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Heaven Is for Real

Play trailer Poster for Heaven Is for Real PG Released Apr 16, 2014 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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52% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Small-town businessman, pastor and volunteer firefighter Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear) and his wife, Sonja (Kelly Reilly), are struggling to make ends meet during a tough year. After their young son, Colton (Connor Corum), undergoes emergency surgery, Todd and Sonja are overjoyed at the child's miraculous recovery. However, the Burpos are unprepared for what happens next -- Colton says that he went to heaven and back, and tells his parents things that he couldn't possibly know.
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Critics Consensus

Heaven Is for Real boasts a well-written screenplay and a talented cast, but overextends itself with heavy-handed sequences depicting concepts it could have trusted the audience to take on faith.

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Critics Reviews

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Mike McCahill Guardian This latest spot of cinevangelism at least sports a theatrical heft ... May 29, 2014 Full Review Stephen Farber Hollywood Reporter Unlikely to convert any skeptics, but if they wander into the multiplex, they'll find that that the prettily photographed sermon goes down easily. May 15, 2014 Full Review Steve Davis Austin Chronicle It's not great filmmaking, or even good filmmaking for that matter, but you may find yourself saying "Amen" nevertheless. Rated: 2/5 Apr 24, 2014 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 2014 is proving to be the year that faith-based cinema is breaking out of its credible indie vibe and sweeping into wide release mode. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 10, 2020 Full Review Sarah Knight Adamson Sarah's Backstage Pass The script stumbles a few times and is a bit too wordy, but the strong acting makes up for it. This is a feel-good family film that just may cause you to shed a tear or two... Rated: 3/4 Jan 22, 2020 Full Review Paula Fleri-Soler Times of Malta Despite its many good points, Heaven is for Real can't escape its limitations, and does at times feel like a TV movie of the week. It is an intriguing story, yet it fails to analyze the issues at hand in any depth. Mar 5, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mike F Loved it. Very faith provoking. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Luca H If you don't believe this kid, you're cruel. How can a literal 4-year-old explain Heaven and Jesus in a "Harvard-like" way? He knew things that were quoted from The Bible itself. Despite his father being a pastor, he did not teach his kid about everything just yet, due to his age. And how did Colton know that his dad and mom were in separate rooms and he knew what each of them were doing when he was "dead"? And that he knew his dead sister that the parents told no one about. You can't make that stuff up. Even though you should have faith, this proves that HEAVEN IS FOR REAL and Jesus Christ is the ONLY TRUE KING! John 14:1 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/11/24 Full Review Michael L Before coming to Rotten Tomatoes to leave my rating for this film, I told myself the critical consensus would be low, and low and behold I was right. Sure, there is some measure of heavy handed religious undertones, but the story, the family and the thought of a better existence beyond this one should captivate anyone with an open mind. Films like this are in short supply these days. I loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Jeff M I'm still waiting for a truly great faith-based movie to be made - one whose quality is as good as its intentions. This isn't it, but it's better than most and possesses just enough positive aspects to give it a slight recommendation. My theory is that filmmakers of this genre are afraid to do anything to antagonize their intended audience, so they play it way too safe. They don't feel like real life - even the bad times portrayed seem to have a sheen about them that doesn't feel true. This film is blessed to have a rather decent cast, even a couple Oscar nominees and Emmy winners, so they are able to do more with the material than actors of lesser caliber. And naturally your faith (or lack thereof) will play a big part in your acceptance of what happens here. I find the subject intrinsically interesting and wished they had delved more into the argument between those who believe what the boy says happened versus those who can give a number of scientific hypothoses to disprove him. But in the end, I was caught up in the story most of the time, and it did give me lots to think about afterwards. I just wish the filmmakers were willing to get their hands dirty a bit more and not be afraid to add a little more realism and grit to what they're doing. I understand the audience for this movie isn't necessarily interested in the quality of the film but rather the message; and I respect that. As a movie lover, though, I can't help but want at least a little bit more. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review Leticia S Ruim. Filme de crente é tudo ruim. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/30/23 Full Review Jajuan S i love this movie it was amazing! What makes it more amazing is that it's based on a true story gotta give 5 stars for this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Heaven Is for Real

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Small-town businessman, pastor and volunteer firefighter Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear) and his wife, Sonja (Kelly Reilly), are struggling to make ends meet during a tough year. After their young son, Colton (Connor Corum), undergoes emergency surgery, Todd and Sonja are overjoyed at the child's miraculous recovery. However, the Burpos are unprepared for what happens next -- Colton says that he went to heaven and back, and tells his parents things that he couldn't possibly know.
Director
Randall Wallace
Producer
Joe Roth, T. D. Jakes
Screenwriter
Randall Wallace, Chris Parker
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Screen Gems, Roth Films, TriStar Pictures, T.D. Jakes Ministries
Rating
PG (Thematic Material|Some Medical Situations)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 16, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$91.4M
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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