''The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis'' is a 2021 British

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

film written and directed by Norman Stone, based on the 2016 stage play, ''C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert'', by

Max McLean Max McLean (born April 14, 1953) is a Panamanian-born American stage actor, writer, and producer. He is the founder and artistic director of the Fellowship for Performing Arts, a New York City-based company that produces live theater and film fr ...

(which itself was based on Lewis' 1955 memoir ''

Surprised by Joy ''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'' is a partial autobiography published by C. S. Lewis in 1955. The work describes Lewis's life from very early childhood (born 1898) until his conversion to Christianity in 1931, but does not go b ...

''). It is about the life and

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

of British writer,

lay theologian A lay theologian is a theologian "who is not ordained, or a theologian who has not been trained as a theologian". Despite not being trained as theologian or ordained, lay theologians may have academic qualifications in other disciplines. Examples ...

, and

Christian apologist Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

, author of ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...

'' series. The film stars McLean,

Nicholas Ralph Nicholas Ralph (born 13 April 1990 in Cape Town) is a Scottish actor. He plays James Herriot in the Channel 5 and PBS ''Masterpiece'' television series '' All Creatures Great and Small'', a remake of the long-running BBC series. Personal lif ...

, Eddie Ray Martin, Richard Harrington, Amy Alexander, and Tom Glenister. The film was released in the United States on November 3, 2021, and in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2021. Director Norman Stone had previously directed 1985's '' Shadowlands'', a film about the relationship between C. S. Lewis and American author

Joy Davidman Helen Joy Davidman (18 April 1915 – 13 July 1960) was an American poet and writer. Often referred to as a child prodigy, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University in English literature at age twenty in 1935. For her book of po ...

, for which he won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

for Best Single Drama (along with producer David M. Thompson).

Cast

Production

Funding

The film was financed by Christian theater company, Fellowship for Performing Arts, and film producer Matthew Jenkins served as an executive producer.

Filming

Filming was originally planned to be done around 2023 to 2024, but when certain

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions lifted in the United Kingdom, filming instead began earlier in September 2020. The film was shot in three weeks, from September 21 to October 9, 2020. Filming took place in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, with some scenes being shot at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Release

Theatrical

Trafalgar Releasing released the film initially as a one night only event on November 3, 2021 in over 400 cities in North America and grossed over US$1.205 million. It became the second per-screen average (behind 2021's ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

''). Due to positive reactions from audiences, it was given a theatrical run extending to November 18, 2021. On November 7, 2021, the film released as a special event in the United Kingdom. According to

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray ...

, the film earned $47,944 in the United Kingdom.

Home media

The film was released digitally onto

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

and

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

, and physically on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Critical reception

The film has received positive reviews from critics, especially for McLean, who's been universally praised for his performance as older C. S. Lewis. Film critic and commentator,

Michael Medved Michael S. Medved (born October 3, 1948) is an American radio show host, author, political commentator, and film critic. His talk show, ''The Michael Medved Show'', is syndicated from his home station KTTH in Seattle. It is available via Cable ...

gave the film a four out of four star rating. Alan Ng of ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' gave the film an eight out of ten stars, praising Stone's direction, and called the scenes covering Lewis' life, "remarkable." He concludes stating, "...it solidly presents the case Lewis made regarding the existence of God and why Jesus Christ is the right guy to follow. The film is perfect for fans of Lewis and the religiously curious." Doug Van Pelt of ''

HM Magazine ''HM Magazine'' is a monthly, digital and print on demand publication focusing on hard music and alternative culture of interest to Christians. It is based in Houston, Texas. Originally published as ''Heaven's Metal'', it was renamed to ''HM'' in ...

'' gave a positive review, calling it, "a delightful journey." He goes on to praise the cinematography, and the scenes between Lewis, Tolkien, and Dyson. Michael Foust of '' Crosswalk.com'' praised the performances of Ralph, Glenister, and Martin, and called it, "riveting and excellent", and "inspiring". Bob Hoose of ''

Plugged In ''Plugged In'' is a 1994 album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. The album is the last completely new studio album released by Edmunds to feature vocals. On ''Plugged In'', Edmunds returned to the "one man band" approach of his early solo ...

'' gave the film a positive review, calling it, "thoughtful, ndinviting," "anything but dry," and "a nuanced experience worth having. And sharing." Emma Fowle of '' Premier Christianity'' praised the film, calling it, "not your stereotypical Christian movie," and praised the philosophical discussions (calling them "beautifully portrayed"). However, while she said Ralph plays student Lewis "admirably," she called his Scottish accent "less convincing at times," and stated "asking a 31-year-old man to attempt to look 16 is a stretch..." She ended the review on a positive note, stating, "The events depicted might have happened over 80 years ago, but they remain... both pertinent and relatable. ... his is a testimony that will inspire both old and young. This is an intellectually robust conversion story, told with honesty, humour and warmth." Mark Burger of ''

Yes! Weekly ''Yes! Weekly'' (stylized ''YES! Weekly'') is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is published by Womack Newspapers Inc., which also publishes the Jamestown News, and which is owned by Charles A. Womack III. YES ...

'' praised the film overall, but criticized the subtitle, calling it a "misnomer," and it's runtime, saying that it "limit its overall scope." He concluded his review, stating, "

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

is a worthy, if occasionally sketchy, tribute. Its… conveyed in modest, unforced terms, which is to its credit, and much of that credit is due to Max McLean."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Most Reluctant Convert, The 2021 biographical drama films Biographical films about writers Cultural depictions of C. S. Lewis Cultural depictions of J. R. R. Tolkien Films scored by Craig Armstrong (composer) Films set in England Films set in Oxford Films shot in England Films shot in Oxford 2021 films Films about Christianity 2020s English-language films English-language biographical drama films