THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY — ★★ — Jansen Panettiere, Gavin MacLeod, Robert Guillaume; rated PG (violence, slurs); Megaplex District
You've got to admire a film like "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry," which wears its heart on its sleeve and which appears to be earnest and determined.
That doesn't mean you have to like the movie, though, just that you have to admire it.
The religion-heavy drama comes from the independent Christiano Film Group studio, which has produced several direct-to-video features.
This film is being brought to a local theater, the Megaplex 20 at the District, for a brief run, by members of the Grace Community Bible Church.
Unfortunately, parts of the film are little more than filmed Sunday School lessons.
And while this fictional tale may be set during a specific time period — the early '70s — it doesn't seem very accurate in its depiction of that era.
The title character is a religiously devout, 70-something widower, played by Gavin MacLeod. He has recently befriended several local boys, including Dustin (Jansen Panettiere).
In exchange for the pre-teen mowing his lawn, Sperry has been teaching Bible lessons to Dustin and his pals (Frankie Ryan Manriquez and Allen Isaacson).
And Sperry is also trying to teach the trio to open their hearts to their fellow men. He does this through charitable, fellowship efforts — which not only extend to Nick (Taylor Boggan), the bully who has been menacing the boys, but also to a hermit-like neighbor, Mr. Barnes (Robert Guillaume).
However, Barnes wants nothing to do with Sperry and his teaching. He even rebuffs Dustin's offer to mow his overgrown lawn, free of charge.
Television actor Panettiere (the younger brother of "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere) is stiff and seems uninterested at times.
MacLeod looks terrific for his age and is at least a warmer presence. As his part is written, though, his character is so saintly that he comes off as being a bit of a fuddy-duddy and not much fun.
(Given his limited time here, fellow television veteran Guillaume barely registers.)
"The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry" is rated PG and features some brief and fairly mild violent content (mostly bullying), as well as use of some derogatory language and slurs. Running time: 96 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com