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Love, Kennedy Reviews

As a movie, the psychological heft limps a bit, but this should not discount the dignity or remembrance of a remarkable young girl gone too soon before her time.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 1, 2019

A series of episodes from Kennedy's life, though, don't add up to an engrossing movie. There's no dramatic arc or tension between characters, just a slow inevitable slide as Kennedy's condition worsens.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 1, 2017

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Movie Review: Love, Kennedy (2017)

• Frank Ochieng
• Movie Reviews
• 3 responses
• --> July 11, 2017

Inspirational dramas are inherently uplifting, motivational and psychologically gripping. Their feel-good elements or inevitable triumph-into-tragedy climaxes are the functional foundations behind rewarding, emotionally-charged cinema. However, tear-jerking tales of adversity sometimes often fall into the realm of derivative dramatics that register in mawkishness despite their well-intentional pursuit of truthful sentimentality.

Writer-director T.C. Christensen’s (“The Cokeville Miracle”) moving film project, Love, Kennedy , is certainly a celebration of the human spirit. The narrative — based on a true story — tells the heart-warming tale of Kennedy Ann Hansen, a teen whose life was cut short in 16 brief years due to her infliction with the incurable Juvenile Batten Disease.

Christensen clearly shows respect and admiration for his courageous, sickly youthful heroine. Although it is thoroughly poignant and touching, however, his movie never really explores the deep-seeded trials and tribulations of this vulnerable young woman beyond going through the motions of chronicling the devastating disease in formulaic, by-the-numbers fashion. The strife feels transparent and the audience never experiences the genuine, quieted grief that one would imagine the tormented characters would be suffering through. And while hope, positivity and loving spirit still comes through, this conventional design stifles the convincing tension and wandering anxieties of the film’s youthful leading lady and the loved ones and close associates that benefited from her pleasures and pain equally.

Kennedy Hansen (Tatum Chiniquy, “Hollow”) is the typical spunky Odgen, Utah-grown gal that seemingly lives an ideal existence. She is surrounded by supporting and caring parents Jason and Heather (Jasen Wade, “Mythica: The Iron Crown” and Heather Beers, “The Hollow Point”) as well as her two siblings. The pretty Kennedy is well-liked and has expectations of becoming a cheerleader and finding that special love whose affections and companionship can be reciprocated to her. Sadly, Kennedy’s continuous physical mishaps at school cause major concern thus warranting the parents to bring her to a doctor for answers.

Well, the diagnosis is not good as poor Kennedy is diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder known as Juvenile Batten Disease . . . a tragic and crippling ailment that targets adolescents and has a mortality rate of 100-percent. Naturally, this is stunningly terrible medical news for Kennedy and her family and friends. With no cure in sight, Kennedy (and other children in her dire predicament) simply has to endure her debilitating disease and cope with the frustrating realities. Nevertheless, she remains a unique gift to those that seem to draw encouragement and strength from her disease-driven plight.

The one thing that has to remain constant to combat the negativity of her horrific health issues is to make sure that Kennedy lives her life as normal as she can in the precious limited time she has left. Thus, the active Kennedy delves into her beloved activities (with her parents’ blessings, of course) in and away from the school environment and even serves as the much-needed psychological cheerleader for her fellow fragile facility mates. Kennedy does not have the time to feel sorry for herself, so why should her supporters?

Ultimately, the winning message behind Christensen’s character study of this young, wondrous woman is to instill a sense of pride and purpose for life. The proof is in the pudding — the emotional obstacles that both the real-life and fictionalized Kennedy Hansen confronted no doubt will break the hearts (and solidify the souls) of those who are self-doubting their lives. In its own indelible way Love, Kennedy promotes the push of miracles and meaning to create hope in the emptiness of the living.

It is almost sacrilege to find fault in an independent film that is grounded in faith, belief, the power of love and survival and critical spirituality. Still, Love, Kennedy never comes full circle in its embracing of disillusionment in the face of overcoming overwhelming odds or allows Kennedy and her admirers to connect to that underlying bitterness for a better connection and raw emotional fulfillment. The characters feel rather slight and inexplicably removed from the deep-seeded sadness at large while Christensen only safely emphasizes the sappy, tidy endings of an otherwise heart-wrenching story. The subplot involving Kennedy’s regrettable demise as the catalyst for enticing her good friend Lexi (Yvonne D Bennett, “Brigsby Bear”) and others to reinvest their energies in the church as a miraculous anecdote for the appreciation of healing is somewhat constructive, but mostly comes off as a noble afterthought.

