''Season of Miracles'' is a 2013 American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

-themed

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Dave Moody and starring John Schneider,

Grayson Russell Grayson Russell (born May 1, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' and the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' film series. Life and career Russell was born on May 1, 1998 in Clanton ...

, Andrew Williams, and

Nancy Stafford Nancy Elizabeth Stafford (born June 5, 1954) is an American actress, speaker and author, known for her roles on television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Michelle Thomas, law partner, on five seasons of '' Matlock''. She later hosted a ...

. Based on writer Rusty Whitener's award-winning novel ''A Season of Miracles'', the story is set in Alabama during the 1970s and follows a group of twelve-year-olds and their championship little league baseball season. The film is the third feature-length movie produced by Elevating Entertainment Motion Pictures in Nashville, TN and is distributed in the US by

Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (formerly known as Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Visual Entertainment and Visual Entertainment) is an independent film, television, DVD and digital distribution company operating in the United States and Canada. It is ...

Plot

''Season of Miracles'' chronicles the Robins, an underdog Little League team through their 1974 season with newcomer and

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

baseball

savant Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...

, Rafer (

). Team leader Zack (Andrew Williams) takes Rafer under his wing despite taunting from their rivals, the Hawks. Their Coach ( John Schneider), manager Rebecca (Sydney Morgan Layne), and the rest of the Robins encourage Rafer as the team rises towards an unlikely championship season. ''Season of Miracles ''is a life-inspiring story about sportsmanship, friendship, and courage in the face of adversity.

Cast

* John Schneider as Coach *

as Rafer *Andrew Wilson Williams as Zach *

as Nurse Barbara *Sydney Morgan Layne as Rebecca *Jacob Armstrong as The Pastor *Jake Studebaker as Little Richard

Reception

''Season of Miracles'' has been praised by family-oriented critics and others for its positive, inspirational message. Edwin L. Carpenter, reviewing the film for the

Dove Foundation The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that issues film reviews, ratings and endorsements of movies that it considers suitable for family audiences, and that bases said reviews on Christian values. De ...

, writes: "''Season of Miracles'' hits a home run and grandly shows that miracles can still happen. John Schneider is terrific as the coach of the team and he encourages the boys that, if they show heart, anything is possible. This movie inspires the viewer to believe!" Oren Aviv, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Productions speaking at the Movieguide awards as he presented Rusty Whitener his Kairos Prize for the film's screenplay called the film "a uniquely compelling drama about a group of twelve year olds and their championship little league baseball season, that is not so much about winning and losing as it is about living and dying." Other reviews include the following:

Awards

*2013 Official Selection - Dixie Film Festival (Athens, GA) – ''Season of Miracles'' *2013 Official Selection - Gideon Film Festival (Orlando, Florida) – ''Season of Miracles'' *2010 Kairos Prize presented by

Movieguide Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr (born 1946) is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of ''Movieguide'', a website ...

and the

Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious an ...

– Screenwriter Rusty Whitener

References

External links

* * {{Autism resources 2013 films 2010s sports drama films American sports drama films Films about autism American baseball films Films shot in Tennessee 2013 drama films 2010s American films