JUST JAKE

JUST JAKE is a romance movie on UPtv about an emerging country singer in Nashville who returns to his Colorado hometown and reunites with his former high school sweetheart when he has trouble finishing the lead song on his first album. JUST JAKE is slow in getting started, but the movie becomes more compelling as it explores the romantic relationship at the heart of the story, and the high quality of the music and singing, which includes a hymn sung at church, lends lots of credibility to the whole story.

As the movie opens, country singer Jake is having a serious case of writer’s block. He’s generated a big following on social media doing country music covers of previous songs, but he’s having trouble finishing the lead song on his own first album. The flaky owner of his record label lets him go when Jake misses another deadline. So, Tommy, Jake’s manager and high school friend, makes Jake return to their hometown in Lincoln, Colorado, where Jake’s musical muse began.

Jake’s high school sweetheart, Amber, isn’t excited when she hears Jake’s back in town. Years before, Jake simply left town to pursue his musical career in Nashville, which broke Amber’s heart. So, she’s understandably reluctant to let this guy break her heart again.

However, it turns out that Amber is Jake’s true musical inspiration. Also, Amber teaches guitar at the local arts center and has a pretty good singing voice herself, which is on display when she sings “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” at church. So, it’s hard to keep these two former lovebirds apart. The only question is whether Amber can depend on Jake to stick around this time.

JUST JAKE is slow in getting started, but the movie becomes more compelling as it explores the romantic relationship at the heart of the story. It turns out that honesty is the way for the romantic hero to regain the love he threw away. The script expertly develops this theme of rediscovering love. Also, the high quality of the music and singing, which includes a hymn sung at church, lends lots of credibility to everything. The movie’s lead song is beautiful, especially when it’s performed in a duet by the two stars, Brittany Bristow and Rob Myers, who play Amber and Jake. Also, in the story, Amber and Jake coach a local singer and guitarist who performs a nice love song and a beautiful instrumental of his own.

JUST JAKE has a strong Christian, moral worldview, with no offensive, objectionable content. For example, both Amber and Jake are inspired by a brief sermon about honesty and truth that the pastor gives after Amber sings a beautiful rendition of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” at church. In effect, the truth sets them free to love each other more deeply. JUST JAKE also promotes forgiveness, keeping promises, prayer, and helping other people. The movie also promotes small town capitalism in that Amber has turned her parents’ local diner into a successful coffee shop. At the same time, it warns people about the cutthroat practices in the music industry in Nashville, which can hurt young artists struggling to make it and hoping to get a break.