Parents' Guide to Heaven Is Waiting

Movie PG 2011 80 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Grace Montgomery By Grace Montgomery , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 9+

Religious romantic comedy is sweet but overwhelmingly sappy.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 9+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

HEAVEN IS WAITING (also known as Midway to Heaven) is a faith-based romantic comedy based on a novel by Dean Hughes. The wholesome, family-friendly film portrays two romances: that of a college student who has recently fallen in love, and that of her father, a widower, who gets love advice from his recently passed wife. Ned (Curt Doussett) is having trouble moving on after his wife's death and accepting that his daughter Liz (Brittany Peltier) is growing up. He's also convinced Liz's boyfriend David (Kirby Heyborne) is too good to be true.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

Teens or couples looking for a wholesome, somewhat silly romantic comedy for date night most likely will enjoy Heaven Is Waiting. Although the movie is predictable and often cloyingly sweet, the relationship between Ned and his wife is lovely. And the scenes of him being caught talking to her are pretty funny. But, for the most part, his insistence on breaking up David and Liz is ridiculous and hard to watch, and the heavy-handed religious messages most likely will be off-putting to those not looking for a religious movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the theme of parental approval in the movie. Is it necessary for your parents to approve of your choice of partner?

  • Do you think the themes of the movie are universal? Or are they only of interest to those in the LDS church?

Movie Details

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