Midway to Heaven (2011) User Reviews

You have to get out and live

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 11 February 2019]

Curt Doussett lives in the town of Midway which is a real place in Utah and we see much location shooting to prove that. Looks like one very nice and homogenous Mormon community only Doussett is having trouble moving on after the death of his wife from cancer several years ago.

Now daughter Mary Peltier has brought home a fellow Kirby Heybourne who is studying medicine and is in all respects quite the ideal son-in-law. But Doussett keeps trying to find fault. The truth is he doesn't want to lose his remaining family.

Like in the Canadian series Due South where Mountie character Paul Gross talks to his dead father, Doussett imagines himself in communication with his wife Melanie Nelson. Who advises him to move on, get out and live.

This is a nice gentle G rated film which has some good life lessons to impart. It's not overtly a product of the Mormon church so it can be shown and enjoyed by a wider audience.

I Like A Lot, but Disliked More

[crbrownie · 5/10 · 20 June 2020]

This could've been such a wonderful movie and in a lot of ways it was. The storyline was great but some major details and plot points left me irritated and confused. The daughter brings home a guy she's in love with after only asking the guy can she bring "a friend" home. What?!?! Why hasn't she told her dad about this guy? Why is she upset that he doesn't like having this guy sprung on him without so much as a explanation? It was a disrespectful way to introduce your boyfriend to your dad. Especially since they make it seem the dad and daughter are so close and the dad is fully supporting her financially. That NEVER gets addressed in the movie. Instead the daughter, the dead wife AND the new beau all just get on the dad for not rolling out the red carpet. If that's not bad enough there's a horrible scene where the boyfriend yells at the daughter that her dad was crazy and had problems!!! All the daughter says is to leave her dad out of it. No! No guy gets to disrespect my dad! Then everyone just blamed the dad's response on him not having a girlfriend. Not fair. The daughter did this wrong plain and simple. She should've given her dad time to get to know and like her new beau not shove him down his throat! LOVED the Carol character and the dad though. Their scenes were all I liked about the movie because the rest were just irritating. Sorry.

Midway or heaven ?

[stephennewman-60004 · 5/10 · 16 February 2021]

Iv noticed there are two versions. Midway that has LDS reference and heaven that omitted the LDS references, I wonder if this is done because people wouldn't watch it. Iv noticed midway is getting harder to find .

One my fave movies

[carrieannthompson · 12 January 2020]

I have this video its actually called heaven is waiting. I've had it for long time. Sitting here watching it. It's good movie 👍❤

If you're looking for a Hallmark movie this is it!

[tobimmeyer · 6/10 · 7 November 2018]

This was a definite chick flick. Do not make your man watch it. It was OK but not something I would recommend or watch again.

Darn good little movie

[TheCarpooler · 7/10 · 29 December 2019]

I really enjoyed this movie. Decent plot, characters were solid. Handles some very topical and common life difficulties. It's worth the viewing time.

Went into a diabetic coma watching it

[forsythf · 3/10 · 12 May 2019]

Predictable but the photography was nice. It is a good movie to put on TV if you're having trouble falling asleep.

Positive Family Values

[emeryinhollister · 9/10 · 26 May 2014]

Nice story line of a difficult season in the life of any man. Great sense of pace, script and relationship building. Happy banter with moments of seriousness.

Worth watching because it shared real people with real issues with a serious faith perspective. Dialog was realistic and had depth beyond just a message movie.

The actors were natural and not forced. The casting was done nicely, including the paperboy and the pastor scenes.

The location shots were spectacular and made you want to visit. Lots of hometown charm.

My wife and I enjoyed it fully. Great entertainment.

NOT a good family movie!

[DonandLiG · 4/10 · 4 December 2020]

This movie depicts a widower with a teen daughter. She deceives her dad by bringing home her boyfriend to stay for the Christmas holidays, spends her dad's money without permission, and doesn't have a clue of her spoiled-child behavior. She is far from a positive roll model for teenage girls.

Good entertainment for the family

[harveyadams19 · 9/10 · 23 February 2013]

This was a really entertaining family friendly film. Great to sit down with the kids and be able to share a movie together that everyone actually enjoyed. Often these kinds of "feel good" movies end up being a bit of a disappointment, but this one is a little gem. The cinematography is superb, much better than I expected for a film of this kind. The acting is really good and the plot line thought provoking and at times really funny. One of our close friends lost his wife a few years ago and having seen first hand how he struggled with his grief and the loss of his closest friend - and then battled to come to terms with trying to face a future without the love of his life, the story had particular resonance for us. Loved Curt Dousett's performance. I haven't seen him in anything before, but am a fan. He's a funny guy and a great actor. The film has some spiritual overtones, but nothing thats too "in your face" or that should put anyone off at all. Have nothing bad to say about it. Has already been watched several times. Great little find. Recommended.

