Review of Heaven Is for Real (2014) by Lorraine R — 22 Jul 2014

Loved this film. Connor Corum should get an academy award! I taught preschool for years and I know how difficult it is to keep kids from hamming it up in front of a camera. Adults tell me the hardest thing to do in front of a camera is to act natural.

This kid convinced me that he had that experience. I was impressed by the way he paused before answering a question about heaven and allowed himself to "remember" and his face transformed with bliss just before he gave a simple answer in believable "kid talk" style.

Critics seem to feel that Christian films need to be believed to be valid. I enjoyed musical films without believing that folks burst into song or dance in real life. I can enjoy Harry Potter without believing in witchcraft.

It is called "suspension of disbelief" and it means a film requires the audience to "buy into" its premise ESPECIALLY if it is unbelievable. Examples of successful but unbelievable films include Superman (and all other superhero films), vampire flicks (like Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter), Face Off which imagined people could trade faces.

You get my point? We go to the movies to be entertained. It is neither Church nor rocket science. I loved it. No excessive sex or violence, just a look at a problem faced by a real family told simply and with genuine charm.

I paid to see it in the theater and I am buying it on DVD to share with people who missed it in theaters. Critics missed the point. When you see a film you either enjoy it or you don't. This is not about dogma.

It is a tale about a child teaching his father a lesson that the dad was teaching others without getting it himself. It has my vote for feel good movie of 2014.