Gertie and Izzie are two young girls on their own. Abandoned by their father and orphaned by their mother, they are doing the best they can to stay in school and remain undetected so they can stay together. With assistance from their mother before her passing, the girls are financially prepared to sustain themselves for some time. Gertie, 14, takes seriously her charge to raise her younger sister Izzie, 10, alone. Greg and Tonya are a couple whose love for one another radiates. Their attempts to build a family have been unsuccessful. Tonya longs to share the love and nurturing she puts into her job as a teacher with children of her own. Is it God’s will that they remain childless?
Raising Izzie is one of the strongest original films from gmc that I have had the pleasure to watch. I wasn't initially sold based on the synopsis, as we've all seen movies like this before so wondering how this film was going to be any different was a concern. But I watched anyway because it is gmc and I know that the difference would be the presence of God. Plus, I am a fan of Rockmond Dunbar so the decision to watch was an easy one. Boy was I in for a treat with this cast, this story, this writing, this production value, this movie.
The cast was wonderful. Izzie has quite a sense of humor and young Kyla Kenedy does a fantastic job at conveying that comedy. The relationship between the sisters is also something to smile about. The chemistry is on point. Great casting! As for the story, it does not build in the typical way that one would think. You could say there's a twist but that seems to be too strong a word. Regardless, the four people that we are introduced to ride quite a bumpy road but with God. With God. My only complaint is the use of "What If God Was One Of Us" which seems to be used in every other Christian film that I've seen. There's so much good Christian music out there, recycling the same few songs... it's simply unnecessary. I was more enraptured with the end credits numbers than this one.
Aside from this, Raising Izzie is a story about love, having faith, and taking responsibility for things on your side of the fence. God is doing his work but are you doing yours? What a beautiful message. This is just one of many messages in the film, more than one will surely touch your heart. I would watch this film again and again and that's saying something, so be sure to find out when the next airing of Raising Izzie is so you don't miss out.
Raising Izzie premiered on gmc July 21, 2012. For details on encore viewings of Raising Izzie, visit GMC.
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