I tried and tried

[mnsmb7 · 4/10 · 30 March 2018]

I really wanted to like this movie. I liked the concept of a middle-aged man finding love again but the movie centers around a middle-aged man who lost his wife trying to breakup his daughters relationship with "over-the-top" do gooder. The acting is cringeworthy as well as a lot of the writing. I don't like how a lot of these Christian movies push marriage super young on girls. The daughter isn't even 21 yet and wants to get married? That's crazy to me. The boyfriend David is like 22-23. I just can't get past that. I can be emotional during movies but not one moment did I "feel" anything. This is probably a cliche enough movie to get into a lot of people's soft spots but it missed the mark with me.

Pure schlock!

[londonalex · 3 October 2011]

Completely of "regional" (Utah) interest only. The protagonist's internal conflict vis-a-vis his prematurely deceased wife and his external conflict with his daughter's boyfriend is even too syrupy for a soap opera, leaving his struggle and subsequent resolution milquetoast(and I am being generous). Everything seems overly compressed and trite: his unresolved feelings for his wife, his inability to let go of his daughter, his acceptance of her boyfriend-turned-fiancée, to his courtship of a new love. The soundtrack also underscored the banal with songs that seemed like sonic cotton-candy. Not a film for a discerning or sophisticated viewer.

Yuck

[covingka · 1/10 · 10 October 2020]

Couldn't finish. Left about 30-35 minutes on the clock though and I consider it quite the accomplishment for this one. First, Is there supposed to be something romantic about a guy who has full length conversations with his deceased wife?? This was not the speaking to your own subconscious thing either. Not romantic- not funny (even though they tried to give her some humor). I turned it off right before full length conversation # 6 or 7 commenced. Hopefully at the end the protagonist gets some mental help.

Although the mental protagonist made this a pass for me, I usually don't give only one star to a film. However, the protagonist was also just unlikable. He was extremely rude, controlling of his adult daughter, and overall just came off like someone who would be better off single. I understand he's gone through tragedy, but the writers did not at all give us enough to sympathize to the level that condones this guys snarkiness and just below surface hostility. I tried to stick around for the turn-around, but I couldn't. Better luck to you, reader.

Great Little Movie

[teresafitzgerald276 · 10/10 · 31 July 2012]

This is a great little movie for the family. We all enjoyed it. My daughters have watched it numerous times already. Simple but engaging plot, good acting. Great to have something we can all watch together. The themes are pretty universal and although its not what I would call a deep film, there's certainly enough there to keep you watching! We really enjoyed the main lead character. He brought a lot of humor to the role without it ever becoming silly. Never seen Kirby Heybourne in anything else, but we loved him in this film. Really funny and cute! There are some lovely shots of Utah, which is somewhere we have never visited but based on this, we will definitely add it to our list for the future. Its not too "religious" although it has some overtones. Nothing here to offend, apart from those who are looking to be offended by good old fashioned entertainment

What were they thinking?

[hilary_mae-912-80561 · 1/10 · 24 March 2017]

Another Hallmark movie with a protagonist who is rude and obnoxious. A absolutely unlikeable person who treats his college age daughter like she's 12 and is a jerk to a guest in his home. Where does Hallmark find their useless writers who think portraying rude, obnoxious people is actually enjoyable to watch? It's not. The only plus for the movie is the pretty scenery.

Despite the scenery I couldn't watch the movie past the 22 minute mark. I just fast forwarded it (youtube) to the end and happily shut it off.

Funny and sweet, a great choice for all family members, anytime

[inkblot11 · 8/10 · 2 October 2012]

Ned (Curt Doussett) is a widower who is having a hard time letting go. He still holds imaginary conversations with his deceased wife, Kate (Melanie Nelson). Having a lovely daughter, Liz (Brittany Peltier) in college, Ned focuses on her and maintaining his nice home in Midway, a mountainous abode. Women are not on his mind, even though he often sees a beautiful lady, Carol (Michelle Money) when he is out jogging. But, things are about to change! Liz suddenly announces that she is bringing a friend home for a weekend and, unknown to Ned, its a guy! He's David (Kirby Heybourne) and Ned's nose gets out of joint almost immediately. Despite the fact that David is a very nice, intelligent, and respectful man, Ned gives him an inquisition almost every minute that passes. What is truly going on? Well, its clear that Liz is finding romance and moving past her mother's death while Ned is still treading water. Is it time for him to release his pain and start again? This is a lovely film, made with a subtle Christian theme. It is also very funny, with dialogue that will make most everyone laugh out loud. Watching Ned decide what to wear on his first date in ages is so comic! The cast is wonderful and very attractive, with Doussett a great leading man. Hopefully, we older gals will see more of him. Also, the setting is gorgeous, making one want to spend some vacation time in the same spot. Finally, the direction keeps the action going and delivers big laughs and sensitive moments. If you love romance but desire a movie that has good values, also, you should not WAIT a minute more. Get Heaven is Waiting very soon.

