The Girl Who Believes in Miracles

·1 hr 57 min·5 clips

Jay Novella says this Christian movie made him rethink 'The Last Jedi'—just how bad is 'The Girl Who Believes in Miracles'?

The episode begins with hosts Noah Lugeons, Heath Enright, and Eli Bosnick welcoming guest Jay Novella from The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. They introduce the movie, a Christian film about a young girl named Sarah who, after praying over a dead bird, gains the ability to heal sickness and even reverse death. The hosts immediately note the film's high production value compared to typical Christian cinema, but quickly dive into its flaws. They critique early scenes, such as an unrealistic church sequence where a child beams with joy, contrasting it with their own experiences of boredom in church. The movie's plot involves Sarah's healing powers causing her own health to decline, a twist the hosts compare to 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' They analyze key moments, including a bizarre scene where Sarah's grandfather violently subdues children stealing hot dogs, highlighting the film's moral confusion. The hosts mock the movie's portrayal of prayer, such as when Sarah prays for a soccer win but instead receives magic powers, and they dissect the inconsistent adult reactions to her abilities. A significant theme is the film's handling of the 'problem of evil,' where characters question why a loving God would allow suffering, only for the movie to avoid answering. The hosts also criticize the casting, particularly Kevin Sorbo as a skeptical doctor, and note the film's lack of diversity aside from one token black character in a wheelchair. Throughout, they point out logical gaps, like why no one investigates the miracles scientifically or why the Vatican doesn't get involved. The episode concludes with the hosts summarizing the movie's insidious message that faith healing is superior to medicine, all while delivering humor and sharp critique.

As heard by us

A Christian miracle movie gives the panel a stormy heist setup and a sharp riff on unanswered prayer.

God Awful Movies zeroes in on The Girl Who Believes in Miracles through one of the film's strangest turns: characters ignore parental wishes and follow an old grandfather as he takes a dying girl through bad weather toward a lake at night.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a Christian miracle-movie riff where a dying girl is taken through a storm to a lake at night, and the hosts start picking at the divine logic.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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