July 28, 2005

-The following is an excerpt from the July, 2005 edition of Fundamentally Fun!!!, a bi-monthly Christian-themed entertainment and lifestyles magazine.

Behind the Making of "The REAL Passion of J. C. Goode"

by Fortis Muckleburry

    A quick look at the entertainment industry's list of the best-selling direct -to-DVD features reveals that the top film in the category remains "The REAL Passion of J.C. Goode" after twenty consecutive weeks in the top spot.  The independent Christian film has taken the jaded, overly commercialized entertainment world by storm.  Its message of faith, salvation, and bedrock middle American Christian family values has clearly struck a chord with the American public far beyond the Evangelical Christian community for which it was made.  Reviewers have described the film as a remake of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" but set in contemporary Little Rock.  It is the tale of J.C. Goode, a humble carpenter from Rogers, Arkansas, who comes to the big city with his band of twelve peaceful, law-abiding biker friends.  As they spread a message of love that will change the world forever, they find adventure at every turn on their way to a fiery jailhouse climax.  Though he is swamped with meetings, publicity tours and sequel (!!!) plans, the film's writer, director, and producer Chester "Junior" Burroughs  found time to speak with Fundamentally Fun!!! about the making of his surprise smash hit film.  Burroughs - who insists that everybody call him Junior - welcomed us into the home studio and editing room that he built in the two garage behind his modest ranch style house in the suburbs of Little Rock.  A large, portly man with a friendly smile and an easy down home manner, Burroughs despite his success remains very much a man of the people, dressed in denim overalls, a John Deere t-shirt, and well-worn humble work boots.  His only nod to his new found success as a film auteur is the jaunty, navy blue beret he wears on his shaggy, balding pate at all times.  After pushing aside a stack of autographed Bibles set to be mailed out to fans, Junior Burroughs invited us to sit down at his overflowing desk to chat about the phenomenon of "The REAL Passion of J.C. Goode."

Fundamentally Fun:  Tell me, Junior, how in the world did you come up with the idea to do a remake of "The Passion of the Christ" in modern day Arkansas?

Junior Burroughs:  First off, we like to say "The REAL Passion of J.C. Goode" is not a remake of "The Passion of the Christ."  Don't get me started yammering about all the lawyers and copyrights and whatnot.  I just like to say that it is a creative re-imaging of the Greatest Story Ever Told.

FF:  I gotcha, Junior.  Anyway, so what got you started making this great movie?

JB:  First, let me tell you about me.  I'm Saved, and my whole life is a Ministry.  That said, I am a sports nut, big time.  Whenever my boys was in high school sports, I would always be the dad at all the games with a videocam shooting hours and hours of footage.  Football, baseball, basketball ... I love it all. But my favorite has always been wrestling.  I even couch some for the Little Rock Evangelical Lions rec team.  Anyway, I had a big match coming up in the regional semi-finals a year ago  for my JV team.  I wanted to get the boys all fired up and filled with the Spirit and ready to fight so I thought I would take the whole squad to see "The Passion of the Christ."  It had just come out, and I'd heard it was flat out sensational, and besides me and the boys just loved them "Lethal Weapon" movies Mel Gibson made.  Anyways, I took this bunch of fourteen year old boys to see "The Passion of the Christ," and if I had to describe my reaction to it in one word it would be disappointed.  You see, I am an assistant deacon in the GUTS Church here in Little Rock.  It is an Evangelical Christian Church teaching the Word to folks.  In case you didn't know, Evangelical Christians live a special life in the Spirit.  Our belief is that it is not enough to just live a good Christian life.  It is our sworn duty to tell all kinds of other people exactly how to live their lives right, too.  Our GUTS Church is all about setting the Spirit on fire.  We call it "the church without walls."  Of course, there are real walls, but what we mean is that everyone is welcome, and I swear sometimes our services are more like a Ted Nugent concert than a prayer meeting what with the ten piece rock band and all the singing and jumping around.  It's not at all like your grandpa's stuffy, old-fashioned church.  We want to reach out to young folks with what we call X-treme worship and teach them that the Word is a life-giving tool that can help you run the race of life and win the Prize.  Well, coming from that background, I couldn't help but find "The Passion of the Christ" disappointing.  Sure, the costumes and sets were all top notch, but what about the message?  Some guy in a dress getting beat up for two hours?  That's not the way I see it at all.  Where's the strength, the guts, the glory, the attitude?

