“Premarital” (2026) is about engaged couple, Alan Rhodes (Mark Hapka) and Sophie Whitaker, (Kelley Jakle), leaving New York and going to her Midwestern childhood home to meet her family and get married. When Sophie’s family realizes that Alan is not a Christian, dad and pastor of Lakewood Bible Church, Stewart (Jim O’Heir from “Parks and Recreation”), institutes a five-day program to get Alan to come to Christ. Alan is wise to their not-so-subtle plans and realizes that no one in the Whitaker family practices what they preach. Will they find a way to coexist without lying to each other and themselves? Brother and sister first time filmmakers, director and cowriter Robert Ingraham and cowriter Margaret Bienert’s film may be a bit rushed and over-the-top, but it is the kindest and most aspirational depiction of a secular and Christian family.
If you think that “Premarital” takes it too easy on both sides, remember that Ingraham and Bienert are writing from their lived experience, so they grew up at a time when Christians did not hit their twenty-first century nadir of becoming Presidon’t supporters and were still lovable even when they said some mean things. Also, if you have ever been on the front row of endless apologetics, atheists could be just as obnoxious as their opponents, talk incessantly and devote too much time to something that does not matter. It is a nightmare, which this movie is not. Instead, it feels playful though insistent.
Hapka comes off relaxed and the most normal person in the family as Alan, who begins to be less chill and more fervent in his defense, but is most aligned in terms of his principles and daily practice. Alan gets worked up when he realizes how messed up the family is. A huge theme of the story is the idea of doing the right thing even when the stakes are high versus lying to be comfortable. O’Heir is the perfect person to play the family patriarch because he has an innate innocence and good-natured manner necessary to not get enraged when Stewart gets revved up. Also, he can pull off the clueless dad jokes whether trying to text his family or mistakenly uses a sexual gesture to signify rolling the dice.
It is easy to forget about Sophie in all the hubbub, but there are so many characters in “Premarital,” and Ingraham and Bienert make them all three-dimensional individuals, which more seasoned filmmakers fail to do, but still need to work on devoting more time to each of them. That Christian upbringing still influences the sibling filmmakers, and they prioritize the romantic relationships over the individuals. Stewart and his wife, Patricia (Meredith Thomas), are not as happily married as they appear. Youngest daughter, Leah (Isabelle Muthiah), sneaks out every night to hang out with her boyfriend, Benji (Jack Welshons), who is constantly trying to impress Stewart. Jared (Cameron Cowperthwaite) prefers playing with his guns and two kids, Naomi (Abigail Garant) and Jesse (Donovan Garant), while letting his wife, Mae (Cathy Shim), do his seminary homework for him and taking the credit. Meanwhile it is unclear why Sophie chose Leah as her maid of honor and not older sister, Grace (Abby Pierce), who is the most openly secular member of the family, but was formerly the most fervent believer. Grace gets the short end of the stick but is memorable because Pierce has a strong presence and stands out even with fewer lines. Younger brother, Clark (Igby Rigney), would go under the radar, but as “Premarital” unfolds, he gets more lines. Rigney proves to be one of those actors who can make a meal out of a morsel only uttering one word. It is the main reason that it would have been nice for the story to be more balanced.
It is Alan and Stewart’s movie, but Stewart gets the most fun and range showing how he is a true believer despite the pathetic parts of his life that should have made him reconsider his life choices. He has a friendship with his coworker, Erwin (Grover McCants), who is completely in on the plan. Helen (Jennie Moreau), the fifty-eight-year-old virgin who appears to be treated as an equal advisor at the church, is where “Premarital” excels for not turning her into a punchline but treating her with as much respect as her colleagues. It is wordlessly implied that if Stewart and Helen were not so devout, it would have occurred to them that they were soul mates, and it is another way that the movie does not cheapen their sincerely held beliefs and refuses to pair them immediately to make for the happy ending that the audience may want for Stewart.
Stewart has a rivalry with Bruce (Steve Hanks), a Pentecostal rival pastor. Costume designer Carrie Gifford goes all out for Bruce, and Ingraham has the most fun filming, especially when he enters Stewart’s office and starts checking out the amenities. Hanks has too much fun playing the worst pastor and is a perfect foil for Stewart, who is at least earnest. Stewart is a comparative babe in the woods, but capable of growth, especially as he begins to get exposed to other ways of doing things and prioritizes loving his kids.
The dialogue in “Premarital” is pitch perfect, especially the dramatic Christian rhetoric about Todd Beamer and Cassie Bernall, all the references about preventing the Holocaust, purity culture, no cursing, missionary dating, the Bible quotes and conversion agenda. The emotional manipulative staging at the church was funny though not necessarily side splitting or requiring audible laughter. Also, the sight gags of all of Dr. James Thackery’s books were brilliant. It was also nice to get a palette cleanser with Alan’s parents, Peter (Burton Collins) and Jean (Jan Beatty), especially since Alan clearly has a loving, honest relationship with them.
“Premarital” may offend Christians because of how it depicts them, but the truth hurts. It is just that the film stuffs everything in one movie. Point out one item that you think is inaccurate such as a philandering pastor, and there are plenty of real-life examples who like to play on both sides of the aisle if you will. The difference is that this film does not sweep anything under the rug, acknowledges the hypocrisy and actually makes the characters take accountability instead of just cry on stage and not take a step back to change course and get right with God. Stewart technically gets punished though he did nothing wrong, but he handles it with grace. His approach to marriage is actually Biblical in the way that he cherishes his flawed wife though the Bible does allow divorce (Jesus says so). It is a generous film for not condemning any of them once their secrets are exposed. Most importantly, Stewart does get what he wants. His entire family, even Alan, comes to church. It is “The Drama” (2026) for the evangelical set and the deconstructionists who love them. It also may be a relic of how families could bridge divides prior to 2016.
