Priceless

Priceless is a mediocre movie about an important topic. Honestly, I was hoping for more. I find myself struggling a bit with how to rate this film. The film is meant to be an uplifting story about human trafficking. Ultimately, it is little more than a proverbial "finger in the dam." It does raise awareness about the topic, but it has been a hot topic in recent years anyway. The story isn't bad, but the production value and attention to detail were visibly lacking at times.

James Stevens (Joel Smallbone) has fallen on hard times. After the death of his wife, he loses custody of his daughter Emerson. Unable to hold a steady job, James finds himself roped into a cross country delivery for much-needed cash. No questions asked. As long as the shipment does not contain drugs. A minor traffic accident leads James to discover his cargo contains two young sisters, Antonia (Bianca A. Santos) and Maria (Amber Midthunder). Maria is only sixteen. When James delivers the girls to Garo (Jim Parrack), he realizes that they are not going to "work as waitresses." As James struggles to come to terms with his role in human trafficking, he is forced to come to terms with his own demons.

Priceless starts with a genuinely decent perspective. It is wholesome and endearing. But the delivery is shoddy at times. Joel Smallbone is a Christian recording artist turned actor. He has appeared in a couple of other small productions, but acting is not his first calling. And it shows. His performance was okay, but seemed a bit high school play to me. The film was directed by Joel's brother, Ben Smallbone. They are undoubtedly a talented family. Brother Luke Smallbone is his partner in the band For King & Country. Sister Rebecca St. James is also a recording artist. I think this film would have benefited from some additional outside talent.

The story itself deals with human trafficking from a slightly Pollyanna perspective. The view was a bit myopic as well. Human trafficking rarely has happy endings. In this case, the film chose to make this story about two Mexican girls abducted because of a debt owed by their father. There were things about the story that just didn't make sense to me. Primarily, why would you have to move these two girls across country? The sex trafficking demand is high everywhere. It doesn't make sense to invest a lot of money moving the girls so far away. The other issue that bothered me a bit was that the use of trafficked girls from Mexico. I get that it's just a movie. But trafficking overwhelmingly deals with girls from our own communities. Often trafficked by people they know. Maybe I'm being hypercritical on that point. But there were some plot holes that nagged at me.

The production quality of the film also showed some novice elements. The film had a decent look, overall. It wasn't a big budget film, but the quality of the camera angles and movements were smooth. The film wasn't too choppy, either. Which surprised me. The attention to detail was lacking at times. For instance, in one scene, James drops a gun that he has used to disarm a police officer. It is picked up by a pimp and brandished as James makes his escape by motorcycle. In the next scene, James is seen holding the pistol. The scene didn't make much sense to me to begin with. But the lack of attention to detail was more glaring than the awkwardness of the scene itself.

At one hour and 37 minutes, Priceless has a tolerable run time. It didn't really lag, although it felt really subdued at times. The film deals with a sensitive topic which might be difficult for younger viewers to understand. It will inevitably lead to tough questions. There is suggestion of a sex scene between a trafficked victim and a pimp, but nothing is shown. The primary reason for the PG-13 reason is probably the violence, which includes some gun play and lots of kicking, punching and an assault by fire extinguisher. There is also a death depicted. This film is better left to older kids and adults. It is a good starting point for discussions about trafficking and stranger danger with tweens.

I was disappointed in Priceless. It was a film I wanted to see at the theater. It didn't last long at the theater, for good reason. It just isn't as good as it had the potential to be. The film isn't quite a Christian "family film" nor is it a suspense/thriller. It could have gone either way. Instead, it straddles the line, delivering a mediocre story with average acting. The film had decent pacing and was easy to follow. But I view this film as a missed opportunity. It is okay for a rainy day. The messaging is still good. I find myself right in line with IMDb on this one. 6/10.