My Daddy's in Heaven

Heavy handed tale of a Texas, god-fearing widower (Gotzon) who must find herself, her faith and the bottom of the bottle after the sudden death of her husband (Prison Break's 'Tweener', Garrison), despite pleas from her father to stay and look after her young daughter on the family farm.

Bernsen plays the old salt himself recently widowed, still struggling with his own grief, whose rugged exterior hides a warm centre searching for a way to reunite his remaining family. I wasn't entirely sure of the purpose of the Lorenzo Lamas cameo, as heart-wrenching as his character's tale may be, it seemed superfluous and failed to really connect with the rest of the plot whilst Lee Benton provides much needed comic relief amid all the misery, making jelly pies and other kitchen disasters.

Reversing Gotzon and Morrison's roles at the end of the movie is sweet salvation, but the bus-ride epiphany that gets us there felt somewhat contrived. Pretentious dialogue (e.g. In reference to the man upstairs 'alI I did was give, and all he did was take') and a character spiral that's desperately cliched leave this faith-based feel-good film overbearing and a little underwhelming in spite of its sincere intentions.

The film, "My Daddy is in Heaven" based on a true story, takes place in a tight-knit farming community where everyone knows one another. The community "godfather" is Vernon (Corbin Bernsen). It is a dramatic story of a couple, Vernon's daughter, Becca (Jenn Gotzon Chandler) and the love of her life, husband Adam (Lane Garrison). The couple are totally dedicated to each other and their little girl Acie (Riley St John). Earl is tragically injured when his ATV crashes into a tree. This is followed by a long hospital stay with many different prognosis. Becca relies on her faith in God to pull Earl through, convinced that God loves Earl as much or more than she does. Ultimately, Becca is faced with the agonizing decision to take Earl off life support. (As one who lost a child after a long period of hospitalization, I can relate to the pain and agony of such a heart-rending loss, and the difficulty of facing life with a positive outlook afterward). Becca leaves her family and tries many different roads to find happiness and cope with her loss. She ultimately finds the only one who can truly heal the hurt in her heart is a loving Heavenly Father. I believe this film is a rare and honest look at the pain and hurt someone experiences from losing a loved one, and trying to fill the void with earthly substitutes. I found the character portrayals by Jenn Gotzon Chandler, Corbin Bernsen, and the entire ensemble cast to be honest and credible. Psalm 30:5b. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

Melodrama at its best. Character development is missing. It's difficult to care about any of them. The plot is weak. Everyone grieves at some time and everyone questions their faith. What this movie needed was an inspiring angle. Fell flat for me.

God has many surprises in store throughout our life. Some most definitely can be tragic and heartbreaking. God will put you through different tests. You just have to find your way through it. He will never give you more than you can handle. Get through it, and know that there is something good always waiting for you in the end. Just remember GOD LOVES YOU!!!

That"s the lesson that Becca (Jenn Gotzon Chandler) had to learn after the tragic death of her husband. (Although it doesn"t show how he gets hurt, but, from the looks of it, somehow he falls off, and the ATV runs over his head.)

In grief, Becca closes herself off spiritually from her family. When it gets to be overwhelming, she runs from her problems to the city to stay with a long lost friend, June (Jill Morrison). Not much of a faith believer herself, June tries to help Becca get over her grief by taking her out on the town, which gets her into more trouble the more she goes out.

Meanwhile back at home Becca's family is struggling to keep the farm going. Near the end, it takes Becca getting arrested to realize she needs to get back to her family . The only thing that I did not get was the bus ride home. Becca regains her faith in God, only after a kid kills himself by overdosing on drugs. Did not understand. But overall, I love the film. It really makes one think, and you really feel for the characters. Everyone in the cast did an amazing job! You will laugh, cry, smile and laugh again. It's a wonderful faith based film. I give it an 10 out of 10!

Thank you for making this film! I loved it!

From what I watched (45 minutes is all I could take) I would say, "The acting is REALLY BAD!" I like Christian-based movies and made the assumption that since Corbin Bernsen was in it it would be good. My mistake.

Jenn Gotzon Chandler has acted in a LOT of productions, but this is the first one I've seen with her in it. She was overly dramatic for what the story needed and...well, I wasn't impressed. I hope she finds other productions that fit her talents.

I gave it a thumbs down on Netflix.