Heaven Is for Real

Heaven Is for Real follows Todd Burpo, a pastor and volunteer firefighter in a small town, and his wife Sonja as they raise their family while dealing with financial strain. When their young son Colton falls seriously ill and undergoes emergency surgery, his recovery leaves his parents relieved but unprepared for what comes next. Colton begins describing things he could not possibly know, including details about family members who died before he was born, and he speaks of having been in heaven during the ordeal. Todd, shaken by his son's accounts, struggles over whether to share the story publicly.

Randall Wallace directed and co-wrote the film with Chris Parker, adapting the Burpos' account of their son's experience. It was Wallace's fourth feature as director, following The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers and Secretariat. Greg Kinnear plays Todd, with Kelly Reilly as Sonja and Connor Corum as Colton; Thomas Haden Church, Jacob Vargas and Lane Styles appear in supporting roles. Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes produced.

Released in 2014, the drama ran 99 minutes and was made for about 12 million dollars, going on to earn roughly 101 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. Audience responses were moderate and divided: it holds 5.8 on IMDb from over 28,000 votes and 6.8 on TMDB from a smaller sample. Critics were less enthusiastic, giving it 5.6 from 88 reviews.