Heaven Is for Realis a 2014 AmericanChristiandramafilm written and directed byRandall Wallaceand co-written by Christopher Parker, based on the 2010 bookHeaven Is for Realby Pastor Todd Burpo andLynn Vincent.The film starsGreg Kinnear,Kelly Reilly,Connor Corum,Margo Martindale,andThomas Haden Church.[3]
| Heaven Is for Real | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Randall Wallace |
| Screenplay by | Randall Wallace Christopher Parker |
| Based on | Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpo andLynn Vincent |
| Produced by | Joe Roth T. D. Jakes DeVon Franklin |
| Starring | Greg Kinnear Kelly Reilly Connor Corum Margo Martindale Thomas Haden Church |
| Cinematography | Dean Semler |
| Edited by | John Wright |
| Music by | Nick Glennie-Smith |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million[2] |
| Box office | $101.9 million[2] |
The film has received mixed critical reviews, but nevertheless was a box office success, grossing $101 million against a $12 million budget, becoming thesecond-highest grossing Christian film of all time.[4]
Plot
editFour-year-old Colton Burpo is the son of Todd Burpo,pastorof CrossroadsWesleyan ChurchinImperial, Nebraska.Colton says he experiencedHeavenduring an emergency surgery after havingacute appendicitis.He describes to his incredulous family about having seen the surgeon operating on his ruptured appendix, his mother calling people in the waiting room to pray, and his father in another room yelling atGodto not let him die. He also speaks of incidents with people he never met or knew about: meeting a great-grandfather who had died long before he was born, an unborn sister he never knew about who had died in amiscarriage,and having metJesus.
Colton speaks about his experiences in Heaven, and Todd is faced with the dilemma of determining the legitimacy of his son's experience. Todd's wariness about discussing the situation erodes the confidence of the board members of his church, and he is contacted by several members of the media. When Todd is called by a radio station for an impromptu on-air interview, he invites them to attend his sermon the following Sunday. At church, he preaches about his son's experiences and reveals his support for him.
Following the events at the church, Todd is doing research on theInternetand finds a story about aLithuanian girlwho had a similar experience. Her recall of Jesus was identical to that of Colton. Todd tries to speak to Colton further about the experience but he is interrupted by his wife revealing that she is pregnant with their third child. Photos of Colton and his family are shown in the present day.
Cast
edit- Connor Corum as Colton Burpo
- Greg Kinnearas Todd Burpo, a small-town pastor in Nebraska[5]
- Kelly Reillyas Sonja Burpo, Burpo's wife[6]
- Lane Styles as Cassie Burpo, Burpo's daughter and Colton's sister
- Margo Martindaleas Nancy Rawling
- Thomas Haden Churchas Jay Wilkins[3]
- Mike Mohrhardt asJesus
- Ali Tataryn as Angel
- Ina Barron as Angel
- Jacob Vargasas Michael
- Nancy Sorelas Dr. Charlotte Slater
- Danso Gordon as Ray
- Darcy Fehras Lee Watson
- Amber Lynn Partridge as The Zookeeper
- Kevin Andersonas Mr. Baxter
Production and development
editIn May 2011,Sony Picturesacquired the film rights of the bookHeaven Is for Real.It was announced thatJoe Rothwould be producing the film withT. D. Jakesfor theTriStar Picturesdivision of Sony Pictures.[7]On August 23, 2012,Braveheartwriter andSecretariatdirectorRandall Wallacesigned on to direct.[8]
On March 19, 2013, it was announced thatGreg Kinnearwas in talks to star, and he later joined the cast.[5]On April 15, 2013, actressKelly Reillyjoined the film.[6]
On July 17, it was reported that composerNick Glennie-Smithwould score the film,[9]and behind the scenes, the director of photography wasDean Semler.[10]
Shootingbegan in the last week of July 2013 inSelkirk,Manitoba.[3]
Release
editThe film was released on April 16, 2014 and held a 3,048 theater count through its 4th week.[9]
Reception
editBox office
editAt the end of box office run,Heaven Is for Realearned a gross of $91,443,253 in North America and $9,026,536 in other territories for a worldwide total of $100,469,789 against a budget of $12 million.[11]
