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Movies / On DVD / The Other Side of Heaven
The Other Side of Heaven

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The Other Side of Heaven (2002)

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Reviews Counted:11

Fresh:1

Rotten:10

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: The Other Side of Heaven preaches to the converted; others will likely consider it simplistic, even offensive, propaganda.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements and brief disturbing images

Runtime: 73 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 12, 2002 Limited

Box Office: $4,381,772

Synopsis: Based on Elder John Groberg's memoirs, THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN, Mitch Davis' feature debut stars Christopher Gorham (A LIFE LESS ORDINARY) as John Groberg, a 19-year-old missionary who goes to... Based on Elder John Groberg's memoirs, THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN, Mitch Davis' feature debut stars Christopher Gorham (A LIFE LESS ORDINARY) as John Groberg, a 19-year-old missionary who goes to Rarotonga to convert the native Indians to Christianity. In the process, he has to face a number of frightening events that change his life forever. Hungry rats eat the soles of his feet, he is almost killed by a hurricane that devastates the island so that their food supplies run out and he starves, and he is caught in a storm at sea and nearly dies until he floats to safety. All the while he is reassured and strengthened by the sweet letters from his fiancée, Jean Sabin (Anne Hathaway, THE PRINCESS DIARIES). The film veers on the fantastic and is peppered with nostalgia; a full moon peeks through soft fans of tree branches, and Jean spends much of her time gracefully gowned in frilly fifties frocks. Many members of the cast and crew are New Zealanders and Miriama Smith and Nathaniel Lees are both well-established New Zealand actors. [More]

Starring: Christopher Gorham, Anne Hathaway, Joe Folau, Nathaniel Lees

Starring: Christopher Gorham, Anne Hathaway, Joe Folau, Nathaniel Lees, Miriama Smith

Director: Mitch Davis

Director: Mitch Davis
Screenwriter: Mitch Davis
Producer: Gerald R. Molen, John Garbett
Composer: Kevin Kiner
Studio: Excel Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 1, 2003

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Other Side Of Heaven
  • Walt Disney Home Entertainment presents THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN, a thrilling and epic adventure starring Anne Hathaway (THE PRINCESS DIARIES) and Christopher Gorham (TV's FELICITY). When 19-year-old John Groberg (Gorham) is sent on a three-year mission to Tonga, he has no idea what he's getting into. Just getting to Tonga is fraught with danger and unbelievable obstacles. Once there, he finds himself in the midst of a culture as remote to him as the island is to his Idaho Falls home. Not understanding the language, and lonely for his fiancee Jean (Hathaway), John faces suspicion, distrust, typhoons, tidal waves, mosquitoes, and other perils of man and nature as he reaches out to the people of Tonga. Filled with adventure, breathtaking scenery, and humor, THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN is a coming-of-age film your whole family will enjoy.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Other Side of Heaven

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    1 - 13 (sorted by date)
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    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/27/09
    Scott Foundas
    Scott Foundas
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/21/05
    Houston Chronicle
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
    08/09/02
    Robert Denerstein
    Robert Denerstein
    Denver Rocky Mountain News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Captures a breathtaking exotic landscape cluttered only by the smugness of its characters.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    07/20/02
    Robert K. Elder
    Robert K. Elder
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    06/01/02
    Susan Stark
    Susan Stark
    Detroit News
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    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    05/24/02
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Your stomach for Heaven depends largely on your appetite for canned corn.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Handsome and sincere but slightly awkward in its combination of entertainment and evangelical boosterism.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Edward Guthmann
    Edward Guthmann
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Obstacles are too easily overcome and there isn't much in the way of character development in the script.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The central story lacks punch.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The movie's vision of a white American zealously spreading a Puritanical brand of Christianity to South Seas islanders is one only a true believer could relish.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Stephen Holden
    Stephen Holden
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There's a disturbing 'Great White Hope' undertone to The Other Side of Heaven that subtly undermines its message of Christian love and compassion.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    04/11/02
    Al Brumley
    Al Brumley
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It is inspirational in characterizing how people from such diverse cultures share the same human and spiritual needs.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    04/11/02
    Carrie Rickey
    Carrie Rickey
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Perhaps even the SLC high command found writer-director Mitch Davis's wall of kitsch hard going.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    04/09/02
    Ed Park
    Ed Park
    Village Voice
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    03/09/02
    Arizona Republic
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