Heaven is For Real

The film adaptation of the best-selling book does justice to the original story . . .

Heaven is For Real
Starring Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly
In theaters April 16,
Rated PG
Run time: 96 min

One of the most difficult — and often-asked—questions Christians ask is, “What’s heaven like.” Scripture gives us some good answers and Jesus often talked about the Kingdom of God, but we always want to know more.

If you read the best-selling book Heaven is For Real, you’ll get a glimpse of what one young boy says heaven is like. In 2003, three-year-old Colton Burpo underwent emergency surgery and had a brush with death. He wasn’t expected to live, but made a remarkable recovery.

The film recounts that several months later Colton, brilliantly played by Connor Corum, began to tell stories that shocked even his family about the time while he lay unconscious. He described events he could never have known about — and people whom he had never met like the child his mom miscarried years earlier and his great-grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born.

In the book, Colton talks about sitting on Jesus’ lap, meeting John the Baptist and two of the apostles — and about Mary kneeling before the throne of God, and at other times standing beside Jesus. The film skips some of the most faith-rich aspects of the book and focuses on the turmoil Colton’s revelations cause in the family and community.

Colton’s dad Todd (Kinnear), a Christian pastor, struggles with the deeper meaning of his son’s revelations. The couple ultimately finds and conviction to share their Colton’s extraordinary experience with the world. They decide that the world needs to know God is real and, of course, so is heaven.

Expertly directed by Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, the film is poignant, beautifully shot, and written for a wide audience. The film reinforces a central truth of our faith — that God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven!

PATRICK NOVECOSKY is the editor-in-chief of Legatus magazine.