Boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

at first sigh, a Mitch Albom. the message, the implication in film made, the poetry of things who define people in profound sense are few arguments. convincing, powerful and good as reason to see/ignore it. but the second motif for discover this film is Jon Voight, who did a remarkable job. his character vulnerability, emotions, memories, meets, words and truth , his sadness and joys and tears are more than ingredients from a sentimental /motivational drama who risks to become pathetic. and this is the first step for give few attention moments to a film about yourself, delicate, beautiful, not far by the novel but provocative for the effort of a great actor to explore the nuances of his character.

Eddie (Jon Voight) is an old man who has spent his whole life doing maintenance at the Ruby Pier amusement park. Today, one of the rides malfunctions and threatens a child's life. As he rushes to save her, he is whisked to Heaven where he meets five people from his past - people he loved and hated, and even one he didn't know at all.I expected this movie to be sappy and maudlin and in a way it was, but it was so well done I was quite moved by it. Eddie's trip to Heaven is much like Scrooge's in "A Christmas Carol," but instead of three ghostly guides, Eddie is met by five people who touched his life or who were affected by his and who ease his transition to the great beyond. It's a fantasy world with frightening war scenes and innocent love scenes, and while I watched I couldn't help but think of my own life, quite ordinary like Eddie's, but who knows how many I have affected for better or worse? I tear up easily at sad movies, but this time I went far beyond sobbing; I wailed the whole time. The movie really got to me. We're all going to find out what death is like someday and I'm more than curious. Also, as I've aged and lost dear ones, I long to see them again. This is a thought-provoking, tender tale that really touched my heart.

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.

The concept is interesting enough: Whose lives have you impacted profoundly enough that you would cross paths again in heaven? In the case of Eddie (Jon Voight), there are five people that he has effected during his lifetime. "The Blue Man" (Jeff Daniels). His wife (Dagmara Dominczyk). His Army Captain (Michael Imperioli). Ruby (Ellen Burstyn) and a little Filipino girl named Tala (Nicaela and Shelbie Weigel).Overall the movie is slow, almost tedious, and is viewed like an audio book with pictures. It wasn't the visceral, visual cathartic experience that movies are supposed to be. As a result, the movie fails to elicit any true emotion. Movies are visual medium and are supposed to be illustrated by movement. (Hence the term "movies": Movies = moving pictures) This movie was filmed more like a Broadway play rather than a movie. There was too much sitting around talking and not enough movement.The movie is a character-driven story about Eddie coming to terms with his life as taught by these five people. Character-driven movies are generally more thought provoking than plot-driven stories. As a result, they are usually slower. That's why it's crucial for the director to employ visuals and appropriate pacing to keep the audience engrossed in the story. That wasn't the case here.A similar movie is "Forrest Gump". The difference is that Forrest begins recounting his stories, but then we would see the visual manifestation of those memories. We would actually experience the events with him. We shared his pain and his triumphs. Because of that, we empathize with him."Five People You Meet in Heaven" didn't pull that off. These events that were supposed to be so monumental in his life were almost covered as a passing thought.Another comparison would be "What Dreams May Come". Like "Five People", the movie deals with the afterlife and the development of Dr. Chris Nielson's (Robin Williams). At the same time, "Dreams" contrasts Chris's development with the deterioration of his wife, Annie (Annabella Sciorra).The main difference between "Five People" and "Dreams" is that the latter is more plot driven: Chris has to search through Heaven and Hell in order to find his wife's lost soul. Also, another noted difference is that "Dreams" is much darker in tone.However, "Five People" is a lot more simplistic than "Gump" or "Dreams". This simplicity causes the supporting characters' to seem like stick-figures. They lack depth. For example, Eddie's father is abusive, yet we never learn why. Also, it seems that Eddie's wife, Marguerite, is his real reason for living. She brings joy to his otherwise woeful existence. Yet, the love story is also glossed over. Other than the usual beats, we are only given glimpses of how their love grows.Other than Voight, the acting is average and rather uninspired. The dislodge is contrived and predictable. And the voice-over narration by Ruby is unnecessary and distracting.The one aspect of the film that stands out is the cinematography. Kramer Morgenthau paints amazing visuals and shows nice range: from the gritty tone of war to the brilliant and nostalgic colors of Ruby Pier to the naturalistic "cleansing" scene at the river. Without the visually captivating cinematography, this made for TV movie would fall flat on its metaphoric face.I did enjoy Mitch Album's "Tuesdays with Morrie". However, I haven't read Album's book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". So I can't comment on it. Album was a journalist, before becoming an author. So his writing skills aren't in question. Then where did this film go wrong? I imagine this is a typical case of a filmmaker being unable to make a movie that holds up to the book.