Movie Review: Highway to Heaven (Lifetime, 2021)

 

In 2021, Lifetime aired a television movie based on Michael Landon's 1980s hit, Highway to Heaven. Based upon the write-up, it appears this was intended to be a movie series, but for whatever reason that didn't happen. Christopher Landon was one of the writers, and Cindy Landon and Wayne Lepoff signed on as executive producers on behalf of Michael Landon's estate (Lifetime). Last night, I ordered this Highway to Heaven movie from Amazon Prime Video to see what it was all about.

Angela Stewart (Jill Scott) plays an angel sent to earth portraying a junior high school guidance counselor. Here, she meets Principal Bruce Banks (Barry Watson) and Vice-Principal Gloria Sanchez (Yoshié Bancroft). They eagerly invite her to join the faculty of Daly Junior High for a six-week position. 

Settling right into work, Angela meets Cody Grier (Ben Daon) and his father, Jeff (Robert Moloney), who have been struggling since the death of mother and wife, Melissa. Jeff has tucked away all the dreams and plans he had made with Melissa, and Cody has gone from a top-notch student to a kid who even the guidance counselors don't want to work with. In the end, many lives will be changed with new chapters to look forward to for more than one character.

Highway to Heaven is a superb family film that deals with family, forgiveness, starting over, and second chances. Viewers gain insight into Cody and Jeff's life, but they also learn a bit about Bruce's past, which I believe might have evolved if the series were picked up. Have to admit I cried more than once. While I don't feel Scott and Watson had the comradery of Landon and French, that could have come with time as the actors and characters developed.

If you enjoyed the original Highway to Heaven, you will likely appreciate this movie. 

Release date: November 6, 2021 (United States)

Language: English 

Also known as: The Good Year 

Production companies: Propagate Rain Productions

Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes

Color: Color 

Sound mix: Stereo

Aspect ratio: 16:9 HD

I watched this movie for free thanks to Amazon Prime Video. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Highway to Heaven: Stream Landon Series on Frndly TV & 2021 Lifetime Movie

 

 

As I was reviewing older posts at Laura's Little Houses, I came across a post about Highway to Heaven. As Michael Landon fans know, this show starred Landon as Jonathan Smith, a probationary angel sent back to Earth to help struggling people. In his first assignment, he meets ex-cop Mark Gordon, played by Landon's friend and Little House on the Prairie co-star, Victor French. Together, Jonathan and Mark travel the country on assignments from God. 

Today, I discovered that the four seasons of Landon's Highway to Heaven can be streamed on Frndly TV. They are also on Amazon Prime Video. How exciting!

Back in 2014, nearly 23 years after Landon's death, The Hollywood Reporter announced Highway to Heaven was getting a remake thanks to A&E and Halfire-Core Entertainment. Mark Wahlberg was signed on as executive producer. Not sure what happened, but it didn't come to fruition.

However, in 2021, Lifetime released an adaptation of Highway to Heaven as a TV movie starring Jill Scott (Steel Magnolias & Flint) and Barry Watson (7th Heaven). Angela Stewart (Scott) is an angel who is sent back to Earth as a school guidance counselor to help "troubled students and families" (IMDB). Watson plays Principal Bruce Banks. 

Did you know about this? I sure didn't. 

This movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Happy Birthday, Michael Landon

Happy heavenly birthday to Michael Landon! He would have been 87 today. Is it any wonder that a man who had such a wicked sense of humor was born on Halloween? 

We will never know how long he would have been producing great television shows and movies or what his new ideas would have been, but I am glad to see that Little House on the Prairie continues to attract fans worldwide. 

Found at My Local Library: Michael Landon's Legacy by Cheryl Landon

Countless fans remember Michal Landon from his leading roles in the popular television series "Bonanza," "Little House on the Prairie," and "Highway to Heaven." Far fewer, perhaps, know Landon as a caring father who changed the course of his own life to save his daughter's. Cheryl, a motivational speaker who travels throughout the world to share her father's legacy, has combined the simple beliefs Michael Landon tried to exemplify - both at work and at home - with family stories, her own experience, and the loving touch of her father's spirit. This special book is guaranteed to charm "and" inspire. Includes a special introduction and photo section.

Highway to Heaven Getting Edgy Reboot from A&E Studios and Halfire-Core Entertainment

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that A&E Studios and Halfire-Core Entertainment are working on an edgier reboot of Highway to Heaven. In this show that ran from 1984 - 1989 on NBC, Michael Landon played Jonathan Smith, an angel on probation that is sent back to earth to help people. Victor French, who worked with Landon on Little House on the Prairie, played Mark Gordon, an embittered ex-cop. After Jonathan helps to reform Mark, the former policeman becomes his right hand man. The two begin touring the country on assignments from "the Boss."

Mark Wahlberg signed on as the executive producer, and this reboot is being co-produced by Bob DeBitetto's newly launched A&E Studios and Noreen Halpern's Halfire-Core Entertainment. Also on board is Stephen Levinson's Leverage Entertainment. Wahlberg and Levinson (Boardwalk Empire), along with Halpern, Wirth and Wayne Lepoff of the Landon estate are all attached as executive producers.

You can read the entire article at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-e-developing-highway-heaven-671674

While I am excited about the thought of this reboot, I have to admit anytime I see edgier in the attached to a project, I'm concerned about the content. We'll have to wait and see how things pan out for this one.