The performances should be commended to an extent, especially the two actresses that take turns at different stages in Kennedy’s life (Scarlett Hazen as the younger version; Chiniquy as the elder). As a movie, the psychological heft limps a bit, but this should not discount the dignity or remembrance of a remarkable young girl gone too soon before her time.

Tagged: daughter , death , disease , faith , miracle , true story , Utah

Frank Ochieng has been an online movie reviewer for various movie outlets throughout the years before coming on board at CMC. Previously, Frank had been a film critic for The Boston Banner (now The Bay State Banner) urban newspaper and had appeared on Boston's WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM for an 11-year run as a recurring media commentator/panelist on the "Movie/TV Night" overnight broadcasts. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Internet Film Critics Society (IFCS). Frank is a graduate of Suffolk University in the historic section of Boston's Beacon Hill.

Movie Review: Hooking Up (2020) Movie Review: I Still Believe (2020) Movie Review: Spenser Confidential (2020) Movie Review: Cane River (1982) Movie Review: The Assistant (2020) Movie Review: Jojo Rabbit (2019) Movie Review: American Woman (2019)

'Movie Review: Love, Kennedy (2017)' have 3 comments

July 12, 2017 @ 10:16 pm E. HUNTER HALE

You’ve written a thoughtful review of a what I consider to be nothing short of a spiritual experience. I’ve seen the film in the theater some six times to date and the film has had the same response from me with each viewing. This is Kennedy’s story told through the voice of her father (wonderfully played by Jason Wade who was excellent in T.C. Christensen’s films 17 MIRACLES and THE COKEVILLE MIRACLE). How many parents have had their faith tested when they lose a child and wonder how a God in heaven could allow such a thing to happen. At one point in the film the mother (well played by Heather Beers) suggests that their daughter’s disease may be in God’s plan and her father bitterly retorts I’d like to see that plan. In the course of the parents journey with Kennedy all three come to know that it is part of a divine plan. The ending seems to you to be a tact on way to finish the film but it is a fulfillment of something that Kennedy was inspired to tell her parents would take place. This film is bold in that it doesn’t try to sugar coat the real story. If you read the book, KENNEDY’S HUGS you will realize how brilliantly T.C. has captured the heart of this families spiritual journey.

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October 9, 2017 @ 3:22 pm Richard I. Hale

Amen to E. Hunter Hale’s comments. LOVE, KENNEDY is a beautiful should see film.

December 27, 2017 @ 12:56 am Richard

When you fail to see the heartfelt connection between the movie and the actual events, looking for comparisons to all the other junk out of Hollywood these days you miss the point. Maybe you should consider another line of work…

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Love, Kennedy

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Jasen Wade (Jason Hansen) Heather Beers (Heather Hansen) Tatum Chiniquy (Kennedy Hansen) Scarlett Hazen (Young Kennedy) Eliza de Azevedo Brown (Young Anna) Brennin Williams (Beau Hansen) Yvonne D Bennett (Lexi Velasquez) Tony Hill (Dr. Scott Weaver) Bailee Michelle Johnson (Jordyn Chandler) Shona Kay (Sales woman)

T.C. Christensen

A teenage girl copes with her diagnosis of terminal juvenile Batten Disease.

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Love, kennedy.

Kennedy Hansen is a funny, loving child but inexplicably she begins to fall. It takes years for the diagnosis… Juvenile Batten Disease, an extremely rare, terrible and terminal prognosis. There is no cure for Batten Disease and after living only sixteen years, Kennedy leaves behind a great legacy of love and friendship. But her story doesn't end at her death, that's when the miracles really begin. Based on a true story.

Jasen Wade Heather Beers Tatum Chiniquy Scarlett Hazen Eliza de Azevedo Brown Brennin Williams Yvonne D Bennett Tony Hill Bailee Michelle Johnson Shona Kay Chloe Oloren Nathan Osmond Trinity Roberts Paris Warner Danna Louisa Wilson Nanci Wudel Paul Wuthrich

Editor Editor

Tanner Christensen

Remember Films

Alternative Titles

愛的終結式, Love, Kennedy, El milagro de Kennedy Hansen, 出发吧，凯莉

Drama Family

Releases by Date

02 jun 2017, releases by country.

