Movie Review: Heaven Is for Real

Heaven Is for Real movie review 2014

Heaven Is for Real is based off a true story in which a 4-year-old child almost dies and later says he went to Heaven. The subject matter was definitely interesting, and I knew going in that the movie would have religious themes, but later I felt a bit cheated, because the trailer makes the film seem Hollywood-esque, and instead, the movie was no better than a Lifetime made-for-TV movie.

Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear) is a pastor, a volunteer firefighter, and has his own business. He and his wife, Sonja (Kelly Reilly), are also raising their two children, Colton and Cassie (Connor Corum and Lane Styles), and they lead a busy life together. One weekend, both children get very sick; Cassie is fine within a few days, but Colton continues to suffer high fevers, and Todd and Sonja bring him to the emergency room, where it's found that he has a ruptured appendix. The staff there is able to save him, but it's after the surgery that things start to get interesting.

I won't lie - parts of this movie are very sad/bittersweet, and had me tearing up during them. However, I'm very surprised that the film wasn't that great, since the cast is comprised of a lot of A-listers: Greg Kinnear and Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) are the parents in it, and Margo Martindale and Thomas Haden Church also have supporting roles. This film would have been better suited for a Hallmark or Lifetime movie, in my opinion, than a Hollywood movie; the script was just so-so, and there were a lot of abrupt cuts and transitions throughout.

Maybe see this film. Like I said before, I found the material to be very interesting, but I thought they could have done so much more with it. At the beginning of the movie, we see a girl painting what looks to be an eye, in Romania, and this doesn't tie in until the very end of the film; I had forgotten all about the girl by then. Kinnear, Martindale, Reilly, and Church give valiant efforts here, but the script is designed to be a tearjerker and overall not very good, so they don't have much to work with. I want to recommend this movie to those who like films about the "great beyond" and who wonder if Heaven really is real or not, but at the same time I feel like there have to be better films out there that you could rent instead of seeing this one in the theater.

Heaven Is for Real is in theaters today, April 16th, and is rated PG with a runtime of 100 minutes. 2.5 stars out of 5.

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading