Heaven Is for Real
Tags: christian film

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens in Lithuania, with a young girl starting to paint a portrait. The story then shifts to Imperial, Nebraska where Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear) is installing a garage door for a warehouse. In addition to that job, Todd is also the high school wrestling coach, a volunteer firefighter, and the pastor of the local Wesleyan church. He is currently on medical leave from the church after breaking his leg in a softball game and suffering from numerous kidney stones. Despite their financial burdens, Todd's wife Sonja (Kelly Reilly) insists on taking a family trip to Denver with their children Cassie and Colton (Connor Corum, in his film debut). In Denver, they visit a butterfly and spider sanctuary, where Cassie holds a tarantula but Colton is too afraid. On the way home, both Cassie and Colton become sick. Days later, Cassie has recovered, but Colton's fever is still rising. They take him to the hospital, where the doctors tell Todd and Sonja that Colton's appendix has ruptured and needs emergency surgery. They also tell the Burpo's to prepare for the worst. While Colton is on the operating room table, Sonja is calling friends asking for prayer while Todd is in the hospital chapel. There, Todd yells at God for testing his faith by putting him through so much misery and accepting it, but trying to take his son is going too far. Later, after what the doctors describe as a miracle, Colton survives the operation and eventually makes a full recovery.Colton tells his dad that he is no longer afraid of anything and wants to hold that spider, so Todd and Colton return to Denver just to do that. Afterwards, they are at a playground and Todd asks Colton what changed his mind about the spider. This is where Colton first reveals that he went to Heaven and met Jesus. Colton says that he left his body during the operation, saw his parents in the two different rooms, and went to the church. He entered it and saw the entrance to Heaven. Jesus then comes along side of Colton and they enter Heaven to the sights and sounds of angels singing. Todd is stunned by what he hears, and upon returning home tells Sonja what he said. They go to Colton and ask him if he is sure it was Heaven and Jesus he saw. Colton says yes, and begins to describe aspects of Heaven that are scripturally accurate, such as the multi-colored horse that Jesus will ride on the day of His return, and the wounds on Jesus' hands and feet. He also told Colton that everything will be alright and he has nothing to be afraid of anymore. Colton then says the pictures of Jesus they have in their home don't look like him.Now back at work as a pastor, Todd reveals to the congregation what Colton told him, and soon word spreads throughout the town about Colton's trip to Heaven. The family is even interviewed by the local newspaper. Some people in town are skeptical of his story, and Cassie is even picked on at school about it. She responds by punching out the two bullies who were making fun of Colton, which Todd later learns about but decides not to punish her. Meanwhile, Todd is having trouble accepting that his son went to Heaven, and seeks advice from his friends and even a psychologist as to alternate explanations. The psychologist gives a scientific explanation as to what happens when someone is about to die, and says that Colton was hallucinating. Sonja is also having trouble accepting what Colton says. She believes that he is combining several different stories he has heard throughout his life. At this time the church board has a meeting with Todd, led by the church organist Nancy (Margo Martindale) and church elder and Todd's best friend Jim (Thomas Haden Church). They tell him that Colton's story could split the church and they can't have that. His job could also be in jeopardy if the split happens.After attending the funeral of a local man who died in a fire, Colton tells his dad that he met Pop, Todd's grandfather. Back at home, Todd pulls out a picture of Pop as an old man. Colton says that's not who he saw. Nobody in Heaven is old or wears glasses. Todd then finds a older picture of Pop as a young man without glasses, and Colton says that is the man he saw. Since Colton had never seen a picture of Pop, Todd starts to finally believe that Colton was not hallucinating what he saw. Later, Colton tells Sonja that he met his other sister in Heaven, the one that Sonja miscarried years ago. He described her as looking just like Cassie, but a little shorter and having her mom's hair color. Since neither Sonja nor Todd ever told Colton about her miscarriage, they are now convinced that he did indeed go to Heaven.By this time, Colton's story is becoming national news, and Todd is ambushed by a phone call from a radio station asking him on the air if Colton's story is true. Todd responds by saying that anyone who wants to know should come to their church next Sunday. But before that happens, Todd goes to the cemetery to place flowers at a grave site. It's the grave of Nancy's son who was killed in Afghanistan several years ago. Nancy sees Todd at the cemetery and they have a talk. She tells Todd that she is turning into the bitter woman she vowed never to become and is not mad at Todd, but at God for allowing his son to live and her son to die. Todd tells her that God does not love him any more than He loves her and there is a reason that God allowed Colton to return. Nancy and Todd then embrace and she implies that his job is safe.That Sunday, in front of a packed house, Todd tells what the family has gone through since the operation. With the congregation nearly in tears, he proclaims that he truly believes that his son went to Heaven. Sonja then gets up and hugs Todd, followed by their kids and then the entire congregation. The final scenes show the Burpo's at home. Todd is watching a news report about a girl on the other side of the world who had a similar experience to Colton. This is the young Lithuanian girl from the beginning of the movie, and she painted a portrait of Jesus that doesn't look like any other picture of Him. Colton sees the painting and his jaw drops. He tells his dad that painting is of the Jesus he saw in Heaven.The movie then ends with title cards saying that Todd is still the pastor of the church in Nebraska, the Burpo's have had another son, and Colton is now a teenager, but Cassie says he is no angel.

