Letters to God (2010)

A boozing postal worker finds his life turned upside down by a boy struggling with cancer. Young Tyler Doherty (Tanner Maguire) faces his cancer with a strong spirit and good humor, and maintains his faith by writing letters to God--letters that the neighborhood's new mailman, Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnson), doesn't know how to handle. Gradually, McDaniels finds himself drawn into the Doherty family's life… and drawn to Tyler's lonely mother, Maddy (Robyn Lively). Letters to God is earnest and family friendly, with moments of slapstick humor to leaven Tyler's troubled circumstances. Any viewer's response to Letters to God will depend on his or her faith; devout Christians will find it a sincere and uplifting testament to God's love, while non-Christians will find it saccharine and heavy-handed. But it's certainly a polished production, with professional cinematography, a cleanly written (if a bit obvious) script, and solid performances from the attractive cast. --Bret Fetzer