Heaven is For Real in Theaters April 16

Last month my husband and I ventured to Tampa for a screening of the movie “Heaven is For Real”. I am not one of the millions of people who have read this book, in all honesty I hadn’t even heard of the book. As a Christian I believe heaven is for real and the topic of the movie, coupled with a great cast intrigued me enough to check it out.

About Heaven is For Real

From the international bestseller, and with an impressive Hollywood creative team and cast, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL–the spellbinding story of 4-year-old Colton Burpo’s trip to Heaven . . . and back–comes to theaters April 16, 2014.

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.

Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® winner Greg Kinnear (AS GOOD AS IT GETS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, WE WERE SOLDIERS) stars as Todd Burpo.

“What appealed to me most at the end of the day is that Randy (director and co-writer Randall Wallace) had tackled this very human story and the eternal question everyone has about what comes after,” said Kinnear. “Whatever your feelings on the afterlife–even in your current life, right here, right now–there is this beauty all around you that’s been nicely captured for this film through the eyes of a little boy. If you don’t have any personal inspiration, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL will give you some.”

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

The story is interesting but rather slow-moving. I appreciated the fact that Pastor Burpo struggled to believe what his son was telling him. We, as Christians say we believe everything in the Bible but when push comes to shove many don’t have the foundation to stand strong in all that God’s Word tells us. We are human and thus we are fallible our faith is not yet perfected. The best part of this movie was its 5 yo star, Connor Corum. I don’t think anyone could have played this role more convincingly, except maybe Colton Burpo himself. Young Connor truly became his character and he was amazing to watch. Unfortunately, the adult characters in the movie felt too thin and underdeveloped. Where Connor shined the “all star cast” faded.

I am impressed that this is a Christian themed movie produced and directed for Christians by a non-Christians. I think Hollywood is seeing that there is not just room in the space, but Christians are demanding movies that are clean and wholesome. I have had the privilege of screening 4 Christian films so far this year and for me, two were phenomenal, one was mediocre and this one wasn’t great. tay tuned because the best one so far arrived in theaters in May!

In a nutshell, save your money and wait for “Heaven is For Real” to arrive at your local Redbox or streaming service. If you have seen the movie and would like to share your thoughts about it with me, I’d love to chat with you. Leave me a comment below.