Christians have long known that “an eye for an eye” is not the way of Jesus. Yet, we also know that sometimes we have to stand up and fight (not in the throwing punches way, though) for what we believe in. Joe Kennedy’s example of perseverance gives hope to those of us who might need a little encouragement to stay true to what is right at a time when that gets more difficult by the minute.
Average Joe tells the story of Kennedy’s fight for the right to “take a knee” and pray on the 50-yard-line after the high school football games he coaches. In the film, Kennedy is played by Eric Close and Amy Acker plays his wife, Denise.
The film will be in theaters through Fathom Events for one week, beginning October 10th. For ticket information, click here.
The younger Joe (Ezra Richardson) got into lots of trouble. Expelled from school after school for fighting, Joe’s adoptive parents end up giving him back to a boy’s home. Ben (John Neisler), in charge of the boys, became a mentor to Joe, who turned his passion to service through a 20-year career in the U.S. Marines. Ben’s wisdom will play a pivotal role later in Joe’s life.
Back home and finally wed to Denise, his childhood sweetheart, Joe reluctantly agrees to be the assistant coach of the local high school football team. Denise had always taught him that prayer is powerful and, while deployed, Joe learned what lack of religious freedom could look like. He wonders if coaching is a call from God to help the students, so they would have better prospects than he ever did. He vows, win or lose, to thank God for his blessings at the end of every game.
Little did he know that his short, silent prayer of gratitude said on the field would ignite the fight for which God had been preparing Joe for all his life.
Based on the incredible true story of Joe Kennedy’s fight for the freedom to say his prayer in public, Average Joe takes a unique approach to storytelling. Recounting the story flashback-style, the characters of Joe and Denise tell their story to an unforeseen interviewer. They even throw side comments directly to the audience, drawing viewers into the story in an amusing way, even exposing some behind-the-scenes filmmaking techniques.
Joe wonders why God chose him to be the face of the fight for religious freedom and the upholding of First Amendment rights. He’s just an average guy. That goes to show us that, average though we may be, God has a mission, a plan, for each of us. Maybe the sufferings and trials of our lives are just God’s way of preparing us for what is still ahead, something only God knows. Being open to God in prayer will enable us to surrender to God’s will when the time comes, just like it did for Joe.
