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Drama  ·  Riot Studios

Believe Me

It's only a sin if you get caught

Type Feature Film
Genre Drama
Year 2014
Runtime 1h 33m
Language English
Country United States
Rating PG-13
Director Will Bakke
IMDb View on IMDb

When college senior Sam needs to cover his last semester's tuition, he and his three roommates invent a charity and take it on the road, letting well-meaning donors fund their way out of trouble. As the con tours campuses and churches, the guys stay one step ahead of the questions — until a sharp, skeptical tour coordinator named Callie starts asking the right ones. A coming-of-age comedy about faith, fraud, and the cost of getting away with it.

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The Story

Synopsis

Sam is a college senior with one semester left and no way to pay for it. Broke, and running out of legitimate options, he and his roommates Pierce, Tyler, and Baker land on an idea that's less a plan than a dare: start a charity, take it on the road as a "tour," and let well-meaning churchgoers fund their way out of trouble. What begins as a scramble for tuition money grows into something much bigger than any of them expected, as the fake nonprofit finds a real audience across churches, colleges, and Christian conferences — and real money starts pouring in.

Keeping the con going means keeping up appearances: the guys have to play sincere, sing along, and look the part of young men genuinely called to ministry, even as none of them can quite agree on whether they believe a word of what they're selling. Sam finds that easier than he'd like, especially once Callie — the tour's sharp, no-nonsense events coordinator — starts asking harder questions than anyone else has. As Sam falls for her while still lying to her, and as the scheme's stakes and audiences keep growing, the act gets harder to keep separate from what it's actually doing to the people funding it.

Believe Me plays largely as a scam comedy — Alex Russell, Sinqua Walls, Miles Fisher, and Max Adler make an easy, funny quartet as the guys in over their heads, with Johanna Braddy giving Callie the moral center the story needs — before settling into something more sincere: a real question about whether faith performed for other people's benefit can ever turn into faith held for your own. Nick Offerman, Zachary Knighton, Christopher McDonald, and Lecrae round out a cast that plays the church-fundraising world with more affection than mockery, and the film is scored throughout with tracks from Cold War Kids, Belle and Sebastian, Dr. Dog, and Phil Wickham, among others.

Directed by Will Bakke from a script he co-wrote with Michael B. Allen, and produced under Riot Studios, Believe Me premiered in theaters in September 2014, was named a New York Times Critics' Pick, and played as the centerpiece selection of that year's Dallas International Film Festival.

The Team

Cast & Crew

Cast

Alex Russell as Sam
Zachary Knighton as Gabriel
Johanna Braddy as Callie
Miles Fisher as Pierce
Sinqua Walls as Tyler
Max Adler as Baker
Christopher McDonald as Ken
Nick Offerman as Sean
Rhett James as Yale Stafford
Chester Rushing as Cameron
Tracy Smith as Macy
Phillip Wolf as Brent
Ulysses Lopez as College Graduate
Henry Proegler as 'Yeah' Guy
Austin Meek as Scarf Boy
Lawson Hopkins as Food Truck Waiter
Matt Owen as Postcard Fan
Kat Alexander as Party Attendee (uncredited)
Lauren Ashley as Danika
Marc Carlson as Waiter (uncredited)
David Christopher as Bill
Stephen Dinh as Pledge #1 (as Stephen Luc Dinh)
Maria Engler as Party Goer / Nurse / Stage Crew Member / Concert Goer (uncredited)
Ash Felkner as Party Goer (uncredited)
Sarah Fields as Church Goer (uncredited)
Will Harris as Max
Lecrae as Dr. Darnall Malmquist
Elizabeth Lestina as Party Goer
Alysia Lucas as Sorority Girl (uncredited)
Jovan Martin as Volunteer (uncredited)
Michele B. McGraw as Party, Restaurant & Bar Patron (uncredited)
Chris McNelly as Keith
Maximillian McNamara as Trevis
Kristin McKenzie Rice as God Squad Groupie (as Kristin McKenzie)
Heather Rhea as Cross Country Attendee (as Heather Denner)
Becky Risley as Party Goer (uncredited)
Alyssia Rivera as Fan Girl (uncredited)
Phillip Rogers as Pastor
Jake Uriah Rupp as Pledge #2
Lesley Ann Rupp as Get Well Soon Volunteer
Peggy Schott as Hotel Staff
Courtney Spaulding as Extra in Crowd (uncredited)
Avery Stock as Gabriel's Fan (uncredited)
Christopher Sullivan as Get Well Soon Volunteer
Shelby Surdam as Cross Country Attendee (uncredited)
Carl Thomas as Food Trailer Patron (uncredited)
David Tucker as Doubter
Daniel Walker as Phil (as Daniel K. Walker)
Gregory Alexander Wight as Hotel Patron (uncredited)
Emily Yates as Sorority Girl
Gary Teague as Food Trailer Patron