Review: This movie does an excellent job of sharing important information about the very real issues that near death experiences (NDEs) bring up.
This one leaves it open to interpretation whether little 4-year-old Colton Burpo actually experienced a trip to heaven while he was unconscious on the operating table at death's doorstep with a burst appendix.The Burpos are presented as being among the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, and not in any "holier than thou" sense but as solid, down-to-Earth working folk, a kind, loving, and happy family.
He wears a work shirt and sits in the pews with the other congregants while the church service is doing other things, like Bible readings or singing led by Todd's wife Sonja.The skeptical attitude is clearly articulated by several different characters in the film, including Todd Burpo himself, who's obviously having trouble wrestling with and reacting to what his son has been saying about his brief sojourn in heaven.
And the conclusion is not some grand revelation or depiction of the "real" heaven but rather an informal sermon in which Todd (well played by Greg Kinnear) talks thru his uncertainties and tells his fellow congregants that "on Earth as it is in heaven" means that we should each value the little bit of heaven we share when we appreciate the people who love us.Frankly, an avowed humanist couldn't have put it much better.Still, there's the obvious fact that little Colton has been drenched in religion for almost his entire waking life, and that such total immersion surely accounts for everything he claims to have seen.
I loved this movie because i think it speaks to each and every one of us, to me it gives me hope that there is something wonderful out there besides the chaos of the world we live in, where all people do is fight, and cheat and lie and hate, where we steal from one another, kill one another etc.
"Heaven Is For Real" is a fantastic movie that people of all religions and walks of life will appreciate!
If you would like to see it for yourself – you have to watch the film.My favorite scene is right before the little boy gets sick.
As most of what we watch on television these days is fictitious anyways it shouldn't matter what the subject matter of the movie is as long as it is good.Now in the case of - 'Heaven Is for Real', I found the movie moving and very emotional.
And I don't say this because I'm an atheist or agnostic or something even remotely similar to a person who doesn't believe in God. I say this as a Christian who feels sick at the exasperating depths some sorry examples of filmmakers, writers, or other artists go to just to propagate their religious beliefs, and their incessant need to brainwash people into sharing their beliefs.What's even more stupefying is the fact that millions of Christians not only revel in this manipulative drivel, but also, somehow, feel that such gibberish actually serves to strengthen their faith (just check out the box-office numbers of "Heaven is for Real"); like you need a poor excuse of a film to make you believe in something you already claim to show steadfast solidarity to.I guess that as long as they are convinced that such inane and sensationalized pieces masquerading in the guise of art serve to brainwash others who don't share their faith, they'll keep choosing to not even apply an iota of basic common sense while viewing or reading such topics..
Kind of like when you know it's too good to be true, or when you start to watch a movie and it's just way too predictable.
The family and the church, despite their leanings towards the belief in the existence of heaven, start doubting the experience but their lives change in different ways due to the event.
Although this is an interesting story and has good performances, especially by Kinnear, the movie leaves you with a kind of so-what feeling.
They don't actually make us believe in the existence of heaven (or hell), but the good thing about the movie is that, they've kept an effort to show how the world would react when something extraordinary happens.
'HEAVEN IS FOR REAL': Two Stars (Out of Five) Drama film based on the best-selling 2010 Christian book of the same name (by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent) about a four-year-old boy who claims to have visited Heaven, when he had a near-death experience while having emergency surgery.
I've liked most of Wallace's work (and Kinnear's as well) but I didn't enjoy this movie much at all.Todd Burpo (Kinnear) was a financially struggling pastor, in a small town in Nebraska, when his four-year-old son Colton (Corum) nearly died in emergency surgery.
