The Christian Post reported that Steve Taylor, the director of the new film Blue Like Jazz based on the book by Donald Miller, says the movie isn’t a Christian one, even with its faith-based themes throughout. “We’re a movie made by Christians … but we don’t like it tagged as a Christian movie,” Taylor told CP. In fact, the film takes what the CP calls a “unique approach”—it’s filled with strong language, references to alcohol and drugs, and certainly isn’t your typical family-friendly Christian film. Taylor says he’s not against such films but feels not all faith-based films should be judged on their family-friendliness. “If you decided to do a family-friendly version of the Bible, you would end up with a much shorter book,” he commented.
The book Blue Like Jazz spent more than 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and sold more than a million and a half copies. Taylor said the original book was successful because it examines the “goofy” aspects of the Christian subculture that make young believers want to hide their faith or abandon it altogether. When Miller announced in 2010 that the film would not be made because of lack of funds, fans began pledging money to help the film be made.
The movie opened in 136 theaters this past weekend and brought in close to $259,000. Reviews of the film are available with most major media outlets.
