Elijah Peel tells a sweet story about a reformed rock star and his friendship with a sick young girl who points him toward Jesus Christ. This flick stumbles in the language department, and references to its protagonist’s sordid past might dissuade families with younger viewers. Still, many will enjoy Elijah Peel’s redemptive message.
They said Elijah Peel was the lucky one. He was a bona fide rock star. A man who could fill a concert venue at the drop of a hat. Sought after. Beloved. He was living large, the lifestyle of the rich and famous, full of hard partying and harder drugs.
And then, suddenly, everything changed.
One minute Elijah was walking into an arena filled with adoring fans, and the next thing he knew, he was in a hospital bed. Elijah’s manager tells him he nearly died. He had a heart attack. In his mid-thirties.
Elijah found the bottom from the top, somehow.
At first, the famous singer-songwriter is desperate to leave the hospital. But he’s not out of the woods yet: His heart might still give out if he’s not careful.
So, Elijah is forced to stay in the hospital to rest and, hopefully, sober up.
That’s where he meets Jessica. She’s a fellow patient at the hospital who’s being treated for pediatric cancer. And while she’s a big fan of Elijah Peel, she’s worried about him. Elijah is bemused by this little girl who tells him to clean up his act and asks him if he knows Jesus.
Elijah and Jessica form a bond. And, with little else to do, Elijah reflects on his life—and doesn’t like what he sees. His fame has put him where things are hollow. He wishes his life could mean something.
Is Elijah Peel simply fated to pretend for the remainder of his days? Or is there, as Jessica tells him, another way?
Elijah and Jessica form a genuine friendship that positively impacts them both. Jessica’s encouragement and hope in the face of her own struggles give Elijah the motivation to change his life for the better. And Elijah becomes a light for Jessica as her health begins to deteriorate, spending time with her and giving her “a reason to fight” to get better. Elijah even uses his resources to provide Jessica (and other sick children) with more specialized medical care.
Hattie, a nurse hired by Elijah to give him home care, becomes a steady presence in the musician’s life as well, providing both warmth and tough love.
Through Jessica and Hattie’s influence—and what Elijah dubs as a “spiritual awakening”—the musician does become a better person. As mentioned, he takes on a positive role in the lives of Jessica and her mother. He joins a support group to help him stay sober. He keeps playing music, but Elijah is now determined that this music will have meaning.
Speaking of Elijah’s new music: When his new style isn’t initially well received, Elijah stands his ground. He’s willing to sacrifice his fortune and fame for this newfound purpose.
Jessica’s mother loves her daughter dearly and does everything she can to provide the best care for her. She is initially (and I would argue, appropriately) wary of Elijah’s relationship with her daughter, but she comes to welcome his presence in their lives.
Early on, Elijah’s manager, Rock, tries to push against his client’s destructive habits. He even tries to hide drugs from Elijah. (Though he eventually caves and give Elijah the drugs.)
A man helps a woman who is experiencing an overdose.
Jessica helps steer Elijah toward his spiritual awakening and personal transformation—through her own faith in Jesus Christ. The young girl fearlessly shares Jesus’ love with Elijah, pressing him to think about his life and God’s desire to have a personal relationship with him. Jessica tells Elijah she has peace despite her circumstances because she “prays every day” and, even if cancer takes her life, she knows she will go to be with God in heaven.
A nun prays for Elijah while he’s in the hospital, and the moment leads Elijah toward a sort of breaking point: He realizes he “doesn’t know how to pray” and wants to do something “meaningful” with his life. He decides to make a change in the music that he plays; he begins to pray regularly and reads through a Bible which strongly influences his new songs. Some of his new music speaks of grace and truth. Another song talks about hearing comforting words from God following someone’s death. When pressed to give up this new “Jesus music,” Elijah refuses, saying he “must be obedient” to his calling.
Hattie shares the biblical account of how Zacchaeus was transformed after he repented of his sin. She tells him that Jesus “died for your sins, everyone’s sins” and “hates the sin but loves the sinner.” She quotes John 3:16 and says that “worthiness” is not a prerequisite to God’s saving grace.
Elijah calls Jessica an “angel of God” who “led [him] to Jesus Christ.” He says that because of this, they are now “both perfected,” which could be a reference to Hebrews 10:14. The film opens with a text card from Romans 8:18.