FF:  Those are strong words, Junior.

JB:  The Spirit is strong in me, brother. I walked out of that theater with those boys, and I don't need to tell you we lost that regional semifinal wrestling match.  I decided then and there to make my own film about the REAL Passion of the Christ.  With the limitations on our budget for costumes and sets, I decided to tell the story in modern day times right here in Little Rock.

FF:  It is a timeless story.  Tell me about how your chose your actors.  The cast is - in a word -  powerful.

JB:  It 's no knock on Jim Cazaviel from Mel Gibson's movie, but that fellar didn't look like he worked out at all  to get in shape for the movie.  In my film, we used real men, he-men who aren't afraid to preach the Word loud and strong and with attitude.  Since I didn't know any real actors, I just invited the GUTS Church's Christian Thunder Pro Wrestling Life Squad Team to be in the movie.  Four of these macho guys went All-State and six of them have wrestled professionally on the TV.  I can tell you all twelve of those apostles were completely pumped up and ready to go.  And Jimmy "Juice" Striker was perfect for my J.C. Goode.  Not only can he bench press twice his weight, but he is truly charismatic.  For example, you remember that scene where gets into a rage arguing with the Pharisees/Democrat City Councilmen and he snaps that pugil stick in two over his knee?  That was one take, and it was a real regulation eighteen pound pugil staff, not some phony break away prop stick.  I'll tell you "Juice" Striker is for real.  He's 6'3", weighs 235, and is all man and all Christian.  It may have taken him a little while to get the hang of the acting part down, but every day he came to the set pumped up, oiled up, and ready to throw down on every take. 

FF:  Some people have pointed out that you've taken some liberties with the story.  For example, there really isn't any mention of pugil sticks in the New Testament.  What do you say to these critics?

JB:  Fact is that just like Mel Gibson we used some apocryphal texts, too.  More than that, we wanted our J.C. Goode to show the fire - the REAL passion - that we all feel in our hearts but that sadly didn't come across in the Mel Gibson movie.  So we took some episodes that moved us from the New Testament and modernized them to fit our current day story.

FF:  So how about when J.C. Goode takes out an axe handle and busts up that Pay Day Loans store?

JB:  That's Jesus and the moneychangers.  These Pay Day Loan stores are clip joints, charging 18% a month interest to the good, hard working folks who need a little help.  They're just like those old time evil moneychangers.

FF:  And when J.C. and the apostles trash that corrupt Catholic priest's rectory?

JB:  More of the same, buddy.  Thieves in the temple, and don't even get me started on the Catholic church, brother.

FF:  Now how about that wild party at the apartment complex?  How does that fit in?

JB:  That's the wedding at Galilee,  See, it's this young couple that just got married and are having a rent party to pay for their apartment.  They didn't have no money for a real reception.  Then up cruises J.C. and his gang on their motorcycles.  Well, J.C. tells his right hand man Petey, "Go get them beers out of John -Boy's sidecar."  Then Petey says, "J.C. they're ain't but a sixer of Coors Lite left."  Then J.C. says, "Check again, old buddy."  Next thing you know, Petey and John-Boy are hauling out case after case after case of the Silver Bullet.  Once the party gets rocking as the young couple and all their friends celebrate the holy bond of their marriage, the same thing happens with the food as the apostles keep passing out more and more pizzas and nachos.  Just like the loaves and fishes in olden times.

FF:  I was wondering, theologically speaking, how that long haired Southern rock band fit in.

