Believe Me (2014)

Desperate, broke, and out of ideas, four college seniors start a fake charity to embezzle money for tuition.

Director:

Will Bakke

Writers:

Michael B. Allen (co-writer), Will Bakke (co-writer)

Stars:

Alex Russell, Zachary Knighton, Johanna Braddy

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alex Russell	...	Sam
Zachary Knighton	...	Gabriel
Johanna Braddy	...	Callie
Miles Fisher	...	Pierce
Sinqua Walls	...	Tyler
Max Adler	...	Baker
Christopher McDonald	...	Ken
Nick Offerman	...	Sean
Rhett James	...	Yale Stafford
Chester Rushing	...	Cameron
Tracy Smith	...	Macy
Phillip Wolf	...	Brent
Daniel Walker	...	Phil (as Daniel K. Walker)
Lauren Ashley	...	Danika
Lecrae	...	Dr. Darnall Malmquist

Storyline

A hedonistic college student poses as a pious televangelist to pay off his tuition, but experiences an acute crisis of conscience when the one girl he truly cares for catches wind of the shady ruse. Sam (Alex Russell) was a student with a scholarship, and not a care in the world when he learned that his financial grant had finally dried up. Desperate to get to law school by any means necessary, he conspires with his three resourceful roommates to start a sham Christian charity, and milk the naive churchgoers for all they're worth. Their plan works like a charm, too; before long Sam and his pals are on a nationwide tour, raking in cash by the barrel. Just when it looks like Sam will have more than enough to pay the bills, however, he starts to fall for his pretty tour manager Callie (Johanna Braddy). When Callie learns that Sam is a fraud his whole future flashes before his eyes, forcing him to make a crucial decision just when it looked like his entire plan was foolproof..

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Plot Keywords:

college | austin texas | university fraternity | lost scholarship | tuition due | 

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Taglines:

It's only a sin if you get caught.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language.

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nick Offerman spontaneously signed onto the film after the crew found out that he was in Dallas the same day that they were filming the "admissions counselor" scene. His scenes were filmed in a few hours and they parted ways after.

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Connections

References The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

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Soundtracks

How Long Must I Wait
Written and Performed by Dr. Dog
Courtesy of ANTI

User Reviews

Not Another Christian Film

My personal rating is a 9, but it's objectively probably a 7.

Believe Me is an excellent take on the "Christian" world, or Christian culture, if you will. You can't really call it a Christian film; you just can't. There are plenty of christians who hate, loathe and are embarrassed by the "art" that gets passed on to our churches and friends and uncles and aunts and parents, etc. as "Christian art". They don't seem Christian or even like art, really. The director of Believe Me must've felt the same way based on the way he satirizes the modern church experience. But he goes further and develops characters who face difficult spiritual and ethical decisions. And not in any cookie cutter type of way. Though Believe Me occasionally displays some lower budget vibes and some convenient plotting, it makes up for in writing and performance. The leads are more captivating than any other fresh faces you've ever come across. Plus, it feature Christopher McDonald and Nick F***ing Offerman. I wish I had when I was growing up...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 2015 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Верь мне

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$23,419

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,419

Company Credits

Production Co:

Riot Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color