CHANGE OF PLANS
A warm family drama about learning to love beyond yourself.
Should You Watch It?
Change of Plans has a good heart. It makes a clear dramatic case for moving beyond selfishness into love, care and sacrifice. The story also includes redemptive moments and a sincere prayer to God.
The film takes too long to reach its serious jeopardy. Its first third is mostly lightweight “getting to know you” material, and some global-harmony ideas feel politically correct and New Agey. Even so, it remains very watchable and more substantial than its lighter Hallmark-style approach might suggest.
If you want an enjoyable family movie with moral substance, this is worth watching.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESSally is a country-and-western singer on the verge of a major career break. Her husband, Jason, is about to receive the opportunity of a lifetime as a test pilot.
The couple has a beautiful apartment, successful careers and no desire for children. Then Sally learns that her best friend in the Peace Corps has died and that she and Jason have been appointed legal guardians of the friend’s four children. Their new family includes Jordan, Javier, Kaleb and Sung Lee.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a very good concept made into a very enjoyable, if imperfect, television movie. Its strongest material shows Sally and Jason learning to love and care for people beyond themselves. The prayer at the family’s first meal and the film’s redemptive moments give the drama genuine warmth.
The weakness is the script. The first third relies on lightweight dialogue and situation comedy, and the central jeopardy does not fully grip the audience until halfway through. The movie is “Hallmark light,” but its good family values keep it from becoming empty.
The Worldview
The film presents a light Christian worldview. It includes a real, intentional prayer to God, strong moral elements and genuine issues involving the choice between sacrifice and selfishness. It does not mention Jesus, but it makes love and care for others the foundation of its moral movement.
The film’s central idea is that people must move beyond self-interest to accept responsibility for one another. Its multicultural setup and statements about global harmony sometimes feel politically correct, while some references to believing in mankind feel New Agey and vaguely pagan. These choices soften the story’s power, but they do not erase its clear affirmation of sacrifice, family and moral growth.
The movie’s longing to learn how to love others connects with Scripture’s call to put their interests before our own: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light Christian worldview with a real, intentional prayer to God but no mention of Jesus, strong moral elements and real issues where people need to choose sacrifice over selfishness, with some politically correct elements, including a lot of multicultural elements and some lightweight New Agey Romantic/pagan references to believing in mankind; no foul language; aftermath of a fight is shown with high school boy with bloody nose and another boy with blood on his shirt, the aftermath of a car accident is shown with boy in hospital and his arm in a sling, and discussions of death and dying; several husband and wife kisses and one husband wife under covers in bed talking to one another; no nudity; no drinking; no smoking; and, selfishness, but rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Sally and Jason begin by protecting their own plans. What helps a person recognize when self-interest has become selfishness?
Philippians 2:3–4 · 1 Corinthians 13:4–7The children’s arrival forces the adults to consider responsibility and sacrifice. What does love require when caring for someone becomes difficult?
1 John 3:16–18 · Galatians 6:2The family prays together at its first meal. What makes prayer more than a ritual, and how can your family make it part of ordinary life?
Matthew 6:9–13 · 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18The film connects people from different nations and backgrounds. How does Scripture describe the kind of unity God desires?
Ephesians 2:13–19 · Revelation 7:9–10The Final Word
Change of Plans is imperfect but warm, watchable and morally meaningful. Its message about moving from selfishness to sacrificial love makes it a good choice for family viewing. WORTH WATCHING.
