Good idea lost in the noise

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

From my own particular, point of view, I think we should divide this movie in 2 parts: The first of these being the "movie", decent but not the best acting, bad directing, bad takes, bad, bad, bad... I've seen great movies about Cancer, and some of those are great, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" "50/50", those are great MOVIES. Now the story, well, that's something else, if you're looking for an inspiring not great acted movie, this is for you, since this is a true story, you're in for a "great, trip of emotions" and at the end you should be able to make sense to it. In general I felt really bored during the whole thing, but that's just me, I think there are some people, especially those who have interest in the subject, who really will enjoy it, and will avoid the "criticizing".

Tyler Doherty (Tanner Maguire) is an eight-year-old boy suffering from brain cancer. In order to cope with his illness, he frequently writes letters addressed to God, mailing them and hoping he receives his transcribed prayers to relieve him and his parents from his sickness. The challenge for the mailman is what exactly to do with the letters. The mailman, in this case, is Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnson), an alcoholic who replaces Tyler's once-loyal mailman. Right off the bat, you have your case studies for a wholesome, family-friendly Christian film.The wholesome film in question is Letters to God, which takes two real-life, relatable stories and degrades them with the kind of weepy, melodramatic screen writing that feels less like an emotional experience and more like a forceful extraction of tears from your tearducts. We weave in and out of each character's story, following Tyler's daily struggle of assimilating back into school after a two month absence and his relationship with a young, pretty girl named Samantha Perryfield (Bailee Madison) develop. Madison works to steal every scene she's in, with her ample amounts of energy, her illuminating smile, and her ability to add the most passable emotional leverage to a film already soaked to the marrow in dreary simplification and cheap, emotional manipulation.Letters to God caters to the demographic I've long wrote about when discussing contemporary Christian cinema, which is the kind of people that seek out these films and will love them no matter how abysmal the story, how incredulous the situational drama, or how ridiculous the dialog. They want to see their faith personified on screen by people they view are as wholesome as they are, and it doesn't matter whether or not there's a sole convincing scene in the film. As long as the film namedrops God and Jesus, has some scenes that involve prayer, and continue to abide by a god-fearing playbook, the core audience will be satisfied and the film will be classifiable as a sleeper hit, with more of its kind turning up as the years go on.The film, however, manages to offer slightly more interesting family drama than the genre is used to seeing. Consider Tyler's brother, played by Michael Bolten (take note of the spelling of the last name before you jump to conclusions), who is sick of watching his mother (Robyn Lively) continuously stress about how Tyler's condition, to the point where neither her nor anyone else living under the same roof can enjoy their own anymore. A scene occurs later in the film that shows the character frustrated, venting about how he wishes life can go back to the way it was, without all the talk about MRIs and nervous, late-night trips to the hospital. Scenes like this one can appreciate because they are unexpected and break from the tiresome playbook of Christian-filmmaking in the regard that they provide us with some realistic scenarios. Not to mention, it's one of the only moments in the film where God isn't given a shoutout at least once every sentence.Reading this review, you may think I loathe Christian cinema and detest every product it has produced in recent years. This couldn't be further from the truth. I am always intrigued by the genre, making an effort to watch many of its films and developing an understanding for its characters and its situations, and often, am surprised in one way or another by what it can do with what little budget it has. Letters to God, however, isn't interested in creating a story that predicates itself off of acting and scenarios one can find themselves invested in. It cares about cheapening the gospel and milking it for all the sentimentality its worth. The core audience at hand deserves much better than what this film can give them.Starring: Tanner Maguire, Jeffrey Johnson, Robyn Lively, Bailee Madison, and Michael Bolten. Directed by: David Nixon and Patrick Doughtie.

My whole family, husband, 13yo daughter, and 10yo son loved the movie. Appreciated the positive message and real life summaries at the end. My son normally likes only action movies, but wanted to buy this one (we watched on Netflix) after the movie was over. A friend of ours has a young son battling cancer - this story was more personal to us as a result. Considering the budget for the movie, it was well-acted, great script, riveting. While the movie had a Christian message, it is based on a true story about the life of a Christian boy and how he impacted others. Regarding the negative reviews because of the Christian content, I wish there was similar outrage over foul language and the pervasive sexuality in nearly every movie that comes out of Hollywood. I was hesitant to watch this movie because of the low reviews, but my daughter's friends had seen it and said it was good, so I agreed to watch it. So glad I did. Will recommend to everyone - just make sure to have a tissue box nearby - it is a tear jerker throughout.

I think the reason for many negative reviews is answered in the movie. After 40 minutes there is a scene where the grandfather explains to the sick boy why he is teased. Because the way he lives his life, brave in the face of adversity, forces those around him to take a look at their own lives "and that's why they make fun of you..." The admonition to live a good life is more than some can take hence the common refrain "don't force religion down my throat" which really means "don't tell me I'm not living right." The sad fact is none of us are perfect, but sadder still is how few are willing to admit it, and ever fewer are willing to change. As for me, this silly, sappy, poorly acted movie has convicted me that I need to change the way I live. I need to live right. And I know I am going to be made fun of.