"In the midst of the suffering, I've learned that Heaven is real"
Based on the best-selling book, 90 Minutes in Heaven chronicles Don Piper's (Hayden Christensen) near-death experience and recovery. One day in 1989, in the midst of a rainstorm, Piper's car was wrecked by an 18-wheeler. Piper was apparently killed in the accident, but thanks to a bypasser's prayers, Piper all of a sudden comes back to life. During his intense recovery process, Piper goes through all sorts of emotional and physical pain, as not only are his injuries severe and take extreme measures to help heal, but he's confused as to why God sent him back to earth. Say what?
The production quality of this film is very solid, especially considering the small budget. The costume and production design are very solid and represent the era very well. The cinematography is well-done and captures the accident in well (if tastefully) done fashion. The music score is very solid, by popular Christian artist Michael W. Smith and Tyler Smith.
The acting is good, if not always on-point. Christensen, most known for Anakin Skywalker, is almost unrecognizable as Don. And while his southern accent could use a bit of work, he does an emotionally-convincing job portraying the suffering Don went through. Kate Bosworth portrays his wife, and proves to do a good job with most of the scenes she's given. Some of the notable supporting roles include a well-meaning Fred Thompson. The only actor somewhat-out-of-place is country singer Dwight Yoakam as a goofy attorney. He's meant for comic relief, but his personality doesn't fit the film very well.
The film carries a couple of brief glimpses of Heaven, which primarily focus on Don meeting up with his relatives. I actually thought these glimpses were overall nicely-done, and it was a smart decision not overusing it. Heaven is a difficult thing to depict, as no one can (and ever will) depict it correctly. So to keep it as a gentle tease is definitely the right way to do it, at least in a movie. It's enough to give people hope and wonder about what is really there.
On the downside, the movie does drag some, unfortunately. Especially in the middle, where Don's suffering is front-and-center, we spend simply too much time in the hospital. In that case, 90 Minutes does finally pick it up a little once Piper goes home. We see a touching scene of him and and his daughter trying their best dance. And we see him talk with someone with a similar leg injury as he has. While the movie certainly is trying to illustrate the fact that all suffering has a purpose, 90 Minutes would have been a more-cohesive film if it was maybe 20 minutes shorter.
One other interesting, anachronistic problem. Its unclear if its being played on a radio or if its just background music for the movie. But if its the former, then the use of Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" in one scene was a laughable mistake (even if it serves an emotionally-positive purpose). The song didn't come out until 10 years after Piper's accident.
90 Minutes in Heaven is one of the Christian books that I am most familiar with. I was read passages of it by my parents when I was young. And I actually saw the real Don Piper on The 700 Club a couple of times. His story truly is inspirational, as it's used to show people what exists beyond this life.
90 Minutes isn't the first of its kind though. Audiences may remember Heaven is for Real coming to the screen last year, which in that case, featured a young boy's view of Heaven. These stories have often been criticized as "impossible" and "not real". But, I need to point out a verse in Matthew 19 that says "With God, all things are possible". Its these stories that prove that God can do the impossible in any given situation. And of all positives, 90 Minutes remains very true to its source material.
However, the story also contains quite a bit of suffering, and as a result, can be hard to watch at times also. 90 Minutes earns its PG-13 rating through the accident scene and a handful of medically-disturbing moments. And at over 2 hours, it goes on a little longer than it should. The editing could have limited the time in the hospital some.
In the end, however, 90 Minutes is still a step in a good direction for Christian filmmaking. Its technically-proficient (for the most part), fairly well-acted, and it delivers strong messages in both faith and finding God in any situation of life. It may not be quite as entertaining or engaging as War Room from earlier this year, but it still stands on its own.
Score: 7.5/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: None
Adult Content: After Don's injury, he says, "I know I owe you". His wife responds, "Of course you owe me!" (Don then says "I owe you an explanation", but its clearly used as a double-entendre).
Violence: The accident scene isn't extremely gory, but we still see the car hit and damaged severely. Don is covered in blood for several minutes, and his right eye is bruised shut. Later on, we see Don writhing in pain as a machine is used to try and repair his leg. We see the medical stitches all over his leg.
Alcohol/Drugs: Morphine and other medicinal drugs make regular appearances.
Other: While the accident may have made him depressed, Don still mistreats and somewhat ignores his family and friends at first (in the character's narration, its made clear he regrets doing so).
