My Daddy Is In Heaven
Synopsis
Becca, Adam and their 5-year-old daughter Acie are a perfect family until a tragic accident during a 4th of July celebration kills Adam. Struggling with the grieving process, Becca decides she needs to step away from the family farm and all its reminders of the life she once had. She leaves Acie with her grandfather Rick and visits with her old friend from school, June. With all the best intentions, June offers Becca plenty of distraction from her shattered family life. Fueled by her anger at God and loss of faith, Becca starts drinking heavily and making other self-destructive choices. Then, after Becky is arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct, Rick threatens to keep Acie until Becca sets herself right. A chance encounter in a bus station with a guitar-toting traveler gives Becky the inspiration she needs to reignite her faith and reunite her family.
Dove Review
My Daddy’s in Heaven starring Corbin Bernsen is based on the true story that follows Rebecca Crownover and her daughter Acie, as they journey through a grieving process. Jenn Gotzon Chandler plays Becca in a deeply emotional performance as a broken and lost woman who is robbed of her hope after experiencing a life-altering tragedy. This film is based on Rebecca’s book titled My Daddy is in Heaven with Jesus, which she wrote to help grieving families cope with loss. It has won multiple awards and inspired countless people to keep moving forward in the face of despair.
Though the heartwarming book is written for children, the film has many mature, gut-wrenching moments as Becca spends a good deal of on-screen time “acting out” in ways that are fueled by anger at God and a loss of faith. She begins to drink heavily and behave a bit wantonly, eventually being arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after a series of substance-abusing escapades with her equally lost friend, June, and a close encounter with sexual assault. While her mother is away nursing her wounds, Acie is cared for on the family farm by her grandpa Rick, a strong Christian man of faith, played compassionately by Bernsen, and she continually interrogates him in an effort to understand the concept of heaven. Acie’s questions and sense of abandonment parallel her mother’s anxious escalation as the director takes us back and forth from the country to the city. In contrast, the delightful performance of Jill Morrison (June) brings needed comic relief, though via a constant attempt to escape through promiscuous behavior. She, too, though always jovial, is on a downward spiral, needing to confront her own brokenness. On a fateful bus ride back to the country, Becca and June have a spiritual experience. Becca finally embraces her circumstances, as she seeks peace instead of revenge, and June has a moving and authentic encounter with God upon discovering the symbolic bible that has been making its rounds as a gateway for people to be rescued. Though Becca’s doubts, questions, and anger lead her to rebellion, her reconciliation with God, which reignites her faith and reunites her family, is a true inspiration. Corbin Bernsen spoke gravely of his participation in this film when he said: “I was humbled… thankfully humbled once again in my life. I learned my place.” Because of its strong faith messages, we are proud to award this movie the Dove-Approved Seal, but due to a few cautionary elements, we recommend it for Ages 12+.