“Love 101: Freshman Class” is a much-needed story for today’s youth! It features classic Bible names for characters in high school who face modern temptations. For example, Leah (Sarah Lejeune) likes her sister Rachel’s (Haleigh Johnson) boyfriend Jacob (Jack Ramsey). Sarah Lejeune does a very good job as Leah, and a lot of the movie is told through her eyes and experiences.
Rachel will not have sex with Jacob, so Leah decides to make herself as pretty as possible and invite Jacob over on a night when her parents are away. Jacob thinks he is going over to see Rachel but when Leah answers and offers him anything he wants, he winds up in her bedroom.
The plot also features a young man named Joseph (Tra’ Norwood) who matches Joseph’s story from the Bible very well. Kia (Shanice Scudder) likes him and tries to tempt him to kiss her and possibly do more than that. Like Joseph in the Bible, this Joseph, a Christian, flees. But Kia, angry over Joseph’s rejection, claims he attempted to rape her so things look bad for him. And when Rachel learns what happened between her sister Leah and Jacob, the mess seems nearly impossible to clean up. But the football coach (Rob Tate) is a support to the kids and a voice of reason to the students. He invites them to attend a youth group meeting, which proves to be life-changing for Leah. The minister states that lust takes, while love gives.
The movie features wonderful themes such as getting a second chance, forgiveness, and making wise decisions. Also, Leah writes at the end that “God is love.” We are pleased to award “Love 101: Freshman Class” our “Faith-Friendly” Seal for ages twelve plus. It could prove to be a valuable tool for young Christian adults everywhere.