Heaven Is for Real (2014)

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A movie based on real life events of a sick boy who claims to have died and gone to heaven.If he was hindu he would have seen vishnu and if he was buddhist he would have seen buddha, but this just happens to be another story about a Christian who see Jesus.Blah blah blah...

After reading the book on which this film was based, I was excited to see what this adaptation would be like. I was not disappointed, as director Randall Wallace tells a story that doesn't go over-the-top, yet still manages to capture the wondrous story of Colton Burpo and his family.For a basic plot summary (in case you haven't read the book!), "Heaven Is For Real" recounts the experiences of young Colton Burpo (Connor Corum), who has a near-death experience and claims to have see Heaven, Jesus, and many other experiences that a boy his age should not have known about relating to passed-away relatives and such. Father Todd (Greg Kinnear) and mother Sonja (Kelly Reilly) don't know what to think: are these experiences real, or did they come from the adrenaline-fueled memories of a preachers son?Basically, if you enjoyed the book, I can't see why you wouldn't enjoy this film as well. It is well- acted, filled with emotion, and touches on the same emotional issues that the book delved into. Besides feeling a bit rushed in the end, "Heaven Is For Real" didn't leave me feeling like I was missing any key pieces of the story.Of course, whether or not you believe in God and/or the Burpo's story is central to the emotional components of the film. I believe, and thus it perhaps has a more profound impact on me. I'm not without my doubts, but after reading the book and watching the movie I can't see why this would all just be "made up". But that's a bit off topic for this review. Regardless, one can criticize the subject matter if they wish, but I don't think the adaption/presentation deserves any of that criticism.The bottom line? The story of the Burpo family is quite interesting no matter which way you look at it. It poses one of the great "what if" questions of the universe: what if you could prove that heaven exists? Would it change the way you lived your life? This film does an excellent job of posing those questions while also telling a tale of family, love, and friendship in the process.

There comes a time when we all question Is heaven for real? On most occasions the act of good seems to far fetched to believe in and solace is found the misery of the event. Based on a four year olds anecdotal account of being invited to heaven after a ruptured appendix it is a truly remarkable tale of faith. Faith and hope are two things adults seem to thrive on to wake up each morning and what is extraordinary about the movie is its focus on the father, a pastor, his peeled s and the adults and how they perceive the question. Heaven is for real? A paradoxical question that questions ones own faith, but not of heaven but of existence. We all seek validation and our state of affairs is almost always based on what we believe. What an extraordinary tale to be told. This is not about whether Heaven is for real, but more about is mankind for real?I say this because what is real is what we decide to believe is real. An amazing cast and an splendid performance by Connor Corum. What is a wonderful capture of Connor's performance, who plays young Colyton Burpo, is the innocence and often heightened glee as he strolls through each scene. Almost as if he, during the making of the film was touched by an Angel. This is more than a feel good movie. It brings you to that point questioning not if Heaven is for real- but are you for real?

As a woman of faith, this movie frustrated me. A pastor who struggles with whether or not heaven is real? Whether Jesus exists? Whether or not his kid really went to heaven when he died on the operating table??? Not much of a pastor then. How can someone as lost as this guy lead a congregation? How can a man of no faith (obviously) stand up and preach about the God of the Bible (although I never saw him crack one open the entire show, not even when he was preaching). It is a terrible premise and it was not at all what I expected from this. Although I should have... Hollywood's interpretation of the Bible and what Christians are like is so off the mark 99% of the time. And so it is with this movie.