By Jenny G- Los Tweens & Teens Contributing ‘Mama’ Correspondent
Taking a break from our usual “mami and papi duties” my husband of ten years and I decided to have a ‘date night’. It was way over due and in the end so worth it! Thanks to the invitation extended to Los Tweens and Teens, we watched “Heaven Is For Real” for a special screening. The film was released nationally at theatres on April 16th and still available. My “sposo” and I really enjoyed this bold and risky film, since talking about God, heaven and Jesus seem to be almost taboo these days. We can’t express how refreshing it was to see a film that courageously goes against the grains of recent objections to acceptable practices of religion, but doing so with captivating entertainment, skill and cleverness.
Amazingly, this film is based on a true story! Heaven Is For Real is a #1 New York Times best-selling book written by the father of a darling 4-year-old boy who claims he went to heaven while under anesthesia during an emergency surgery. Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear plays the father (Todd Burpo) who wears many hats: parent, husband, small-business owner, town Minister and high school volleyball coach in a small town. Co-starring alongside Greg is the lovely Kelly Reilly playing Todd’s wife (Sonja Burpo) who is having a hard time believing little Colton’s stories about heaven. Living in a small town, word gets around quickly and Mrs. Burpo isn’t too enthusiastic about the attention her son’s stories about heaven are getting. She is less appreciative of her husband’s infatuation with finding out whether their son’s experience indeed happened. The story continues to unfold and Colton begins to mention things that would be impossible for him to know without a supernatural experience, consequently turning Todd and Sonja into believers. Watching the real-life journey this couple endured with their faith, family and friends was amazing and inspiring.
Also in theaters this April for familias to enjoy is Rio 2, be sure to check out our review before you go.
Be sure to watch the credits all the way through as you’ll miss photos of the real Burpo family along with updates of the family’s life and whereabouts at the present time. Heaven Is For Real was an entertaining film for our date night and we’re happy to say we’ll be taking our tween son to watch it as well. Hope your familias enjoys it as well!
Enjoy the trailer here:
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Jenny is a neighborhood realtor, coupon clipping, stay-at-home, homeschooling mother of three little learners (ages 8, 2 and 1- Almost Irish twins!). Half Puerto-Rican and half Cuban, Jenny has been married for 10 years and enjoys writing among other activities. You can reach her or the Los Tweens & Teens team via email at: team@LosTweens.com.
As a mother of twin tweens in 2011 and an active Girl Scout Troop leader, Cristy realized there was a need to develop bilingual digital content and foster a community facing the challenges of raising kids after first grade. That year she founded and remains co-Publisher of Los Tweens & Teens, to support multicultural parents and mentors with content related to raising Gen Z- tweens & teens ages 7-18. Through the Los Tweens & Teens LIVE events such as Teens & Me – the growing team aims to provide our community with essential resources from chats with therapists to battle anxiety and bullying, to understanding social media and technology.