mlleelizabeth This movie fails on so many levels. First, it is not at all as advertised. The description claimed it was a story about a man (Eddie) dying and meeting in Heaven five people who show him how he affected their lives. There is an implication it is uplifting. This is not true. Instead it is a depressing feel-bad movie about a man who dies and meets in Heaven five people who preach at him and show him their own deaths, and in two notable cases, how Eddie caused those deaths. The guy goes through the movie feeling worse and worse about himself until in the last minute the movie does a complete turnaround and you get about 5 seconds of "feel-good" instead of the feel-bad, but it's contrived and absurd. For the most part, this movie is an obnoxious, preachy guilt trip. It is also horrifically overly sentimental and smug in its sentimentality. You can tell the idiot who wrote the book was pretty much demanding a fistful of awards for his pretentious drek.The stories are ridiculous and contrived. They make more sense as parodies of bad Lifetime movie plots and reading reviews of it I see that it was, indeed, made for TV. At least that means no one actually spent money on gas or theater tickets for it. I kind of hate the word bathos, but this is one case where it is the only word that makes any sense as a description. And there are a couple of scenes that were clearly designed as sucker punches.The editing is choppy, especially the sound. I don't think this was done for effect, as it doesn't make sense that way. The art direction is acceptable, as are the costumes and sets. However the director doesn't really make very good use of the carnival/amusement park setting.The acting is mostly horrible, but given the bad script that may have been somewhat inescapable. On the plus side, Jeff Daniels and Callum Keith Rennie both do a fairly creditable job in a very small role and a rather important role respectively. However, Daniels's character does join the ranks of the arrogant and preachy at times. Rennie's, on the other hand, is a jerk but at least he plays the part fairly cleanly. On the very bad side, Jon Voight's pathetic, miserable Eddie makes no sense whatsoever. There is a complete disconnect between the character and the events of his life. And the scene where he plays Eddie forgiving his father made me cringe with extreme embarrassment for him. It should have been sweet and touching. Instead it is laughable. Then on the extremely horrible side we have Ellen Burnstyn. I do not think I have ever been quite so disappointed in an actress. She's usually wonderful, but in this turkey she's completely foul. She comes off as smug, arrogant and patronizing. Her narration is like nails scratching a chalkboard.The acting is mostly awful, the script is something the writer should be horribly ashamed of, and the advertising for it is flat out false and misleading. I usually like uplifting movies, so the awfulness of this thing was that much more disappointing.In summary: Worst movie I've seen in years.

ell_wu I have a confession to make. I'm a cynical person. I've been a cynic for a good part of the past decade. Inside me is not a beating heart but lump of coal, ice cold to the touch long since passed from years of apathy...and then I watched this movie, and now I feel like the friggin' Grinch with a heart 3 times larger.Honestly though, this movie is a tear jerker, but also a thinker. It really makes you ponder about the after-life, but more importantly, it makes you wonder about your past and what ones life means.Throughout the film, Jon Voight's character continuously questions and doubts the meaning of his own existence, and whether it was well spent. the conclusion to it while is no surprise, the journey that he must take to rediscover who he was, who he is, what what his life meant was nothing if not awe inspiring.A quick look at the message board will show that the current highest post count thread in there is "who will be your five people?", perhaps the greatest testament to the power that this film has on lifting the spirit, and the contemplation that this movie invokes.

tac-15 One of the best movies I have ever seen, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" could be the 21st century version of "It's a Wonderful Life". It is amazing how Mitch Albom manages to weave together the stories of other lives who touch the life of the main character. Eddie is certainly given a great gift: a chance to see not only how his life was affected by others' lives and how his life in turn affected the lives of those he knew, but also the opportunity to see how all lives are somehow interconnected. They range from those with whom he shared many years to those he met briefly, only in passing. There is a lesson to be learned in each one, though it is generally the same: how did you grow? How were you helped to grow? Whom did you help to grow? What stunts growth? Surely, as Eddie discovers, it is not death which is the means to enter into the deeper discovery of who one is. It was delightful to watch Eddie learn that the capacity to love and forgive is what gives the maximum growth in any human soul.

texdot I substitute teach at a woman's prison and saw "Five People You Meet In Heaven" while there. I watched the movie 4 times in a week when the girls watched it. I liked it so much I bought it and then had to buy a DVD player. It is the first DVD I have owned. I watched it again since then with a friend and she enjoyed it very much. I have told our youth pastor he need to get it and show it to the youth. I know I will watch this movie many more times. I see something I didn't see the first time each time I watch it. I have been trying to think of five people I would see when I get to Heaven. I hope one of them will be my husband of 30 years. He has been gone 20 years.