• Theatrical PG

92 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by nmlindseylou

The ending was so touching and beautiful and reminded me of the miracles I’ve seen through my worst tragedies.

Review by Spencer ★★

Teaching in Utah, there’s always religious, especially Mormon stuff, coming up between students.  When I asked for movie recs from them it’s not surprising that one of them put a locally produced religious movie on my list.  Im sure it genuinely inspired them.  But man I want wanted this movie to end the second it started. I grew up loving Mormon movies because my mom would let me watch them on Sunday but the older I got the more I realized how…not cool they are.  One of my favorite bits when I get stuck watching them is finding out how explicitly Mormon they decide to be.  Sometimes, they try to appeal to other Christians, and that seemed to be the…

Review by Robinsnest ★½

This was a pretty good movie up until the preachy end where it became a recruitment drive for mormonism. Sad they would take advantage of a young girls disease and death to add members to their church :(

Review by shay42 ★★★★½

I don’t know why I chose destruction today but I did… and here I am…. In a pool of tears

Review by Starburst22 ★★★★½

Was this the most I've every cried from a movie?

Review by victoriaragbeer ★★★★★

Such a heartfelt movie. Kennedy will never be forgotten ❤️

Review by Catherine Ruso ★★★★

Such a beautiful and Inspiring film.

Review by Quinn ★★★½

I was going to give this a lower score because the writing is so clunky, but then I read the comments and I had to rate it higher to offset the anti-Christ. I also felt horrible when I was trashing on the use of Radioactive until I saw it listed as “Kennedy’s favorite song” in the credits. Gonna go repent about that.

Review by Drew Stubbs ½

the most utah movie ever what the shiz man

Review by nataliefrench ★★★

Wow, I could definitely feel the spirit watching this movie. Such a great, yet sad story, of how to love people as Jesus did.

Review by Molly ★

The longest ad for Mormonism I’ve ever seen. I’d like to say that we won’t ever watch this again, but it was just deranged enough and we as gay people LOVE a deranged movie.

Review by gfdibble ½

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Movie review: 'Love, Kennedy' only for the faithful

By Sean P. Means The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

At last week's premiere of the Utah-made inspirational drama "Love, Kennedy," director-writer T.C. Christensen spoke movingly about his movie's real-life subject, Kennedy Ann Hansen.

"Kennedy's story is not a tragedy," Christensen said. "The story of Kennedy Hansen is a miracle."

That may be, and Christensen's movie makes the strong case that Kennedy was a wonderful person who brought joy and warmth to her family, friends, classmates and LDS ward — even in the final year of her short life. But it's one thing to live a miracle and quite another to depict one on film and pull a compelling drama from it.

Kennedy Hansen (played by Tatum Chiniquy) was a normal girl growing up in Ogden, living with two siblings and their loving parents, Heather (Heather Beers) and Jason (Jasen Wade). As Jason's narration tells us, she wanted to be a cheerleader, wanted to drive and wanted to have a boyfriend.

After she suffered some falls at school, the Hansens took her to the doctor, who delivered a horrible diagnosis: Kennedy had Batten disease, a rare neurological disorder in which fats and proteins build up in nerve cells. The disease usually strikes children and teens, progressively affecting vision and motor function. There is no cure, and victims usually die young.

Once Kennedy is diagnosed, she and her family are determined to let her live to the fullest for as long as she is able. She cheers at her high school's football games, and the cheer squad encourage their coach to let her join the team, where she becomes an inspiration. She goes to a church dance, and the boys in the ward cheer her up by asking her to dance.

Christensen compiles several of these stories from Kennedy's short life. Drawing from the Hansens' community of friends, he fills the movie with authentic details — filming scenes in the Hansens' house, casting people she knew in minor roles, and deploying her favorite song (Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive").

A series of episodes from Kennedy's life, though, don't add up to an engrossing movie. There's no dramatic arc or tension between characters, just a slow inevitable slide as Kennedy's condition worsens.

Christensen deploys a talented Utah cast, and fans of local movies will recognize Beers ("Charly") and Wade ("17 Miracles" and "The Cokeville Miracle," both directed by Christensen). Chiniquy is a real find, exuding Kennedy's warmth and spunk while also deftly handling the technical challenges of depicting her physical deterioration.

