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.
... View MoreNot a surprise. Same story of Mirtch Albom universe and same recipes. Sense of existence in honey cream. Small things with great importance. Relationship as result of many crumbs. And love as ingredient of base. But behind that, a beautiful movie. And the root is Jon Voight who create a special Eddie. The theme is generous; so the errors are cages at every step. But the art of Voight gives force of story and lights very delicate. So, the seeds of our passing are more than a metaphor. And the Heaven is more close of Albom idea. So, Jon Voight is really great in this movie. And his science to be the right character is source of a good show and axis of a fine definition of a writer art.
... View MoreDue to the success of Mitch Albom's books. It was a dream that they would turn into movies.Being that Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven are two of my favorite books, I was rather excited that they turned into movies. Unfortunately, I have not seen Tuesdays With Morrie (1999).Being that The Five People You Meet in Heaven is one of my favorite books, I was a little disappointed, but I still really liked the movie.The movie is a TV Movie, so it doesn't have the great budget and quality it deserves. But the cinematography is great.Five People is about how each person we meet, though appearing insignificant, are part of the vast web of interconnection that affects our life. Jon Voight plays Eddie, an 83-year old mechanic who has worked at the Ruby Pier Amusement Park all his life except for a stint in the army during World War II. The first thing we learn about Eddie is that he is dead, killed in a roller coaster accident while trying to save a little girl.The next thing we find out is that, in heaven, Eddie will meet and talk with five people who were the most influential in his life, people Eddie would probably not think of first, but whose influence becomes slowly and painstakingly revealed. As he re-experiences traumatic events from the past, it soon becomes clear that what they share with him allows him to complete and illuminate the past. Eddie meets "The Blue Man" (Jeff Daniels), part of the sideshow at the park, his Army captain (Michael Imperioli), his wife Marguerite (Dagmara Dominczyk) who died after only a few years of marriage, the wife of the original owner of the Ruby Pier (Ellen Burstyn), and a little Filipino girl named Tala (Nicaela and Shelbie Weigel).The Five People You Meet in Heaven is well worth the watch.
... View MoreMr. Mitch Albom is the author of one great book ("Tuesdays with Morrie")and a few good books,of which "Five People..." is one.The same concerns the screen adaptations:the former (starring the incomparable Jack Lemmon)is a great one , though much, much underestimated by critics and audience;the latter is just a decent effort to illustrate the book.The difference is obvious: "Tuesdays" is a true story of a real life, wonderfully ( and simply) written, wonderfully ( and without that cheap Hollywood sentimentality) and simply put on the screen, while "Five People" is a piece of fiction with quite a bit of sentimentality, which was (quite naturally for Hollywood!)made into a tear-jerker.True, the acting is good (just good ),the colours are disgustingly bright and suggestive (believe me, the audience are not all fools to be reminded every minute , which part is Heaven, which is the good old Earth,etc),the plot line is not broken, the characters are more or less recognizable ( compared with the book),but there is always an after-taste of something inappropriately sweet that has been swallowed, and this diminishes the otherwise good work of the team of true professionals.While"Tuesdays with Morrie" was in many ways an eye-opener ("Wow, we still have great teachers of life among us!","What a magnificent life lived!","What a wonderful lesson of complete self-sacrifice!"))and a challenge to all Hollywood clichés,"Five People" deals with a pretty banal idea of interconnection of all things and people in the Universe and - as a film version - follows all the traditions of the Hollywood melodrama.And yet,in our age of extinct kindness and sympathy, such books and films should be more than welcome- just as a reminder that we still belong to the human race.
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