Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I read the book. The movie would have been needlessly over detailed with the physical suffering the boy went through. I know people who have read the book, they have since passed away. I am convinced this is a major mind changer to people who live with who knows what for their ideas. The book does outline salvation. It does it with love and very non condemning. It offers hope to those like me who have a number of people who have gone before me. Its only ignorance that offers no hope to the suffering and dying. This is a great book, and movie. I hope people's hearts are changed when they see it. It gave me joy and courage.

Having just watched the movie Heaven is for Real I find it to be so true and accurate ! Having experience death three time and seeing the other side and the light with many same experiences that Colton had experienced I find this movie to show and explain the truth of what Colton saw and experienced.This movie was so incredible ! What this movie demonstrated in explaining how and what was seen by Colton was perfect content. I would in my life time enjoy meeting this family and cast someday on my bucket list . Have the opportunity to share each other's life after death experiences. Thank You Brad b-king1@live.com

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.

Heaven is for Real (2014): Dir: Randall Wallace / Cast: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum, Thomas Hayden Church, Margo Martindale: Emotionally charging faith based film that addresses the reality of Heaven vs what is mainly spoken of during church service and taken for granted. Greg Kinnear plays a pastor in a small town. He is married and has a young son and daughter. He is generous with his time, too often putting others ahead of himself thus neglecting tremendous financial responsibilities at home. Central plot regards his son growing sick, taken to hospital and having what is perceived as an out-of-body experience. He survives the surgery but the church congregation grows weary when the boy describes Heaven, angels, and even the loving embrace of Jesus himself. Kinnear struggles to fathom this as even his grandfather is described in his younger form. Kelly Reilly plays his wife who grows frustrated with the unwanted media attention that follows. Connor Corum plays young Colton who is wise beyond his years and seems at peace with his spiritual encounter. Thomas Hayden Church and Margo Martindale steal scenes as members of the church facing their own issues. We eventually discover that their son is deceased and they must come to terms with Kinnear's situation. Randall Wallace does a fine job hinting at the afterlife, dazzling our imaginations without cheating us. Screenplay is flawed by disjointed subplots including Kinnear's broken leg and kidney stone passing that does nothing but hold up the premise. Theme addresses hope through the doorway of death to another reality. Score: 8 / 10