"Love, Kennedy" ends with a "miracle," a story of how Kennedy's spirit influenced one of her friends (Yvonne D. Bennett) and her family to rejoin the LDS Church. The anecdote makes for an interesting coda and shows the movie's fate won't be in theaters but in Sunday school lessons for years to come.

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'Love, Kennedy'

The true story of a girl's decline from a rare disease is more Sunday school lesson than compelling drama.

Where • Area theaters.

When • Opens Friday, June 2.

Rating • Not rated, but probably PG for themes of terminal illness.

Running time • 92 minutes.

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Now Available on On-Demand & Digital

LOVE, KENNEDY tells the inspirational true story of Kennedy Hansen, a funny, loving young woman whose health suddenly begins to fail. It takes years to find the cause – Juvenile Batten Disease – an extremely rare and inevitably terminal diagnosis. After living only 16 short years, Kennedy leaves behind an incredible legacy of love and friendship. But her story doesn’t end with her passing, it’s only then the true miracles really begin.

T.C. Christensen

T.C. Christensen Ron Tanner

Jasen Wade Heather Beers Tatum Chiniquy Scarlett Hazen Quince Squires Liza Brown Brennin Williams Yvonne Bennett Victor Medina Brandi Naumann Alyssa Velasquez Kalvin Stinger Emily Wadley

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Love, Kennedy: Why the Film Had to Be Made

Love, Kennedy opens June 2 in selected theaters.

Some stories have to be told and T.C. Christensen’s new film Love, Kennedy was one of those. On the surface it’s the story of a loving, spunky young girl’s descent into blindness, loss of motor skills, speech and finally cognitive abilities due to Juvenile Batten disease, a rare neurological disorder. That sounds like a downer for a movie premise, but, in fact, true to form, Christensen has created something beautiful and touching that will leave movie-goers moved and uplifted.

I sneaked a peek at my husband’s face as we were watching the film and tears wetted both of our cheeks, not because we were sad, but we were so moved at the poignancy of life and the deep involvement of the Lord in its details.

Kennedy Hansen, who died three years ago on May 30, 2014, wanted her story told because she hoped it would send a message of unswerving faith and courage in the face of crippling obstacles. God lives and He held her hand through what should have been an impossible ordeal.

She was living with her family in West Haven, near Ogden, Utah, when she began to have falls at school. When her parents, Heather and Jason (played by Heather Beers and Jason Wade), took her to the doctor, they received a terrible diagnosis. Kennedy had an incurable and rare neurological disease and victims usually die young.

Still, the Hansens were determined that Kennedy should have her dreams realized, which included being on the cheer leading team, going to a dance, and driving

Her final, and ultimate, dream, however, was that her story be told to help others.

“She is the victim of undeserved misfortune, something we can identify with” said the filmmaker. “One thing I look for in a story, is for the viewer not to be able to imagine that it gets better, and then it gets better.”

You Have to Hear This Story

Christensen said, when he chooses films to make, he looks for the best story out there. He found this story because after he had given a fireside in West Haven, Utah, where Kennedy Hansen’s family lives. Jason, her father, came up to him after the event and said, “You have to hear a story about my daughter.”

Thousands of others had already heard it. As Kennedy gradually began to exhibit the debilitating symptoms of her disease, Jason, and Heather, began to document the story on a Facebook page, Kennedy’s Hugs.

“It just exploded,” said Heather. We wanted to share her journey and every day to chronicle the inspiring stories. It caught on like wildfire. People are craving that hope and courage to continue on. That was our message and it spread.”

Social media experts contacted the Hansens to see how they attracted such a large following, and how much money they spent advertising their Facebook project. They answered that they had spent no money, but, said Heather, “We had the understanding as a family that we could potentially help others and that was the greater purpose in our tragedy.”

“We were just enveloped in love,” through the ordeal, said Heather.

On that Facebook page, they shared tender feelings like this note written by her father on the day of Kennedy’s death:

“It all came together so perfectly and as she had wished. If you believe in miracles, we saw them today. She fought so hard to be with everyone who came and visited her. The visits were endless and we have never seen someone cry out of sorrow from dawn until dusk. But Kennedy did today. She knew that today she would be going home and we had her pain under control…As each person would tell her goodbye, she would just cry and reach out to them.