Hmm...worst movie I've ever seen?

[twonail · 2/10 · 29 October 2017]

My husband & I watched this last night and were debating tonight whether it was the worst movie we have ever seen. And we even accept and love some of the worst Christian local-church-made movies. We've seen worse acting, but not too many times. We've seen worse story lines...wait a minute, this really didn't have a story line. Our belief is that someone lost a spouse, wrote about losing the spouse, and had enough money to then turn his book into a movie. Because no one with pride in his or her (movie-making) craft would pick this up to turn it into a movie. It may help widows and widowers get past some difficulties, but...it is not for general consumption on what you hope to be an entertaining or deep-thinking movie night. My husband wants me to add, "The scenery was pretty."

I talk to dead people...

[gregorija · 16 April 2012]

I would have been able to tolerate this film if the main character (Ned) didn't talk to his dead wife in every other scene. These scenes were not only annoying (with the overtly perky dead wife) but they were also Biblically inaccurate. The Bible says in Ecc. 9:5 "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing." The acting was below average and the storyline was rather weak. And it really wasn't a faith-based film (as another reviewer suggested); no-one prayed or every even visited a church, no mention of Jesus and the only character with a hint of Christian values was not really developed. Over all, this film fell flat. Truly disappointed.

gets too weird and religious

[ksf-2 · 5/10 · 19 September 2021]

Roku has this as Midway to Heaven, but the title shown at the start is "Heaven is Waiting". After Ned (Curt Doussett) loses his wife, his daughter Liz wants to get him back into the dating scene. She even signs him up for a dating site. Without his knowledge. More weirdness here is that the dead ex-wife keeps showing up and having conversations with Ned. A little creepy. When Liz brings home a needy "friend", Ned does NOT approve. And gives the guy a hard time. And then the god references start. A whole lot of religious conversations, and being good, and pure, and improving one's self. Ned is a jackass, in almost every scene of this film. He feels sorry for himself, and is rude to everyone he meets. Pretty heavy stuff. I'm done. Directed by Michael Flynn. One of three films that he has directed, to date. Has acted in TONS of things. Based on a novel by Dean Hughes.

Touching, Romantic & Well Worth Seeing

[blue-7 · 8/10 · 4 February 2011]

"Midway to Heaven" has a better than average story line setting up some very touching and humorous moments that most any audience looking for a thoughtful, romantic story should be able to identify with. The challenge of letting go of a deep relationship in order to move forward in life is handled, for the most part, very skillfully by Michael Flynn in his debut behind the camera as a director. All of the main actors sparkle in their roles, making you care about the challenges they are facing. While there are many funny moments to relish, it is the touching moments that make this a better than average romantic film. The music, scripting (from Dean Hughes novel), photography and music all blend well to make the film work. The beautiful Utah scenery of small towns is also a great asset. This is a film worthy of seeing in a theatre if you are fortunate enough to live in an area where it will be screened. It's one that I will look forward to purchasing on DVD later.

Very enjoyable

[heatherjesus · 9/10 · 16 June 2011]

I really liked this movie, it is definitely one I will add to my collection. I love a good, clean funny movie that I can feel OK with my family watching as well. I thought the acting was very good for a faith based film (sadly, thats usually not the case) and I loved all the characters. Cinematography was great as well. For those of us who like faith based films, there is really not enough selection out there, especially when it comes to ones that entertain. It didn't seem 'low budget' at all and the soundtrack was also great and appropriate for the film. All around, this was a very enjoyable, funny and touching film. KEEPER!

I loved this movie....great themes of forgiveness, letting go, and love. A Great Family Movie with spiritual themes.

[kateann1027 · 8/10 · 25 October 2019]

I really enjoyed this movie, called "HEaven is waiting" on Amazon Prime. Great universal themes of love, forgiveness, letting go and finding your heart again. Great acting.

Love this

[mitchellrharl · 10/10 · 10 January 2021]

Is this same as Heaven is Waiting beautiful sweet movie wonderful cast