Curiosity got the better of me, so after finishing the book by Mitch Albom, I sought out the movie. I found it on Amazon for $5. Nice. I watched it yesterday morning. After it was over I thought a little better of it than when I had finished the book. After my reading was complete I simply thought Albom had a skewed view of heaven. While I still do, I found some merit in the story after watching it played out in a movie.
Scripture tells us there's no sickness or death, no tears or sorrow in heaven (Rev. 21:4), so right out of the box the movie has it wrong. Now I know this endeavor wasn't any kind of theological statement, but rather Albom's attempt at story telling and he is very good at it. I wouldn't consider this book or movie to be an accurate portrayal of how heaven is. Even though I admit I have never been there myself I do have the Bible to use as a reference to what it's supposed to be like.
Jon Voight's character, Eddie, is perfect. His facial inflections and handling of each scene is flawless. The supporting actors play their parts convincingly, adding legitimacy to this Hallmark Cinematic Production. Having heaven be a place where you meet 5 people that crossed your life at some point is unsubstantiated in the Bible. Actually, it's not so much that you meet 5 people, it's the purpose behind you meeting them. They help you make sense out of events in your life that you may not have understood. It's an odd premise, but some folks that have no concept of who God is or what heaven is all about, at least in theory, seem to lap this type of story up. Just being a good person who acknowledges the existence of God isn't quite what being a Christian is all about.
It's an interesting movie, filled with poignant dialogue at times, yet is never anything more than sheer entertainment. Things like "sacrifice is the noblest thing we do" or "we weren't born angry, we have it build up over the years by things we don't say or do" may touch a cord with the viewer, it did with me, but in the end the overall story just too simplistic and unrealistic to accept. Just being good and believing in heaven isn't nearly enough to achieve your entry. No mention of Jesus, one mention of the word 'sin' and one mention of 'God' when Eddie asked his deceased wife if God knows he's there.
Enjoy it for what it's worth, but don't take it's premise too seriously. I can assure you heaven isn't anything like it is portrayed in the book or this movie. rlkeller
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