Soul or Success
Once upon a time Ben Cantor (Cheyenne Jackson - United 93) was a talented singer/ song writer with a manager, Mickey (Kevin Pollak - The Magic of Belle Isle). But when he got burned by a record deal he turned his back on his dream of being a musician and instead became a family man, struggling financially but content with his life. That is until his daughter enters him in to a reality TV show for songwriters and whilst reluctant to re-enter that world filled with disappointment, whilst plagued by doubts over his own abilities he is encouraged by his wife, Alicia (Christine Woods), as well as Mickey. But as Ben gets through the first round of the competition it becomes clear he has a choice to make; be true to himself or do what ever it takes to achieve success.
"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" That is a scripture from Mark 8:36 (NLT) and it is apt for "The One I Wrote for You" as this is a movie about following your dreams and success but at what cost. It is a theme which has been covered many times before director Andrew Lauer gave us "The One I Wrote for You" and as such I won't lie and tell you that there isn't some thing just a little obvious about this story as Ben ends up having to chose between success and his own integrity. But no matter how obvious this is the story as is told in "The One I Wrote for You" is still thought provoking and I am sure, for some who are new to this sort of movie, inspirational as the story unfolds.
Of course there is more to "The One I Wrote for You" than just Ben's journey on this reality TV show, it manages to do a few other things. One of those things is the reality TV show and we see how much the producers of it like to play on an underdog story to the point of almost feeding the audience a line because they know how audiences love an underdog. Plus there is also a nice line in light humour with both Kevin Pollak and Christopher Lloyd providing just the right amount of banter to keep this bubbling along and not becoming all one level.
What this all boils down to is that "The One I Wrote for You" is a pleasant little drama with a nice inspirational message and an inoffensive style which makes it fine as a family movie. But it is a movie whose theme about reaching for your dreams and being true to yourself has been told many a times and as such can't get away from its obvious side.
