Review: SOUTH OF HEAVEN Starring Jason Sudeikis and Evangeline Lilly

I got a chance to watch South of Heaven this week ahead of its theatrical and digital release, and boy was this a different movie than I expected! The film stars Jason Sudeikis as Jimmy, a man getting out of prison after serving a decade for robbery and assault, who is returning to his childhood sweetheart Annie, played by Evangeline Lilly, who has promised to wait for him, and who has been recently diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

I really thought this would be a sad and sweet film about the end of this woman’s life, and their relationship as he cares for her. That was a small part of it, but the main thesis of the story more so came across as Jimmy trying to live his life while all the worst things ever happen to him.

This movie had an amazing cast, with Sudeikis and Lilly joined by Mike Colter and Shea Whigham. While everyone did a solid job, this story just came across as unbelievable. This town is tiny, and yet there are crime bosses at every turn. Jimmy is trying to keep his head down and work a 9 to 5 while caring for Annie, whose only signs of sickness are a short haircut and a penchant for medical grade weed. Yet, trouble finds him around every corner. Not just small town trouble either, I’m talking like drug running, murderous, nail gun torture, head in a trashcan type trouble.

We are also left to wonder what happened to a few key characters. Without getting into spoilers, I just feel that too much of the story was left ambiguously open-ended, and it was very unsatisfying.

The film certainly had a fantastic cast, but I was underwhelmed with the final product.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself, South of Heaven will be available In theaters, On Demand and On Digital on Friday, October 8th. If you’d rather a Jason Sudeikis sure bet, Ted Lasso Seasons 1 and 2 are available now on Apple.