‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ Review: Dogged by Dark Memories

The 2018 drama "I Can Only Imagine" — about Bart Millard, the frontman of the Christian contemporary band MercyMe and the making of the mega-hit of the title — concludes with a tender scene between Bart and his dying father, Arthur (Dennis Quaid). Arthur encourages Bart to "catch his dreams" and counsels, "Don't look back." For its sequel, directors Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle, who is also the screenwriter, return to the intervening years.

MercyMe is onstage for the final show of a tour a decade after their chartbuster. Not long after, Bart's son Sam is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and trauma complicates Bart's ability to honor his father's advice. The first finger-stick and injection are hard on everyone.

As Sam (Sammy Dell) grows up, his lax attention to the demands of his condition makes Bart overbearingly vigilant. Milo Ventimiglia portrays Tim Timmons, the singer-songwriter who joins the MercyMe tour as the opening act, and Sam hops aboard the tour bus too.

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