Movie Review: Miracles from Heaven (2016) seen in theatres, on DVD and multiple streaming platforms

Drama: not recommended for young children; strong medical images, some graphic surgical images, scenes which depict religious beliefs, scenes which depict financial strain, scenes which discuss death, graphic scenes which depict life threatening illnesses, scene which depicts a disaster involving a child, emotional scenes throughout

This movie follows a woman who must rely solely on the power of prayer having exhausted all other options when her young daughter is diagnosed with a deadly incurable intestinal disorder. As time runs out to save the little girl, everyone begins to wonder if even the power of divine intervention will be enough to save her.

I don’t have much to say about this movie other than this is another movie I’ve seen where Jennifer Garner plays a mother. In fact, all of the movies I’ve seen her in have been where she takes on that role except for one,13 Going On 30, (2004). Anyway, I do find that certain scenes in this movie were very emotional and it was hard for me to initially hold back the tears. Despite that, at the time of it’s release, I felt like it could be a movie that my mother would like as the plot was right up her alley. This is listed as a medical drama and my mother was working as a nurse at the time. I thought if anybody could relate to what the young girl went through, it would be mom, or at least maybe she could have been the doctor. In any case, I’m sure she would have sympathized with the mother’s situation in this movie. Despite it’s tearjerking nature, I felt like it was a good enough movie. It really showed how far the mother would go to help daughter. I know that mom would go as far as she needed to if I needed medical help, (and she has over the years,) so all in all, this movie would have earned a passing review if I was rating it back then.

However, this is one of those movies that I have lost interest over time in. While ten years later, it’s still regarded as a great movie, unfortunately the subject matter hits too close to home for me. This is one fault I have with movies which are relatable to me in a negative way. I could be dealing with something bad in my personal life only to have the subject matter be presented in (insert movie,) which I obviously might not have known depicted that sort of thing, only for it to end badly for the person suffering through the illness by the end of the movie. Well, in this case, I knew what to expect from this movie having seen the trailer. I knew it was going to be emotional and that there was a chance that the little girl may not survive but on a personal level, at least everything was good for me and the situation could not equated to me at all. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it. However, fast forward nine years from when this movie was made and my mother has been diagnosed with cancer and has undergone surgery to remove it but she suffers since her diagnosis. I can’t sleep at night. I’m stressed all the time as I worry about her condition deteriorating so even though I liked this movie back then, I would not be able to watch it again as it presents a situation which makes me believe that movies such as this one is rubbing mom’s condition in my face and the scenes in which the girl suffers, (there’s a lot of them which is to be expected given the type of movie this one is,) I realize that mom is suffering just as much and that she’s in as much danger of succumbing as the girl in the movie is. These days, it wouldn’t just be a movie anymore but a harsh reality to me. So pretty much, as far as the rating of this movie would go, 9 years ago, it would have gotten a perfect score but that was then and this is now. I have to rate this movie as I would in the year 2025 when mom is in as much pain as this little girl was in the movie. It’s not because of Jennifer Garner. I think she’s great. I mean I loved “Yes Day” and she was also in that. The movie was good for it’s time and assuming everything works out for mom, maybe I will change my opinion back to it’s original and think it’s a good movie again but for right now, it’s just too real for me.

Movie rating: -20 out of 20

Next movie review: TBD