"Heaven is for Real" is a nice narrative, but half-way through it, you begin to get tired of the writer's style. True, he's just a regular human being, but he should have availed himself of some support to its story. It wasn't necessary to invent anything, just to make the simplicity more powerful without losing half of the audience. The film has the same problem. It begins beautifully, pretty much setting up the atmosphere like "Field of Dreams", a film that evokes the spirituality in us in a much better way because it never loses focus. "Heaven" feels like it loses its way and desperately tries to make the message clear in not very subtle ways.
Connor Burpo has an out-of-body experience, which drives his pastor father and half the world a bit crazy because heaven couldn't be so literal or simple. If the director had tried to concentrate on the marvelous child with the difficult role, we would have been more satisfied with the overall product. Instead, we are treated to an overdose of zealous imagery and the power is almost lost.
Kinnear is not bad, but he doesn't have much to do but repeat and repeat and repeat what we already know. The problem is not the audience in the movie theater, but the audience of his preacher. Faith is not easily portrayed because it is intangible yet powerful; however it is not impossible but it has made its appearance in films that we wouldn't normally associate with such concept.
There are some moments that are very touching, most of them dealing with the difficult moments which result from Connor's emergency intervention. He's such a charming kid that watching him in distress breaks our hearts. Thinking he's dying is unbearable for his parents and us. A call to prayer is a really moving moment, but from then on, it is just a matter of hoping the film won't drag, and this it does very well.
I suppose it's a matter of interpretation, and through the eyes of the child, the message would have been pure and very powerful, but the film goes out of its way to present those elements that people are beginning to feel uncomfortable with. One of the characters in the film puts it very clearly: it's not to be taken literally. She never negates it happened, but how it's being presented.
Connor is after all, privy to something special, but it is the father's interpretation that is problematic. Some people will have no problem just following this path, but what about those who need to be convinced or kept from going astray? It's certainly not happening with this version of events.
Connor Burpo has an out-of-body experience, which drives his pastor father and half the world a bit crazy because heaven couldn't be so literal or simple. If the director had tried to concentrate on the marvelous child with the difficult role, we would have been more satisfied with the overall product. Instead, we are treated to an overdose of zealous imagery and the power is almost lost.
Kinnear is not bad, but he doesn't have much to do but repeat and repeat and repeat what we already know. The problem is not the audience in the movie theater, but the audience of his preacher. Faith is not easily portrayed because it is intangible yet powerful; however it is not impossible but it has made its appearance in films that we wouldn't normally associate with such concept.
There are some moments that are very touching, most of them dealing with the difficult moments which result from Connor's emergency intervention. He's such a charming kid that watching him in distress breaks our hearts. Thinking he's dying is unbearable for his parents and us. A call to prayer is a really moving moment, but from then on, it is just a matter of hoping the film won't drag, and this it does very well.
I suppose it's a matter of interpretation, and through the eyes of the child, the message would have been pure and very powerful, but the film goes out of its way to present those elements that people are beginning to feel uncomfortable with. One of the characters in the film puts it very clearly: it's not to be taken literally. She never negates it happened, but how it's being presented.
Connor is after all, privy to something special, but it is the father's interpretation that is problematic. Some people will have no problem just following this path, but what about those who need to be convinced or kept from going astray? It's certainly not happening with this version of events.