No one believes Colton's stories except his father but Todd is determined to 'spread the word'.I was raised catholic and am a very spiritual person; so I don't have any problems with religiously themed movies (when they're done right) but movies like this seem like they're mocking and patronizing churchgoers more than anything else.
I could even write a book about it, in collaboration with my wife, claiming that the boy magically learned Pokemon names without any coaching--despite the fact that I'm in the Pokemon business and the ubiquity of Pokemon merchandise around the house.Then we could make a movie about it, and tell all our friends who also work in the Pokemon field to give it 10/10 reviews on IMDb, merely for the fact that it propels Pokemon.All this, proving once again that miracles DO happen.
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.
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.
This is based upon a true story.At 4-yrs of age Colton Burpo (Connor Corum) has a near death experience and later claims to have been in Heaven, and saw Jesus, Angels and some family members.
That's s what Jesus looks like." Akiane is that young girl mentioned above and she is a real person (I looked her up on Wikipedia) who says she was told, by Jesus when she was 4-yrs of age, to continue her painting of images in Heaven.I found the acting performances to be okay, but gave slack to some because my focus was on what Colton saw and didn't care if some didn't give an Oscar Worthy performance.
Not only did he sometimes talk like an adult, at other times barely got the words out, but his nervous spastic ticks, and infantile smiles (was that supposed to be the smile of an enlightened one?) made me gag.The film ITSELF is doubtful of the child's claims to have seen Jesus and gone to heaven (he didn't even die) but without any further real evidence, chooses to say what the heck, if the kids says he went to heaven, he must have, because kids don't make up stories that good..The movie touches on the exact reasoning that would negate such claims.The fact that the child was the son of a minister, living in a deeply religious household.
The father, rather than have the kid pick out the grandfather's photo from a bunch of random photos (like a detective would) He practically shoves a photo of the grandfather in the kid's face and saying, "is that him, are you sure..?" About the same way overzealous social workers get kids to claim whole neighborhoods of satanic child abuse.Even if you accept that the kid saw things like his dad praying, or the operating table while undergoing surgery, it could be untapped ESP at best...no proof for visiting heaven.The main point of the movie as I saw it was that after all is said and done...it is a matter of faith...curiously, that is what religion has been about since the beginning of mankind, so after 2 hrs.
other than not believing the story being told in the movie the whole thing is just boring with bad acting and a bad script without any remarkable scene or dialog.
He disappears beautifully into the part of Pastor Todd Burpo, real-life father of the little boy who experienced heaven during an emergency operation.
The drama of how Faith and Love empower the human spirit was inspirational, and I left the theater feeling better than when I entered.The young actor who played Todd's son, Colton Burpo, was absolutely perfect in the portrayal of the awesomeness of his experience combined with the everyday desires of a four- year-old.
Come on producers, writers and directors, if you have the faith to make the movie, do it right and tell people that the Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life; NO ONE comes to the Father (who is in Heaven), except through Jesus (John 14:6).
if you haven't watched this movie yet think about how you think how heaven would look like and compare it with this kid and you will know what I'm talking about ....
At the end of the day, the director made a poor movie with a great concept, but I would read the book after learning about this unique experience from such a little child.
Having just watched the movie Heaven is for Real I find it to be so true and accurate !
His parents Preacher Todd Burpo(Greg Kinear) and Sonja(Kelly Reilly) are not sure what to believe.Next to Son of God, this is the best film of 2014.
This does not feel like a film, it feels like i'm watching something in real time, and the actors are the real people, cause this is based on a true story.
People are free to take from that story whatever they feel is believable or necessary.Every character comes across as real, not like other high sap faith based "goody-two-shoes" films.
I actually like true to life stories in movies vs.
Based on the bestselling book by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and adapted for the screen by Wallace and Chris Parker, the film dramatizes the near-death experience of then four-year-old Colton (Conner Corum) during surgery for a ruptured appendix as told to his father Todd (Greg Kinnear), a local pastor and volunteer fireman in rural Nebraska.According to young Colton, during his surgery he could look down and see his body on the operating table, see his father venting his anger at God in an adjacent room and his mother Sonja (Kelly Reilly) talking on the phone.
More surprisingly, Colton says that he met his grandfather whom he identified from an old picture and a second sister who died in a miscarriage many years ago even though he had never been told about her.Todd, who had a rough year, fracturing his leg playing baseball, enduring a bout of kidney stones, and struggling to make ends meet financially, is uncertain how to deal with his son's story and the family's reaction captures the fear and confusion that many adults have when children know or see more than we think they should.
