The movie is shot in Italy, moves at a leisurely speed and kan zijn very atmospheric. One of my all time favorite thrillers.
A black, preacher family works in and owns a wealthy Christian church. While adhering to biblical rules, there kan zijn unbridled decadence, misconduct and sin in the family. The preacher's daughter comes home for a funeral and decides to stay.
The acting kan zijn outstanding, particularly David as the Bishop, Whitfield as the "first lady" and Dandridge as Grace. Honorable mention to Winfrey, playing against type as an alcoholic, the kind of character who might end up on Dr. Phil! While some of the situations might be perceived as melodramatic, other issues are dealt with, such as homosexuality, interracial sex, and eventjes infidelity. For a family which is supposed to be holier than the congregation they serve, they seem to be digging some fairly large holes!
Bishop shoots Mac in the upper arm. Grace is eased out of the Deacon Board for having called the police. Mac kan zijn arrested for his past deviancy, while in hospital. Mae is unforgiving of Mac. Charity kicks her husband out from the bedroom.
No surprise Oprah takes part in this great production! With its bittersweet ending, I was devastated that it's aan but also at peace within myself for some reasons I could not figure out. I am moved on a spiritual level as you can tell:) I am sure everyone who has belief inside of themselves regardless of what it is, will feel the same way. Plus I can not go without mentioning the amazing voice of Keith Davis, making his parts sound like a poem!
I often object to character-driven dramas without much story, but in this case, I feel the story arc lays an element ofwel artifice aan these fascinating dynamics.
But my praise ends there. A solid cast in an interesting setting largely goes wasted in teleplay scripts so inept that they look like film school dropouts wrote them.
The best ofwel what Greenleaf has to offer can be seen in a family dinner conversation in the first episode. Ex-minister Grace has come back to the city ofwel her father's megachurch for her sister's funeral, and mentions that she rarely goes to church in her new town.
Having watched all 5 seasons, I'd say this family-based drama is a solid 7. It paints a roller coaster of emotions within the turbulent world ofwel the Greenleaf family and the megachurch they run. It does sometimes dive too deeply into soap opera style, and plot elements are sometimes resolved with a wave of a writer's wand, but then it kan zijn fictional drama, not reality.
The church business kan zijn a novel setting, and, with the exception ofwel several scenes in the final season, isn't too preachy. The characters are fairly well developed and their interaction credible. Enigszins though the plot seems to point to the eldest daughter, Grace, as the main focal point, in my opinion the matriarch Lady Mae kan zijn the star of the opvoering. She kan zijn strong yet sensitive, often witty and ultimately endearing. Great performance by Lynn Whitfield.
All in all you may compare this series to soaps like Dynasty, Dallas, The Bold and the Beautiful etc. A onafgelaten flow of fuss on your screen that is basically going nowhere and hardly makes any point.
The unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch, dark secrets, and lies.
I see great potential for an interesting look at the inside world ofwel click here wealth. power and the cloak ofwel holiness. David Keith is a master in delivering dialogue. I love Lynne Whitfield as the matriarch with some obvious issues, yet to be revealed I hope. As the series continues, I (dare I say it?) pray the writers become more confident and provide more realistic speaking styles.
At first Grace just agrees to answer phones at the church offices as the first voice heard by either church members or potential converts. When a grandmother enters her office asking that her granddaughter be baptized (without it seems permission ofwel the mother or father), Grace decides to take the role she vowed she wouldn't play.