Miracles from Heaven

I went to see this movie with five others and we all agreed that it is an excellent film. The fact that we stood around talking about it afterwords and "debriefing" tells you something. The film has a few powerful messages whether one has any kind of faith or not. I would encourage everyone young and old to take the opportunity to see it as it is a must see. Refreshing to see a movie that holds one's attention without violence, bad language and negative outcomes. On the contrary, this was a message of hope and a wonderful story of a family and their struggles with illness, money and their faith. The acting was AMAZING from every character. The critics got it WRONG so WRONG. Go.see.this.movie.

I was dreading this movie. On the surface, it is everything I dislike about Christian film. By what it emphasized, the marketing made me think that I was in for a film where the struggles of life, while real, would be quickly gotten through, and the film would be mainly focusing on what happens after God has answered our prayers and we refuse to hide our light under a bushel. Granted I had not seen much of the marketing, I tend to avoid trailers and hype, and I've been burned by Christian film more times than I can count.

So let's just say my expectations were low.

This film surprised me though. That isn't to say it's all good, but I would definitely take the pile of films put out by Christian studios and imprints and put this one near the top of the stack. It certainly is more deserving of a theatrical release than most.

My wife and I rate movies on enjoyment. We generally try to see critically acclaimed movies that we hope we will enjoy. Miracles from Heaven, while not critically acclaimed, is a movie that was described as heartwarming and feel good. We like both, so we went to see it, even though we are non-believers.

It's a very well done movie with good production values. The filming is outstanding. The two leads, Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers give very credible performances. While the movie didn't convert us, Kylie's discussion of her belief in Jesus to a girl suffering from cancer in the hospital brought tears to my eyes.

If you are a believer and like movies, this is the one to go see. That doesn't mean that all others should avoid it. We both were raised Christian and we have many devout Christians in our extended family. This may explained why we are open to movies like this. However, I did come out wondering when all the children suffering in Syria are going to get their miracle.

'MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A faith-based Christian drama flick, adapted from the memoir (of the same name) by Christy Beam. Beam tells the story of her 10-year-old daughter; who suffered from an incurable disease, and then was suddenly cured from it (after having a near-death experience). The movie deals with Christy's struggles with her faith, while coping with her daughter's tragic illness. Jennifer Garner stars in the film, as Christy Beam, and it costars Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, Eugenio Derbez and Queen Latifah. It was directed by Patricia Riggen (who also helmed 'THE 33', last year), and it was scripted by Randy Brown (who also wrote 2012's 'TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE'). The movie only received mixed reviews from critics, but it did surprisingly well at the Box Office (where viewers raved about it). I enjoyed it as well.

The story takes place in Burleson, Texas (in 2011). Christy Beam (Garner), and her husband Kevin (Henderson), are devastated to learn that one of their daughters, 10-year-old Anna (Rogers), suffers from pseudo-obstruction motility disorder. The disease makes it so Anna is unable to consume food, without tubes. It's also deadly, and incurable. Christy doesn't understand how this could have happened, to her Christian family (that always goes to church regularly). She struggles to keep her faith, and then is amazed to learn of her daughter's miraculous recovery (possibly because of it).

I was raised strictly Catholic, and I always attended church regularly (as a child), so I'm always interested in any movies that deal with religion. I'm not usually that impressed, with the average 'overly preachy' ones (that mostly just 'preach to the choir'), but this one is really well made. Garner's performance is amazing, and Riggen's direction is equally as impressive. The movie seems a little clichéd, and gimmicky, but for the most part it's pretty emotional (I cried multiple times). It's also kind of inspiring. The film is actually one of those rare Christian movies that's worth the time to watch!

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The film is beautifully shot, and really well acted, seriously the best performance of Jennifer Gardner's career she really lived it! Every one in it did a good job but especially the little girl that is the main character. And its a true story! I really don't understand how anyone could not like this film. I'm an actress and fairly critical because I see film technically as well as story wise, but this one really stands up! The story was wonderful. I loved it! I cried my eyes out, I connected with the characters and cared about their journey and it left me thinking. In the end what more do we want from a film! I really hope Jennifer Gardner gets some recognition for this role she earned it!