“She told us last night that after the cheerleaders made their visits that she would be ready to go. The cheerleaders came…all 27 of them and one by one, they each laid by her side and told her goodbye. She cried with each one of them, knowing their pain. Ultimately, they gathered around her and sang, “Let it Go!” This brought so much peace to her heart.”

A Tough Creative Project

  It is easy for a film about the loss of a vibrant teenager to become merely a sentimental tearjerker, mournful and manipulative, designed to compel easy emotion from the viewers. Love, Kennedy escapes that trap, instead, bringing the viewer face to face with the mix of tragedy and majesty that this life is.

T.C. Christensen shows his considerable directorial sensitivity in pulling it off. How did he do it? In part, it is because he is experienced, based on having made many films including The Cokeville Miracle, 17 Miracles, and Elphraim’s Rescue. The film was also extensively tested with audiences to make sure he had struck just the right note.

Among those who seek to create film for Latter-day Saints, Christensen has created a consistent body of work that is unsophomoric, professional and creative—not an easy thing to do when your subject matter is so often topics hard to portray like spirituality, miracles, and God’s hand in the lives of His children.

It is also noteworthy that he has not shied away from those projects and has targeted an LDS audience with scenes that the secular would surely reject.

It also means that he works with a small budget to make a film—around a half a million. In a world fueled by Hollywood films whose budgets can soar from $200 million and beyond. This means, Christensen, looks to his ingenuity to pull it off and wears more hats than most filmmakers.

Since his background is as a highly sought-after director of photography, setting the light and backgrounds so they will be compelling “is just the way I think,” he says. His films always look way better than they cost.

“Most of my film-making friends feel like it is small potatoes to work in this LDS arena. They want to make films for the world that open in 2,000 theaters. I don’t have any problem at all making films for our culture. It works. It is satisfying.”

We’re Telling the Truth

The reason this movie works, according to Christensen is because “We’re telling the truth, and I’m not going to change it. If Kennedy’s friend, Lexi, tells about an experience she has with her after her death, I don’t have shyness about showing it.

“If I was just making this up, it could go into the maudlin, sappy stuff very quickly, but because we say at the beginning that this is a true story, people can just relax and drop into it.”

“There are no made up moments,” said Heather of the film. “We carefully chronicled our experience together.”

Other producers wanted to do the film but Heather said, “We went with T.C. because we knew he would tell the true story. Other producers approached us with money, but we were not comfortable because we knew her story would be changed. The message could not be shared in the way Kennedy wants to share it.

“With this film, I can say to Kennedy, ‘OK, we’ve done it. We’re keeping your legacy alive.” The premiere for the Hansen’s family and friends was on what for them was a tender date, May 30, the third anniversary of her death.

Sharing Personal Moments

Thus, the movie shares moments that are both personal, and difficult. More than two years before Kennedy’s diagnosis, when she was already showing symptoms, Jason had an experience in prayer where he was told, “My son, I need Kennedy to come home.” It was powerful enough that he couldn’t deny it.

Heather said that Jason waited some time to tell her of that experience, and “when he finally told me, I didn’t doubt that he had that experience, but as a mother I wasn’t ready to accept that.”

Jason told her that she needed to get ready for this, but she struggled. “Then finally,” she said, “six months before the diagnosis, I was able to have my own experience where I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt such an overwhelming confirmation that what Jason had been telling me was true. I also heard the words, ‘I need Kennedy home.’”

She said, “Jason carried that knowledge for quite some time, alone. I can’t imagine how he felt with that, but we were prepared, and it made the process even more beautiful.”

“You look back on your life, and you see those tender mercies,” said Heather. “Some miracles you recognize very quickly and the others take some time.”

One miracle that Heather said that wasn’t in the movie was the difficulty she had getting pregnant after they gave birth to Kennedy. She is their only biological child and their large family is all adopted.

The Hansens went to many doctors seeking to have more children, but all of them concluded that since they had already had one child, they should logically be able to have another.

Finally, after extensive testing, the doctors concluded that the Hansens were biologically incapable of having children together. “I had a very difficult time accepting the fact that we couldn’t have more children,” said Heather, “and I didn’t understand it.” The doctors could give no logical explanation for why they had been able to have Kennedy.