Crew

Director Will Bakke
co-writer Michael B. Allen
co-writer Will Bakke
Producer Alex Carroll
Executive Producer Jim Kozlowski
Co-Producer / Executive Producer Richard Toussaint
Executive Producer Barry Twomey
Co-Producer Michael B. Allen
Associate Producer Chuck Anderson
Co-Producer Gary Cogill
Co-Producer Steve Markham
Associate Producer Ron Payne
Co-Producer Sandhya Shardanand
Composer Hanan Townshend
Cinematographer John W. Rutland
Editor Will Bakke
Editor Shane Hazen
Casting Director J.C. Cantu
Production Designer George T. Morrow
Art Director Matt Dayton
Set Decorator Cara Stewart
Costume Designer Lily Walker
Makeup Artist Emma Johnston Burton
Key Hair Stylist / Makeup Artist Tara Cooper
Assistant Makeup & Hair Jessica Isam
Makeup Artist Nicole Schultz
Assistant Director / First Assistant Director Christopher Dufau
Second Second Assistant Director Barrett Farmer
Intern Kelly Cromack
Intern Dave Hernandez
Set Dresser (as Claire White) Claire Prentice
Set Dresser Cara Stewart
Intern Kristina Tijerina
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: International M&E Luke Gibleon
Re-Recording Mixer / Sound Effects Editor Lyman Hardy
Dialogue Editor Chris Keyland
Foley Editor / Foley Mixer Matthew Manselle
Production Sound Mixer Daniel S. McCoy
Boom Operator Karlo Montano
Sound Mixer Martin Pedersen
Post Synchronization: Sound Engineer (German Version) Gordon Rijnders
Boom Operator Akash Singh
Audio Post Producer Allison Turrell
Additional Grip Carlos Boillat
Additional Photography / 1st AC 'B' Camera / 1st AC Steadicam Jordan Bradley
Second Assistant Camera Jacob Bynum
Still Photographer Frankey Dey
Additional Grip / Best Boy Grip Ty Eddingston
Additional Grip / Best Boy Grip Brandon Leger
Assistant Camera / First Assistant Camera Cameron Riddles
Data Manager Greg Risley
Best Boy / Best Boy Electric Justin Seyb
Gaffer Christopher Simpson
Key Grip Pete Stockton
Key Grip Angelo Louis Suasnovar Jr.
Grip Taylor Washington
Steadicam Operator Tim Yoder
Extras Casting Sally Allen
Extras Casting Toni Cobb Brock
Casting Assistant Lacey Gordon
Local Casting Beth Sepko
Extras Casting Coordinator Alexandria Walters
Casting Assistant Travis Zahodnik
Costume Assistant Miriam Jurgensen
Costumer / Set Costumer April Swartz
Digital Intermediate Editor Parke Gregg
Assistant Editor Joe Kozlowski
Location Manager Ari Guerrero
Driver: Honeywagon Steve Smitherman
Colorist Parke Gregg
Digital Intermediate Producer Allison Turrell
Production Attorney Michael Saleman
Set Production Assistant Patrick Zoro Allen
Set Production Assistant Katheryn Cansino
Assistant Production Coordinator Julia Durr
Production Assistant Kenneth Hoot
Set Production Assistant Joe Kozlowski
Set Production Assistant Farhaneh Shirazee
Production Coordinator (as Laura Belle) Laura Wallgren
Production Accountant Don Gillespie
Assistant Property Master (as Charles Robertson) / Props (as Charles Robertson) Brad Robertson
Property Master A.D. Siller
Marketing Department Kaylyn Aznavorian
Intern Jessica Campbell
Social Media Director Amanda Elkanick
Copywriter Austin Meek
Copywriter Josh Myatt
Marketing Lead Henry Proegler
Stand-In (as Chris Proutt) Christopher Proutt
Post-Sync Director (German Version) Gordon Rijnders
Intern Jessie-Kathryn Savery
Videographer Josh Taylor
Intern Jake Wangler
Stand-In (uncredited) Matt Blackwell
Special Thanks Corey Cheek
Special Thanks Gary Ellis
Special Thanks Ryan Fanning
Special Thanks Matt Owen
Special Thanks Larkin Toler
Recognition

Awards & Festivals

  1. New York Times Critics' Pick
  2. Centerpiece selection, Dallas International Film Festival
  3. Official selection: UK International Christian Film Festival
  4. Chicago United Film Festival
  5. Toronto International Christian Film Festival

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