Mention is made to the religious turns of other famous musicians such as Justin Bieber and Kanye West. People pray for one another. Someone crosses herself. A drug addict is encouraged to find support in a church. A few people are dubbed a “godsend.” During the end credits, a woman is shown baptizing someone.
It’s implied that Elijah has had many casual sexual relationships with women during his rock star days. Jessica disapprovingly says that Elijah has treated women “like toys” and gave them away after he grew bored with them. The young girl tells Elijah that she will keep an eye out for a good girlfriend for him.
Rock has been divorced twice—something he (at least in part) blames Elijah for. A music executive shrugs off these marital tragedies, telling Rock that “this business will do that.”
When seeking a nurse for home care, Elijah rejects a number of applicants who he finds attractive (and might want the job because they want to get close to him). The scene is played for laughs as a litany of young nurses appear—some in revealing outfits—and are turned away. Elijah says one of the nurses is “hot.”
Elijah is frequently seen shirtless. A room in his townhouse appears to include a stripper pole. Elijah tells Rock that he “got off” on being hated by the media in his earlier days.
In the hospital, Elijah flirts with a nurse and compliments her figure. A woman flirts with him. A few fans hold up signs that read “sex peel.”
A few women are seen in revealing clothing.
Early on, Elijah collapses and gets rushed to the hospital. We see people giving him chest compressions as he’s wheeled along on a gurney. During this time, Elijah envisions himself in a casket. People wonder if Elijah is intentionally trying to kill himself with his reckless behavior. (Elijah insists he’s not.)
As mentioned above, Jessica has cancer, and there are a few difficult scenes where she appears deathly ill. At one point, she has a seizure and medical staff rush to give her aid.
A man gets locked in a room with a woman who immediately overdoses on drugs. (Fortunately, the woman survives.)
For a Christian film, Elijah Peel contains more profanity than you might expect. The s-word is used once. God’s name is misused seven times. F-word substitutions “fricking” and “frigging” are heard nearly 10 times. “D–n,” “h—” and “a–” are used a handful of times, too, alongside “sucks” and “crap.” Additionally, several British profanities are used, including “bloody,” “bugger” and “bugger off.”
News footage shows Elijah making a rude hand gesture. (The gesture is blurred, but it’s pretty easy to tell what it is.) When talking with Jessica, Elijah very nearly says “bulls—,” amending it instead to “bull-loney.” The rude phrase “shove it” is used.
When we first meet Elijah, he seems to be under the influence of drugs—while driving. Soon after, he begs Rock to give him a drug fix. (Which Rock reluctantly obliges.) This drug trip leads directly to Elijah’s heart attack. And one of the first things he says after regaining consciousness in the hospital is that he “needs a drink.” References are made to his partying ways, which include drugs and alcohol.
At one point, Elijah says that there is cocaine hidden in “every book” on his shelf. After his spiritual transformation, Elijah returns to making music—and he jokes it was either that or drinking “gallons of vodka.”
Elijah shares a story with his addiction group about seeking out drugs. Later, during a potential relapse, Elijah walks the streets and asks a few people for drugs.
Someone asks Rock if he’s “high.” Elijah smokes cigarettes from time to time. We see scores of empty liquor bottles strewn around Elijah’s bedroom. Elijah and Rock have a conversation in a bar—an odd place to do so given Elijah is a recovering addict.
A woman vomits while experiencing an overdose. Someone else retches into a toilet. Rock jokes about calling in a coroner after some of Elijah’s parties.
Elijah impersonates a doctor a few times—once to escape his confinement in the hospital. He waves his (clothed) backside at a crowd. He also texts while driving in one scene.
Jessica’s mother mentions stem-cell treatments having the possibility to help her daughter.
Actor and comedian Fred Allen once quipped that “a celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.”
It’s a witty line, and one of many commentaries on fame and fortune—namely, that despite all the glamour that life comes with, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Elijah Peel adds to that commentary. Specifically, it tells us that everything the world can give means nothing without a relationship with Jesus Christ. As we’re told in 1 John 2:17: “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
From a family perspective, this PG-13 film has some stumbles, mostly centered around its uses of profanity. (British swear words have meanings, too, and they’re often not nice!) The mentions of Elijah’s problematic past might push it out of bounds for those with younger viewers, too.
That said, many families will find something to like in Elijah Peel’s sweet story and Gospel-centered message.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
