Michele's Interesting Life Journey

Bruce Von Stiers

How do you have multiple obstacles thrown your way as you become an adult and come out on top? Having gained some notoriety and then having it tossed away, and still come out okay? To have a solid career path and then choose to move that path in a slightly different direction?

Those questions and more are asked and answered in the drama film, The Prayer List. The film is based on the true story of former Olympic hopeful and doctor, Michele Neil-Sherwood.

The film opens with a young woman who is crying. Apparently, she feels that has lost everything and can't go on. That she can't trust anyone anymore.

The film then moves to a room where Mark and another man are having a conversation. Mark is getting married and Jim is his best man. A woman, Jesse, comes into the room and hands Mark a wrapped cylinder. It is from his bride-to-be, Michele. Mark opens it and finds a list. This list is attributes that Michele hopes to find in her life partner. When Jim asks about why the two of them are made for each other, the film begins with a series of flashback scenes about Michele and her life up to this point.

There is a scene with a pregnant teenage girl and her upset father. Then the birth of her child, who she then must give away. That child is Michele.

Another scene with Mark and Jim transitions into the background story of Michele. Michele Neil is a high school senior. She is about ready to graduate. And she is also about to earn her Blue Belt in Taekwondo. But her life gets upended when her family moves from Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Michele gets involved in a martial arts studio in Tulsa, whose owner is a lech. Later, the studio is chosen as a training facility for a Taekwondo demonstration sport event at the Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

The film continues to move back and forth between the moments before Mark and Michele's wedding ceremony and events in her life up to that point.

Those events include a debilitating injury Michele suffered because of the martial arts studio owner being vindictive after she rebuffs his recurring advances. This is after Michele has won a bunch of tournaments and is ranked nationally in Taekwondo. And how, after befriending a police officer and his wife, she decides to become a doctor.

The film winds down at the end to Mark and Michele getting ready to have the wedding ceremony. But there are many scenes before that segment where the viewer gets to learn how Michele overcame huge obstacles to open her own medical clinic, becoming nationally known for her medical methods and practices, and ultimately meeting Mark, falling in love with him, and getting married.

Mark Sherwood plays himself. Besides being one of the anchors of the Functional Medical Institute, alongside Michele, he has produced and acted in a few films, one of which I recently reviewed, Forgotten Fortune.

Kelsey LaCourse plays Michele Neil. She appeared in the drama film, The Line.

Svetlana Simmons plays Michele later in life when she becomes a doctor. Besides this film, she appeared in an episode of Expanding Your Search & Asking For Directions.

David Tran Nguen plays Master Cho, the lecherous and vindictive martial arts studio owner and instructor. He's played both a masked killer and a police officer. Kayla Williams plays Mel, another martial arts student, and recipient of Cho's unwanted advances. This is her first listed screen credit.

Sarah Ehambe plays Jesse, Michele's best friend and her Maid of Honor. She appeared in the drama, Alejandro.

K.C. Lupp plays Jim, Mark's Best Man. He also appeared in an episode of Expanding Your Search & Asking For Directions.

Lynette Bennett plays Sharon Neil, Michele's mom. IMDB lists The Prayer List as her only screen credit.

Madelyn Federline is Joann, Michele's sister. She was in the comedy The Sneak Over and a few episodes of Centuries Collide. John Fannel plays Terry Neil, Michele's dad. He appeared in an episode of Lone Star Justice and in the family adventure film, The Adventures of Jurassic Pet.

Corbin Pierce plays Brian, a police officer who befriends Michele and helps move her life forward. Cassie Self plays Julie, Brian's wife, and the driving force to help Michele with her life. She co-starred in Forgotten Fortune, a film I recently reviewed.

Brian Shoop plays Dr. Daniels, the head of the clinic that Michele goes to work for as a doctor. He starred in Forgotten Fortune. Lisa Harris is Dr. Conners, another doctor at the clinic. This is her first listed screen credit.

Other actors who appeared in the films include Claire Holt, Wayne McCombs, Kimberly Manning and Lissandro Boccacci.

The film was directed by Stevie Fernandez, Jr. He was the director of Forgotten Fortune. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Sherwood.

The Prayer List is a decent sports-oriented drama. Although it was based on a true story, there seemed to be a few things left out. Michele's mom loses her job in Tulsa, and the family moves back to Minnesota, without her. But why her mom loses the job isn't explained. Neither is an injury her father sustained at work that causes him to be disabled. Also, the Tae Kwon Do matches and training were a bit lame. I know these were just supposed to be representative, but I trained in a Taekwondo school for a while and those scenes in the film just didn't seem to ring true.

Other than the things I mentioned, I felt that the film was pretty good.

The film was produced by the Functional Medical Institute, Full Credit Media and Bridgestone Multimedia Group.

The Prayer List was originally released in 2020. It is now being re-released by Cardinal XD. You can watch the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5TQ0jXVHto

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