JB:  "Make a joyful noise," the good book says.  They're a band that's friends with my brother-in-law.  They're called John 3:28 Special, and they're a damn fine Christian rock band.  They just do "Hold On Loosely (to the Lord)" and "Caught Up in You (Jesus)" in the film, but they could have played all night.  They're just a bunch of good old boys mixing Praise with old fashioned redneck rock and roll.

FF:  Now I know that scene where J.C. Goode slaps around the drug dealer and then busts up his meth lab with a tire tool can't be in the New Testament.

JB:  Technically speaking, no.  But they didn't have crack cocaine and speed and heroin back in Bible times.  My take on it is that if they did and Jesus saw some low life selling drugs to kids on a playground in Jerusalem, he would have done just what J.C. Goode did.

FF:  Also, I couldn't help notice J.C. and his followers are on Harleys in nearly every scene.  Is that a symbolic representation of "The Wheels of Faith" turning throughout the movie?

JB:  Yeah, absolutely, that and the fact that Holy Rollers Christian Cycle Shop was our main sponsor for the film.  They let us use all the bikes and the leathers for free for the whole two weeks we took to make the film.  From the first scene where they're freewheeling into Little Rock to the fiery climax at the jailhouse, those bikes represent man's joy in freedom and the American way.

FF:  Speaking of the film's climax in the jailhouse, can you explain exactly what happens?  With all the action and smoke, it is easy to lose track of  what is going on.

JB:  I'd be glad to break it all down for you and your readers.  If you recall, J.C. gets thrown in jail by the cops for disturbing the peace when all the Democratic City Councilmen realize how much trouble he could make for them.  Next thing you know, the Liberal judges say the apostles can't get him out on bail.  It was right about then that the apostles could smell a rat and were planning to bust out J.C. with a backhoe rigged to the rear wall of the jail.  But it was too late.  That's when Sheriff Pilot goes loco and chains J.C. up to the steel bars on the jail door, pours gasoline all over the place, and sets it on fire.  Now I know this is the part where it gets confusing, and it's because my cousin Billy Ray was working the smoke machine that day.  Maybe he got a little caught up with the Spirit, but there was way too much smoke to see what was going on.  Once the jail goes up in flames, Petey and the rest of the crew just know there's no way anyone could live through that fire.  Then come Sunday morning when the flames finally die down they go pick through the ashes and rubble and find the jail door and the handcuffs but no body.  That's when Sheriff Pilot puts out an A.P.B. for J.C. Goode.  Later that evening after dinner, the gang sees J.C.'s Harley start up all by itself and drive off into the sunset, and then they here J.C.'s voice call out, "Y'all be good now, you hear?"

FF: A powerful ending to an important and moving film.  Now tell us, Junior, what is the latest news about this sequel we have been hearing about?

JB:  We're still in the early planning stages, but it is going to happen.  The response to the first film was so strong that we feel people definitely want more.  Heck, there were three "Walking Tall"s and four "Billy Jack"s if you count "Born Losers."  The only question is where do want to go with it.

FF:  I guess a lot of people expect you to follow the New Testament as your guideline as to what happens next to J.C. Goode and his gang.

JB:  That may be, but the thing you need to remember is that I'm Saved and these films are my Ministry so anything I decide to do is right.  Following the Bible might be one way to go, but the power of my Faith means that anything I say or do is right simply because I believe in it whether it is in the Bible or not.

FF:  That must be a great comfort to you.  But you can level with our readers, where do you think you will go with the next movie?  Will it be a prequel, a sequel or something completely different?

JB:  Well, we've been fooling around with some tried and true follow up ideas.  There's "The REAL Passion of J.C. Goode 2:  Apocalypse Now."  That one's based on the Book of Revelations.  Then there's "J.C. Goode Strikes Back," and that one's a straight up popcorn action film.  There's "J.C. Goode T.N.T.", "J.C. Goode Goes to Africa," and "J.C. Goode Takes Manhattan," which all look like fun.  My current favorite is "J.C. Goode:  Full Throttle to Heaven."  But don't you worry, whatever way we go you can tell your readers that the long haired, chopper riding, carpenter from Rogers, Arkansas will be back again with attitude to spare!