“As it turned out,” said Heather, “it was a blessing that we couldn’t have more children, because the neurological disease that Kennedy had is genetic. Both Jason and I carry a recessive gene, and all of our children would have had this. In a sense, God protected us from having to experience what we did with Kennedy again and again.”

The Hansen’s as Team Members

From the beginning, the Hansen’s were intimately involved with the film project. They collaborated with Christensen in the choice of the actor, Tatum Chiniquy, to play Kennedy. In fact, Tatum, who shone in the role, said she felt a closeness to Kennedy that she needed to portray her.

“So many things about Kennedy, Tatum got spot on in the film,” said Heather. The Hansens have stayed close to Tatum since the filming and she has become almost like another daughter to them

To create the script, Christensen had access to Jason Hansen’s journals, Facebook messages and a book the Hansen’s had written about their journey called Kennedy’s Hugs.

An idea that has influenced Christensen’s work comes from his filmmaking hero, Frank Capra, who wrote an autobiography called The Name above the Title. “In that book,” said Christensen, “Capra talks about the decline of morality in film and said that only the morally courageous should be worthy of speaking to their fellow men for two hours in the dark. If I am going to be in a powerful medium like this, I decided I want to influence for good.”

He has with Love, Kennedy.

Ronald & Barbara Barbara SCHWENDINGER June 7, 2017

Will it be shown in California or on BYU TV? Or be available to purchase?

K. Nance June 4, 2017

This article definitely makes me want to see this movie!

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'Love, Kennedy' is touching, if a little heavy-handed

By Hannah McDonald

“LOVE, KENNEDY” — 3 stars — Heather Beers, Jasen Wade, Tatum Chiniquy, Yvonne D Bennett; PG (thematic elements); in general release

T.C. Christensen’s “Love, Kennedy” is touching, but its themes of faith and testimony may feel a little heavy-handed for nonreligious viewers.

Christensen’s fourth feature-length film recounts the story of Utah native Kennedy Hansen who died at 16 years old in 2014 after being diagnosed with Batten disease. But unlike many films revolving around a terminal illness, the movie doesn’t end after Kennedy’s death. Instead, it reaches further, attempting to show how Kennedy changed the lives of those in her community.

The film begins with a young, mischievous Kennedy (Tatum Chiniquy), who grows up active, happy and entirely devoted to her belief in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Christensen explores Kennedy’s relationship with her family and her faith, placing heavy emphasis on her early spiritual experiences. At times, the dialogue feels a little cloying, but Christensen could be forgiven for that, as the beginning, in retrospect, seems largely nostalgic.

About 30 minutes in, Kennedy receives a diagnosis of terminal Batten disease. The movie tracks Kennedy’s life as her health declines and introduces characters who will inevitably be changed by the end of the movie. Christensen follows Kennedy from seminary classes to stake dances to cheerleading rehearsals.

Kennedy dies near the end of the film, but she tells her parents to expect a miracle one month after her death. The remainder of the film focuses on the Velasquez family, who are the recipients of Kennedy’s miracle.

The film has its problems. For one, the dialogue is a little clunky at times, and the movie struggles with pacing. In some scenes, the pacing plays to its favor, giving emotions time to sink in. In others, it detracts from the story. The subplot with the Velasquez family, in particular, feels underdeveloped. Christensen makes large use of voice-over narration when he could have been served better by a little less telling and a little more showing.

However, the film has an undeniable poignancy to it. Special mention has to go to Jasen Wade and Heather Beers, who play Kennedy’s parents with realistic and touching emotion. Chiniquy as the titular Kennedy is genuine and convincing in what is no doubt a difficult role. Both Christensen and the actors are effective in eliciting emotional reactions. “Love, Kennedy” will most likely leave audiences sniffling and tearing up at several points throughout the movie.

At its core, the film is an exploration of modern faith, and it’s anything but subtle. In some ways, it feels like an LDS missionary lesson about the plan of salvation. “Love, Kennedy” is unquestionably marketed toward LDS viewers. Non-LDS viewers, however, will find it difficult not to sympathize with the Hansens’ story, even if they are skeptical about the film’s religious messages.

“Love, Kennedy" is rated PG for thematic elements; running time: 92 minutes.

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