Christian Dating:
The Movie!
(Also Known as Christian Dating: The Shocking Truth! (VHS))
Great for Singles and Youth Groups!
Facts:
Director:
Al Anderson
Al AndersonProducer: Mark Nielsen
Mark NielsenWriter: Al Anderson
Al AndersonStarring: Patrick Minderler
Patrick Minderler Tom Hebert Rikki Buck Theresa DonahoeLength: 35 Minutes
35 MinutesFilm Premiere: September, 1998
Video Release: October, 1999
Christian Dating: The Movie! is a wacky and entertaining spoof of a 1960's style Educational Film, complete with a bow-tied Professor of Dating and two inept "subjects." The deliberately campy film usually scores a pretty big hit with audiences in high school and older, and usually opens up and inspires some pretty good discussion about dating. Although directed at Christian audiences in particular, the film is comical enough and relevant enough to entertain general viewers as well. You may order Online below:
Some Background about the Film
In the mid-1990's Al Anderson and Mark Nielsen worked in the Junior High Ministry at the Evangelical Free Church (now Northcreek Church) in Walnut Creek, California. They often wanted to find entertaining Christian videos to show the kids, and, especially in those pre-Veggie Tale days, it was a very difficult job. The church had various catalogues of films that could be ordered, but all the films seemed to be deadly serious, or just plain uninteresting. There certainly is a time and place for seriousness, but it's difficult to have a fun Junior High Movie Night, with games and popcorn, when the movie you're showing is "My Dad, the Alcoholic."
Al and Mark would always end up showing a secular film. Al, in fact, has all the dialogue of "The Princess Bride" hopelessly stuck inside him, and it refuses to leave.
It occurred to Al and Mark that as bad as the choices were for Junior Highers, there was not one Christian film in any of the movie catalogues that appeared remotely interesting to College students or Singles. If Single people wanted to have a movie night, they would inevitably have to show a secular film, and this was especially true if they wanted to see a comedy.
Because Mark and Al worked in the local Film industry, it naturally occurred to them that they should make their own film to fill this obvious need. They chose the subject most fascinating to Singles (Dating) and decided to make it a parody of all those dry educational films we were forced to watch in school, with a bow-tied Professor of Dating and other absurdities. They cleverly planned to make the film have deliberately cheesy moments, so that if the low budget caused us to accidentally put in something cheesy it would fit right into our theme!
Although it was extremely difficult for them to make a complicated 35-minute movie when they already had full-time jobs, the film was finally completed and we presented it and shopped it at the International Christian Visual Media Convention in 1999, where the film was picked up by Crown video and Gospel Films.
We were often warned that "singles don't buy anything," and we should make films directed at children instead. If you're Single, and reading this, you have a chance to prove those people wrong by ordering the film online. Soon all the wisdom of the Professor of Dating will be at your command! 
