A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN

A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN is a moving drama about a black writer telling her son the story of how she met and fell in love with his father, an American soldier who died in Iraq when the boy was a baby but left a journal of advice for the son. Told partly in flashback, A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN tells a heartfelt, patriotic story about coping with loss, with a strong Christian, moral worldview, but it’s marred by foul language and a nude scene.

After introducing New York Times reporter, Dana Canedy, and her infant son, Jordan, in 2007, the movie shows how Dana met Jordan’s father, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, in 1998. They meet at her parents’ house during a Thanksgiving dinner. Eleven years into a 20-year career, Charles has served under Dana’s retired father and now trains a platoon of his own. Her father’s life has been transformed by Christ, and Charles is also a Christian.

Romance soon blossoms between Dana and Charles. She’s intrigued by his strength of character and by his interest in painting. However, after the Islamic terrorist attacks against America in 2001, Charles is sent to Iraq to serve with his platoon.

One day, Dana watches on TV a huge IED explosion against a convoy of American troops in Baghdad. Panicked, she immediately calls Charles on his cellphone and says, she wants to have a baby with him. Charles asks her to marry him, and she says yes.

Dana and Charles start preparing for the baby, and Jordan is born in March 2006. Dana gives Charles a journal for him to write things to tell Jordan when he gets older. However, seven months later, his convoy is attacked, and Charles is killed when shrapnel hits his body.

After mourning her fiancé’s death, Dana looks at the box of belongings she received from Charles and the military. She finds the journal where Charles wrote down many things addressed to Jordan, to tell him how much he loves his son and give him advice on growing up to be a good man.

When Jordan gets older, Dana gives him the journal and starts talking to her son more openly about his father. Jordan clearly is moved by both his mom and his father’s journal, and he decides to do something special for his mother.

A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN is a lovely, well-acted movie about love, family, honor, pride, gratitude, and remembrance. It has equal amounts of joy, laughter and tears. Viewers will be greatly moved by the story this movie tells.

A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN, which is directed by Denzel Washington, has a strong Christian, moral worldview with strong patriotic moments. The movie honors Charles King’s tragic sacrifice for his country and his men. It’s also a tribute to all the Gold Star families out there who’ve suffered similar losses of a family member.

The movie does have, however, lots of foul language. There’s also the matter of Dana and Charles having sexual relations before getting married. In one scene, for instance, Charles asks a pregnant Dana to get married when he returns home to see her during a brief furlough, but she says, no, she’d rather spend as much quality time with him as possible. In addition, before Dana gets pregnant, there’s a gratuitous implied nude kissing scene between Dana and Charles where they embrace in her New York apartment.

MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for the objectionable, racy content in A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.