Film

Miracles from Heaven

Name: Miracles from Heaven
Genre: Family, Drama
Released: 2016
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, Brighton Sharbino, Courtney Fansler

Drama

A faith-based drama about a mother fighting for her daughter's life after a devastating diagnosis, anchored by a real-world miracle that defies medical explanation. It's earnest and emotionally direct, built on Jennifer Garner's fierce maternal performance. Made for people who believe in grace, or who want to sit with a story about it.

TMDb rating

3.8

If you liked this

The Shack2017

Another spiritually grounded family drama that wrestles with faith in the face of tragedy. If you responded to Miracles from Heaven's sincerity, this explores similar ground with theological depth and emotional weight.

But The theology can feel didactic, and the production has that made-for-faith-audiences polish that doesn't always translate beyond the choir.

Heaven Is for Real2014

Similar story structure: a child's extraordinary experience shakes a family's faith and rattles their community. Greg Kinnear and the child actor carry genuine warmth, and it doesn't shy from real doubt.

But Can feel thin in places, and relies on audiences already leaning toward its spiritual convictions for resonance.

Fireproof2008

A marriage pushed to the breaking point by crisis and restored through faith. Kirk Cameron gives his most layered performance, and the film doesn't look away from how hard repair actually is.

But The dialogue can be blunt, and it's unapologetically made for a Christian audience, which shapes its every choice.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Miracles from Heaven

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Farewell2019

Both follow a family through medical crisis and discover that love—not theology—is what holds people together when the body fails.

A family gathers around a dying grandmother in China while keeping the diagnosis from her. Like Miracles, it's about love expressed through a medical crisis, but here grief is layered, funny, and rooted in cultural particularity rather than spiritual certainty.

But Deadpan comedy intercut with genuine sadness can feel tonal whiplash. The ending offers ambiguity, not resolution.

Soul Surfer2011

Based on a true story of a young surfer who loses her arm to a shark attack and returns to the water. It has genuine grit beneath the inspirational veneer, and real locations give it texture.

But The faith elements can overwhelm the personal story, and some will find the tone too uplifting for the actual trauma described.

Risen2016

A Roman officer investigates the resurrection. It's a genre play—a detective story—that lets faith exist without sermonizing. Solid craft and an intriguing structural choice.

But The faith conclusion is inevitable, which limits dramatic tension if you're watching for mystery rather than confirmation.

I Can Only Imagine2018

A true-story drama about the songwriter behind the megahit 'I Can Only Imagine.' Traces his painful family history and the moment grace broke through. Unexpectedly moving.

But If you're not moved by contemporary Christian music or its cultural moment, the film's reverence for both might feel foreign.

The Case for Christ2017

Journalist and skeptic investigates Christianity and finds himself believing. Well-structured argument-as-narrative, and it respects the intellectual weight of the question.

But It's fundamentally a conversion story designed for the unconverted, which means it can feel like you're being sold to rather than watching drama unfold.

Courageous2011

Four police officers recommit to their families and faith after tragedy. Genuine ensemble chemistry and a working-class texture that grounds the spiritual material.

But Nearly three hours, and the multiple storylines mean some feel underdeveloped. The faith messaging comes in waves.

Woodlawn2015

A true story about a football player and a spiritual revival in segregated Alabama. Tackles race and faith at once, with real historical stakes and stadium-sized emotion.

But It simplifies complex racial and religious dynamics into an inspirational frame that not everyone will accept on those terms.

A Man Called Otto2022

Both are about families learning to live after loss, and discovering that recovery comes through connection rather than explanation—faith taking the shape of human presence.

Tom Hanks as a grieving widower who lost his wife and finds his way back through unexpected human connection. It's tender, funny, and about ordinary grace. The kind of quiet miracle that happens in real life.

But Deliberately paced and small-scale. If you need plot momentum or spectacle, this will feel too gentle.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind2019

Both hinge on a single act—accident or invention—that breaks the cycle of crisis, told through a child's experience and a parent's devotion. Both ask: what does faith mean when you have to act?

A Malawi teenager builds a windmill to save his village from famine. It's about resourcefulness and conviction in the face of impossible odds, with documentary-like authenticity and genuine stakes. Chiwetel Ejiofor directs and appears in it.

But Shot on location in harsh conditions; it doesn't soften poverty or struggle for comfort. The film trusts the audience to sit with difficulty.