Unfamiliar with children's near-death experiences, he does some research on the Internet and visits a psychology professor at the university (Nancy Sorel), but she offers little insight.While Heaven is for Real can be moving and strives to maintain a balance, it is too simplistic in its depiction of a powerful and mysterious experience as just another feel-good story that reinforces Christian beliefs.
Similarly, Corum is very convincing and rarely awkward as the little boy with the unusual story.While it is definitely told from a Christian point of view, to its credit, the film's focus is less on religion than on the effect of Colton's NDE on the community and the bond between father and son.
Man is the great abyss." Henri Frederic AmielHeaven Is for Real is the real-life experience of a 4 year-old boy, Colton Burpo (Connor Corum), who had a near death experience that took him to Heaven and back by the time his operation for a ruptured appendix was complete and successful.
But at that, it's never strident--it happily includes a couple of outright agnostics challenging the reality of the unreal vision to keep it in line with the skepticism many have about extreme Christian claims.Heaven Is for Real does a credible job showing the intimate relationships of a small heartland town, never more alive than when it tumbles about with questions of faith, the good life, and death.
However its depictions of heaven as a light source with winged angels hovering about seems silly.The film's real limitation is not getting away from the small matters of familial life and actually grappling with the epistemological questions the boy's experience induces.
It took a little while for the movie to get to the main point of the story about the young boy who gets a chance of a life time and meets Jesus and God.However, once after that happens, the movie is great.
That was until his four-year-old Colton (Connor Corum)was stricken by infirmity.In the hospital chapel, Todd questions God's action, pleading to take him instead.Miraculously, Colton pulls through, but something about him is different.Confessing to have traveled to Heaven while under sedation, Colt recants for his family the folks he met there, including his great-grand father, his unborn sister, and Jesus Christ.
One kid may be a miracle in Heaven Is for Real.In a small town in Nebraska, a local Christian pastor Todd Burpo (played by Greg Kinnear) does his best to bring people back to his church to talk about the importance of faith in the worst of times.
Todd needs to consider what's better; that his son had a hallucination or whether he really just proved that there is an afterlife.When I went in to Heaven Is for Real, I thought that this was going to be another preachy, made- for-TV quality film that was made to please Christian audiences.
Speaking of exploration, I was hoping that more people like scientists, philosophers or other religious leaders would come in to explore their thoughts on a little boy seeing heaven.
Heaven Is for Real will get a lot of re screening as churches and will certainly find a family friendly audience, but if the movie was willing to take a risker look, then I would have liked this better.
Only time will tell if there will be more films about religion down the road.Based off the best selling novel of the same name, Heaven for Real is the true story of Colton Burpo who went through emergency surgery in 2003 and went on a magical journey through heaven during it.
You literally leave the theater knowing as much as you did coming in.Maybe this movie found its audience and I would think most religious people would like it but Heaven for Real is lousy beyond belief.
No matter what you or I think of the movie that doesn't change that there is still a family that you DO NOT KNOW, that do believe this happened.
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....
It is like that in all movies that are based on true stories.
Just a heads up,I am in no way a religious person.I don't belong to a certain church,have any specific beliefs,or see any group as being superior to another.This is a movie review with my thoughts and opinions on this film and nothing more.ANYWAYS, Heaven is For Real is a movie based on the fascinating true story of the Burpo family.
Most everybody who has heard of this movie knows what the subject matter is: a young child has a near death experience, and later relates what he saw during this experience, which sounds like a description of heaven.
The little boy is the one that experiences that heaven is real because of a near death experience but I'm not going to tell you anymore about what they experience were if you want to know that you will have to watch the movie yourself.
Way to go Hollywood for releasing an amazing story of faith & Heaven from the innocence of a little boy who got a "glimpse" of life after death!
There are millions of Christians world-wide who believe in Heaven & audiences want to see more movies like this.
I am a Christian but still had some doubts, prior to reading the book, as to if this little boy had actually visited heaven or was just repeating some of the wonderful bible stories he's learned in Sunday school and of course a pastor as his dad.
Acting in "Heaven Is for Real" was nice, with Greg Kinnear doing a great job of portraying an everyday man, but Thomas Haden Church wasn't that good i think, i think i could see it in his eyes, he was screaming out loud "This is a Christian movie!".