MovieChat Forums > The Other Side of Heaven (2002) Discussion > Warning! Do not let the DVD case suck yo...

Warning! Do not let the DVD case suck you in!

posted 13 years ago by DazeYaVoo
3 replies | jump to latest

If you're a Chris Gorham fan, all you 10 to 20-year old girls out there, you will be mildly entertained by this evangelical, let's-bring-enlightenment-to-the-poor-misguided-natives true memoir. I'll bet the author's memoirs would be interesting to his descendants and LDS people wondering what it was like to bring religion to faux Tongans. For the rest of us, meh.

If you're an Anne Hathaway fan, beware the lies of the DVD case. Lovely pictures of Anne and Chris, so in love, or love to be, and crossing the waters together in a native canoe. None of that's in the movie. The promise is unfulfilled.

I can't remember the last time I fast-forwarded a DVD so often. I kept waiting for Anne to be spirited out to the islands to share life, tribulations and love with Chris. Alas, only in my dreams. Or mostly their dreams. Anne spends more time with some unseen character named Edward (?) than our erstwhile, pen-palling Mormon missionary.

I can accept the storyline about the white man enlightening the uneducated natives because that did happen, and the movie is a memoir. But except for the first ten minutes and the last five minutes, Anne is AWOL. Don't get me wrong; it IS a romance, but the romance is between the hero and his flock of new saints.

Instead of a cute couple picture of Anne and Chris at the top of the DVD, they should have had a loving picture of Chris and about 25 or 40 Tongans. Then we'd "get the picture" instead of renting what we thought was an idealistic romance story.

As a coincidental counterpoint, at the same time I rented "The Sleeping Dictionary" starring a youthful Jessica Alba and Hugh Dancy. Similar themes and situations. Also about white man bringing civilization to the natives, plus his own romance. Much the better movie. No false advertising there. Recommended. (Disclaimer for the innocent: A less Disneyesque movie, some quick nudity but not enough to make the eyes go wide, much less raise an eyebrow on the prudish.)

[–] anniemckitty 11 years ago

The people in the boat in the photo are the men. Anne Hathaway is not in the boat. I agree the upper picture could be misleading but I thought she did a good job narrating the letters and I enjoyed that.

[–] J_R_Cash 10 years ago

I remember buying this at Toys R Us in DVD without knowing a thing about it, except she was in it dye to the cover. It was around the time Princess Diaries had come out and had become obsessed with her. Definitely disappointed, but somewhat enjoyed it. Since sold DVD, do haven't thought snoot it much, ha.

[–] Blueghost 9 years ago

It wasn't a very fulfilling film.

I'm particularly sorry that it's a Mormon story, and that the same story could have, but did not, come from a Peace Corps volunteer (minus the religion).