Greg Kinnear has done a really good job with the few serious roles he's played. And this is no exception. But even if this film had compelling dialogue, and Kinnear nailed it down in an Oscar-worthy performance, this film couldn't be saved.
The premise itself is hopelessly lacking in everything but deception. In fact, the entire concept is a lie. There seems to exist enough verified events regarding some sort of hereafter to at least leave the question open to debate. But everyone knows Near Death Experiences (NDEs) in which people make claims some of which can be difficult to reject, require a few seconds to a few minutes of flatlining. Some sort of temporary death is a necessary ingredient to make the conversation interesting. In this story, young Colton Burpo is ill, but never dies. He never flatlines, the actions of the body necessary for life never cease. So how i the hell could he have seen heaven? The entire point of the film rests on this child seeing heaven. But he never acquires the state of lifelessness wholly necessary for the glimpse of the hereafter.
It should be apparent to all not blinded by their faith that this boy WANTED to see heaven— wanted to be a part of some sort of "truth" that would underscore his family's spiritual beliefs. His father, after all, is the prototypical small town preacher. Had be been brought up to believe that the savior of mankind was a grape ape circling the earth in a spacecraft and only hearing the pleas of humanity when prayer was accompanied by the ritualistic burning of a 14 ounce filet mignon, doubtless, young Colton would have come back from his fever-induced delirium with tales of a loving purple primate. That would have made for a much more interesting movie-going experience. But no change in plot would have been safe from the horrible, erratic, and often stone-like "acting" of Connor Corum.
This kid was awful, despite what you may have heard. As I left the theater, both those in my group of family and others, unrelated, couldn't stop salivating all over this kid and his alleged acting chops. They marveled about how surprisingly great he was despite his young age. But people love to see their faith "validated" on screen, and will rhapsodize about anything that masquerades as proof.
The plot holes, lack of detail, vague connections, et al. probably deserve a mention. But having to recall my viewing of this train wreck of cinematic buffoonery has left this reviewer exhausted.
If you must see this film, pretend it is a comedy and that the absurdity is deliberate. If the option existed to grant this film zero stars, I would have enthusiastically made that selection. Under duress, I selected a single star, which corresponds with "awful" on the IMDb scale.
The premise itself is hopelessly lacking in everything but deception. In fact, the entire concept is a lie. There seems to exist enough verified events regarding some sort of hereafter to at least leave the question open to debate. But everyone knows Near Death Experiences (NDEs) in which people make claims some of which can be difficult to reject, require a few seconds to a few minutes of flatlining. Some sort of temporary death is a necessary ingredient to make the conversation interesting. In this story, young Colton Burpo is ill, but never dies. He never flatlines, the actions of the body necessary for life never cease. So how i the hell could he have seen heaven? The entire point of the film rests on this child seeing heaven. But he never acquires the state of lifelessness wholly necessary for the glimpse of the hereafter.
It should be apparent to all not blinded by their faith that this boy WANTED to see heaven— wanted to be a part of some sort of "truth" that would underscore his family's spiritual beliefs. His father, after all, is the prototypical small town preacher. Had be been brought up to believe that the savior of mankind was a grape ape circling the earth in a spacecraft and only hearing the pleas of humanity when prayer was accompanied by the ritualistic burning of a 14 ounce filet mignon, doubtless, young Colton would have come back from his fever-induced delirium with tales of a loving purple primate. That would have made for a much more interesting movie-going experience. But no change in plot would have been safe from the horrible, erratic, and often stone-like "acting" of Connor Corum.
This kid was awful, despite what you may have heard. As I left the theater, both those in my group of family and others, unrelated, couldn't stop salivating all over this kid and his alleged acting chops. They marveled about how surprisingly great he was despite his young age. But people love to see their faith "validated" on screen, and will rhapsodize about anything that masquerades as proof.
The plot holes, lack of detail, vague connections, et al. probably deserve a mention. But having to recall my viewing of this train wreck of cinematic buffoonery has left this reviewer exhausted.
If you must see this film, pretend it is a comedy and that the absurdity is deliberate. If the option existed to grant this film zero stars, I would have enthusiastically made that selection. Under duress, I selected a single star, which corresponds with "awful" on the IMDb scale.