''Joni'' is a 1980 drama film directed by James F. Collier. It is based on the book of the same name and is the true story of

Joni Eareckson Tada Joni Eareckson Tada (born October 15, 1949) is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community". Early life Joni Eareckson was b ...

(played by herself), a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes paralyzed after a diving accident. Through her physical, emotional and spiritual struggles, Joni learns to trust in

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

financed the film through his company

World Wide Pictures World Wide Pictures (WWP) is a film distributor and production company established as a subsidiary of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) in 1951. It is involved in the production and distribution of evangelistic films, the produc ...

and appears in a cameo.

Plot

In 1967, at age 17, Joni Eareckson is involved in a diving accident that leaves her a

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

. As she attempts to come to terms with her new disability, her Christian faith grows.

Cast

as herself *

Bert Remsen Herbert Birchell "Bert" Remsen (February 25, 1925 – April 22, 1999) was an American actor and casting director. He appeared in numerous films and television series. Biography Remsen was born in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, the son o ...

as John Eareckson * Katherine De Hetre as Jay Eareckson *

Cooper Huckabee Thomas Cooper Huckabee (born May 8, 1951) is an American film and television actor who appeared in ''The Funhouse'', ''Urban Cowboy'', and as Harrison in the 1993 film '' Gettysburg'', among other roles. Career Huckabee played Buzz, one of the ...

as Dick Filbert *

John Milford John Milford (September 7, 1927 - August 14, 2000) was an American actor in theater, television, and films, playing scores of roles, often as a western villain. He was estimated to have had about 500 appearances in TV roles. Early years Born i ...

as Dr. Sherrill * Jay W. MacIntosh as Lindy Eareckson * Louise Hoven as Diana * Michael Mancini as Don Bertolli *

Richard Lineback Richard D. Lineback (born February 4, 1952) is an American actor who appeared in the films ''Speed'', ''Twister'' and '' Varsity Blues''. He played Deputy Dodd in '' Friday the 13th: A New Beginning''. Lineback has appeared in many roles on the ...

as Steve Estes *

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. His roles include Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' film series, Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in ''The Crow'' (1994), and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003). Hu ...

as Earl * Betsy Jones-Moreland as Mrs. Barber

Release

''Joni'' premiered on October 24, 1980, in Los Angeles. It played in New York City on March 4, 1983.

Reception

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote the film is made more interesting and poignant by casting Tada as herself. ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' rated it 2/4 stars and called Tada "a natural actress".

References

External links

* * 1980 films 1980 drama films American drama films American independent films Films about evangelicalism Films directed by James F. Collier Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{indie-drama-film-stub