Doug is a middle-aged man who is struggling to understand God's purpose in pain.
His father died. His uncle died. And how his brother has died.
His wife tells him to rely on God and to lean on his wife. Doug, though, has no desire.
"Why would He let this happen?" he asks.
Soon, though, Doug's faith is put to an even greater test. On the flight back from his brother's funeral, Doug discovers that the pilot of his small plane is unconscious. There is no co-pilot. There aren't even any stewardesses. The only other passengers are Doug's wife, Terri, and their two daughters.
Doug radios the air traffic control tower and tells them about the desperate situation.
Will they be able to help?
It's all part of the new movie On a Wing and a Prayer (PG), now on Prime Video.
Here are three things you should know about it:
Photo courtesy: ©Prime Video, used with permission.
1. It's Based on an Incredible True Story
The film is based on the real-life experience of a man and his family who faced a nightmare scenario in 2009 when their pilot died mid-air. (There was no co-pilot.) At the time, White and his wife and daughters were flying from Louisiana to Florida on Easter Sunday. White had taken only a handful of flight lessons – and he had never handled a plane like the one he was in. Air traffic controllers scrambled to find a pilot who had flown that type of plane and who could guide White and his family safely to the ground. The experts, though, had given them only a 5 percent chance of surviving.
The real-life White told Crosswalk he was focused on the controllers' instructions. The various instruments in the cockpit were foreign to him.
"I had no emotions for the hour I was up there. … It was a focused fear. I was so focused on listening and doing what the controllers were telling me in my headset and to not flip the airplane upside down and not let it get too slow."
Photo courtesy: ©Prime Video, used with permission.
2. It Has Dennis Quaid (with Roma Downey behind the Scenes)
Dennis Quaid (Blue Miracle, American Underdog) portrays White, while Heather Graham (Lost in Space) plays his wife, Terri. Jesse Metcalfe, a Hallmark/Great American Family actor, portrays an air traffic controller. Brett Rice (Remember the Titans, Super 8) plays White's brother.
The film opens with White flying on a short discovery flight and flunking the landing as his brother – in terror – upchucks in the backseat. From there, we see the family at a community event/barbecue contest, where White, Terri and his brother frantically work to cook the perfect brisket, hoping to win first place. Although White's family is close-knit, White's teenage daughter – she has a poor attitude about everything in life – gives him plenty of headaches.
Roma Downey is a producer. Her company, Lightworkers, helped make it.
"It's inspirational and uplifting," Downey told Crosswalk, explaining why she wanted to be involved. "And it was something you could watch with the whole family, which really is the kind of content that I'm interested in making."
Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer, The Miracle Season) directed it.
Photo courtesy: ©Prime Video, used with permission.
3. It's about Faith and Hope
Faith plays a key role in On a Wing and a Prayer. We see the mom and daughters pray during the flight. We see a Bible on a nightstand and a few crosses on the wall. We see the White family put their faith into practice as they give their leftover barbecue to the homeless community. Finally, we see White struggle with his faith after the death of his brother, unable to understand God's role. (Later, White asks for God's forgiveness.)
"My faith is what allowed God and His angels to help me," White told Crosswalk.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), he said, had launched a plane to pick up the pieces and to find the bodies. It turned around when White landed.
"I really do believe something extraordinary happened up there," Downey said of divine intervention.
The movie smartly adds layers to the story to keep it interesting. Among them: a middle-school-aged girl and a boy who learn of the potential tragedy and follow White's plane on a computer website. They, too, are fearful it will crash.
At roughly 90 minutes, On a Wing and a Prayer is the perfect length for a bite-sized, feel-good drama. White said he wants viewers to be entertained but also to be inspired to learn "more about God and His Son and the church and Word and maybe look into it."
"It's entertaining," he said, "but it's also inspirational, too."
On a Wing and a Prayer is rated PG for peril, some language, suggestive references and thematic elements. Language details: d--n (3), OMG (5).
Entertainment rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Photo courtesy: ©Prime Video, used with permission.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.