This is the day and age where most movies relying on an "R" rating and special effects to get moviegoers to shell out their hard earned money. At the same time their producers push the limits of good taste and see how far they can go towards the "garbage" rating. I know not all movies do this but way too many do. Even many PG13 movies try hard to promote bad taste with raunchy plots. The trouble with this type of approach is that in many cases the movie isn't even good, or even worse - junk. Now comes a real good movie that takes a higher road. "The Other Side of Heaven" stands out as a movie that tries to fill the viewer with a sense of goodness in a people and those who would serve them. In this case it is the Tongan people and the server is a young missionary named Elder Groberg and his Tongan companion. I found this movie very interesting because besides being a very good movie, I was able to learn of the Tongan customs and traditions: what they found valuable and what was important to them. Elder Groberg was a young man from the states with all of the comforts that living there provides. To leave those comforts and go half way around the world to a strange people with a strange language must have been a real challenge. It was nothing less than a whole new way of life for him. This movie has some special effects but it doesn't rely on them. It is an epic movie with a great plot, which is made even more interesting because it is based on a true story. "The Other Side of Heaven" has clean humor, tragedy, love, challenges, danger, hope, faith, and great acting. What could be better? You can go to this movie and take your kids or your mom without worrying about what they will be subjected to. What movie these days can claim that? Anyone want to visit Tonga?
The Generic Critic