Movie Review: “Miracles From Heaven” a tear-jerking and joyful look at family and faith

MOVIE REVIEW: “MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN” (PG)

“Miracles From Heaven” is an earnest movie about faith and family, and with things being the way they are in the world right now, its release couldn’t be any more timely. While a large portion of this film revolves around Christianity, you don’t necessarily have to be a religious person to relate to its themes.

Based on a true story, “Miracles From Heaven” revolves around Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner), a Christian woman whose faith is put to the test when her young daughter, Anna (Kylie Rogers), contracts a rare illness. Tensions mount as no one in the medical profession can tell Christy and her husband, Kevin (Martin Henderson), what’s wrong with their little girl. Finally, after pinpointing the root of the problem, Christy takes Anna to Boston to speak directly to a specialist (played by a wonderfully compassionate Eugenio Derbez) about her little one’s condition, and while there, they are privy to an act of kindness by Angela (Queen Latifah), a waitress with a heart of gold.

At the surface, “Miracles From Heaven” appears to be one of those overly sentimental heart-tuggers that you might expect to find on the Lifetime Network. While the movie certainly offers up a few cliches and moments of the prerequisite fluff, it is also an honest, sincere, and heartfelt movie about faith and family, and it will be particularly relatable to those who’ve dealt with the trials and tribulations that come with caring for a child with an illness.

This is a pretty good performance from Jennifer Garner, an actress whose resume is scattershot at best. As a woman who grapples with her own belief structure, Garner is strong in a role that proves to have a far more believable arc then Greg Kinnear’s character did in the similarly themed but far less interesting “Heaven is For Real.” There’s real depth and real emotion here, and the moments between Garner and young Rogers are particularly noteworthy. While we’re on the topic of Kylie Rogers, this is her movie all the way. She breaks the heart as a child dealing with some pretty serious issues, and “Miracles From Heaven” doesn’t shy away from the confusion, frustration, fear, and pain that comes with her most dire situation. Rogers handles this role like a seasoned pro.

“Miracles From Heaven” features a roster of likable supporting characters as well. Queen Latifah is charming to be sure, and even though her character serves as more of a filler here, she ultimately serves a distinct purpose in terms of the overall message of the movie. Henderson is equally likable as Christy’s caring husband while a warm and low-key John Carroll Lynch is terrific as a beloved pastor in the Beams’ hometown.

As stated earlier in this review, “Miracles From Heaven” is a heart-tugger, and some viewers are sure to scoff and roll their eyes during certain portions of this picture. But the sincerity at the heart of this movie perseveres in a big way and even goes so far as to trump an unnecessary dreamlike visit to the afterlife sequence that, like a similar sequence at the end of Robert Zemeckis’ “Contact,” would have been best left on the cutting room floor. Sometimes sequences such as these are better served by our imagination.

“Miracles From Heaven” is punctuated by a twist of sorts that is foolishly revealed in the coming attraction trailer. If you have yet to watch the trailer, don’t. It should also be noted, though, that this twist isn’t really what this movie is about. As stated in the title, this isn’t a film about a miracle but rather miracles. This is also a story about faith, but you don’t have to belong to any one religion to relate to it. A surprisingly raw and powerful scene in the final act of “Miracles From Heaven” in which believers and nonbelievers are brought together goes a long way to suggest as much.