The film grossed $3.7 million on its opening day. It went on to gross a total of $22.5 million in its opening weekend, playing in 2,417 theaters for a $9,318 per-theatre average finishing in second behindCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
The biggest markets in other territories were Mexico, Poland, and Colombia where the film grossed $1.9 million, $1.4 million, and $1.2 million, respectively.[12]
Critical response
editHeaven Is for Realreceived mixed reviews. The film holds a 51% rating on the film aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,based on 89 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10. The site's consensus states, "Heaven Is for Realboasts 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. "[13]On another website,Metacritic,it has a 47/100 score (indicating "mixed or average" ), based on reviews from 27 critics.[14]
InCinemaScorepolls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[15]
Jeb Lund, a columnist forThe Guardian,[16]expressed skepticism about the depiction of the story in the film. The red markers which Colton Burpo claims Jesus had on his hands and feet are well known. The boy could have easily guessed that his minister father would have been praying, or nursing staff could have told him.[17]
Accolades
edit| List of awards and nominations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref(s) |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Drama | Heaven is for Real | Nominated | [18] |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Dramatic Movie | Heaven is for Real | Nominated | [19][20] |
| MovieGuide Awards | Best Movie for Families | Heaven is for Real | Won | [21] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"HEAVEN IS FOR REAL(PG) ".Columbia Pictures.British Board of Film Classification.May 13, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2014.RetrievedMay 13,2014.
- ^ab"Heaven Is for Real".BoxOfficeMojo.RetrievedNovember 4,2014.
- ^abc"'Heaven Is for Real' movie starts filming in Canada ".christianretailing.July 30, 2013.RetrievedAugust 2,2013.
- ^"Christian Movies at the Box Office".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedApril 23,2019.
- ^ab"Greg Kinnear in Talks to Star in Sony's 'Heaven Is for Real'".hollywoodreporter.March 19, 2013.RetrievedAugust 2,2013.
- ^ab"Kelly Reilly Lands Lead In Sony Drama 'Heaven Is For Real'".Deadline Hollywood.April 15, 2013.RetrievedAugust 2,2013.
- ^"'Heaven Is For Real' Headed For Movie Adaptation Through Sony Pictures, Joe Roth And T.D. Jakes ".Deadline Hollywood.May 9, 2011.RetrievedAugust 2,2013.
- ^"'Braveheart' Writer Randall Wallace Believes 'Heaven Is For Real'".indiewire.August 24, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon February 1, 2014.RetrievedAugust 2,2013.
- ^ab"Nick Glennie-Smith to Score Randall Wallace's 'Heaven Is for Real'".filmmusicreporter.July 17, 2013.RetrievedAugust 3,2013.
- ^"TriStar Pictures' 'HEAVEN IS FOR REAL' begins production".prnewswire.July 17, 2013.RetrievedAugust 3,2013.
- ^"Heaven is for Real (2014)".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.RetrievedSeptember 1,2018.
- ^"Heaven is for Real international box office".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.RetrievedJanuary 22,2015.
- ^"Heaven Is for Real (2014)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJanuary 13,2021.
- ^"Heaven Is for Real".Metacritic.RetrievedJune 12,2014.
- ^"Weekend Report: 'Captain' Three-peats, 'Heaven' Rises Over Easter Weekend".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.RetrievedJanuary 22,2015.
- ^Jeb Lund."Jeb Lund".The Guardian.RetrievedJanuary 18,2015.
- ^"How Hollywood Screwed Up a Simple Tale of a Four-Year-Old Going to Heaven and Coming Back - VICE - United States".VICE.April 21, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 18,2015.
- ^Nordyke, Kimberly (August 10, 2014)."Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedAugust 17,2014.
- ^"Nominees Full List".Archived fromthe originalon November 8, 2014.RetrievedJuly 28,2016.
- ^People's Choice Awards 2015: The winner's list,Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved January 8, 2015
- ^"Winners Archives".Movieguide® Awards.RetrievedSeptember 11,2024.
