John H. Groberg, a middle class kid from Idaho Falls, crosses the Pacific to become a Mormon missionary in the remote and exotic Tongan island kingdom during the 1950's. He leaves behind a loving family and the true love of his life, Jean. Through letters and musings across the miles, John shares his humbling and sometimes hilarious adventures with "the girl back home", and her letters buoy up his spirits in difficult times. John must struggle to overcome language barriers, physical hardship and deep-rooted suspicion to earn the trust and love of the Tongan people he has come to serve. Throughout his adventure-filled three years on the islands, he discovers friends and wisdom in the most unlikely places. John H. Groberg's Tongan odyssey will change his life forever.
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A Masterpiece!
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
This film is set in the 1950's, not only in time but in style. It was a time of Poodle skirts, McCarthyism and fear of the bomb. This script acknowledges the first only. There is a simplification of the time that will appeal to some but not to most. The characters lack depth and the "feel good" problems the characters face lack tension. That said, the low-key acting services the low-key script very well.If you can identify with the characters (especially if you are Mormon). you will enjoy this film. If you cannot identify with the characters, you will probably find the film slow and very boring.
I found the Other Side of Heaven to be entertaining. It does not have all the working of the LDS rules, but that is OK because this is a movie...not a documentary. I have been a member of the LDS church and see some things that may/may not be notible, but again, it is for entertainment. The focus was more on the missionary, and not on the church which would probably appeal more to non-LDS members. To see more about the church, one could rent 'The Works and the Glory', or some film put out by the Salt Lake church. The film shows the missionary and his girlfriend in probably a more mature way than a typical missionary would be, but the actor Christopher Gorham does an excellent job portraying the actual person...whether or not it is actually true to form. I enjoyed the film, and recommend it if you want something light-hearted.
I loved this movie!!! My father is Tongan and my mother is Samoan (the first island Elder Groberg landed at the beginning of his journey). Even though I was born and raised here in the US, I have been exposed to my Polynesian roots and love and embrace both cultures of who I am (Polynesian side and American side).I have to say that my family and I LOVED this movie. It is refreshing to watch a beautiful movie without all the sex, violence and vulgar material that permeates our society today. This movie is about True Love on so many levels - the love between Elder Groberg and his future bride Jean, the love between the Tongan people and Elder Groberg and the love between Our Lord and his children. No, I'm not Mormon, I'm actually an Assembly of God Christian, however that does not overshadow my appreciation for this movie.The depiction of the people of Tonga is accurate. They are a lighthearted and loving group of people who love to laugh and find joy in the simple things of life. They are all about respect and honoring one's family. The scene of the first funeral brought back memories for me as it illustrated exactly how these kind people handle the departing of a loved one. When my dear Grandmother Siu passed away in 1994, my family and I traveled back to Vava'u (an island within the Kingdom of Tonga) to lay her to rest. The unmasked grief and crying as depicted in the movie was exactly how my grandmother's funeral was. The crying and grieving took place for 1 full day (24 hours - day and night) while different groups of people from all the villages on the island, came to pay their last respects.Hats off to Disney for going out on a limb to bring the story of one young man's journey of faith and trials and tribulations of his mission to the big screen! Well done!
First of all I wanted to say that if you watched the movie and walked away from it without feeling emotionally moved (in a positive way) you might be emotionally dead. Even if you don't believe in the miracles that occurred in the film, you can appreciate the poignant message behind the story of a young man and his struggles to help the people he fell in love with. I sense that there are a number of "Mormon-phobics" that ended up "getting lured into" seeing this movie somehow and end up screaming "Propaganda!" It's actually quite amusing that these people are so afraid of this religion that they make such unreasonably absurd efforts to avoid anything to do with the religion or people who are members of it. The religious doctrine in this movie was portrayed in such a benign manner that it is nearly indiscernible.It's kind of like saying that "The Sound of Music" was Catholic propaganda (although some antagonists will probably feel that way anyway).This movie was deeply moving and it was one of the few movies that had the effect of permanently affecting me in a positive way. If you're looking for the usual Hollywood style of over-embellishing a story to the point of making it unbelievable, or trying to concentrate on some spectacular story line or special effects you'd probably best move on to the fiction section and leave this one alone. This is a real story about real people with real feelings - written and produced for real people.
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