott Beck, a washed-up basketball prodigy who blew his chances and has lived an unfulfilled life for two decades.
Amaya plays Nick Martin, a high school basketball coach, an outspoken Christian, and sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Nick is also the longtime friend who tries to help the cynical Scott escape the unhappy lifestyle he has allowed to keep him from succeeding at much of anything.
“One of the things I love about this script is that it’s a great metaphor,” said Amaya. “On the surface, it’s about doing or accomplishing the impossible, but what it’s really about is redemption. And as we know, redemption is an impossibility without Christ.”
“[Families] can get this on any device,” Scott told The Stand. “They can sign up at www.pureflix.com and get access to all the content anytime, anywhere and on any device – smart TVs, tablets, phones, on the web.”
