Product Description
On his 83rd birthday eddie a war vet & a maintenance worker at the ruby pier amusement park dies while trying to save a girl who is sitting under a falling ride. When he awakens in the afterlife he encounters 5 people with ties to his corporeal existence who help him understand the meaning of his life. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/14/2006 Starring: Jon Voigt Steven Grayhm Run time: 133 minutes

Amazon.com
Based on the bestseller by Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie), The Five People You Meet in Heaven takes up where It’s A Wonderful Life left off. In the Capra classic, George Bailey gets a vision of life without him. In this Hallmark Hall of Fame production, Eddie (Jon Voight), an amusement park maintenance man and war veteran, ends up in Heaven after an accident takes his life. There he meets five people from his past: the Blue Man (Jeff Richards), the Captain (Michael Imperioli), Marguerite (Dagmara Dominczyk), Ruby (Ellen Burstyn), and Tala (Nicaela and Shelbie Weigel). Each shows him how he impacted their life or they his--and not always for the better. (In these flashbacks, Callahan Brebner and Steven Grayhm play the young Eddie.) The point may seem simplistic--everyone is connected--but The Five People You Meet in Heaven finds a unique and engaging way to make it. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 94 reviews)

The new "It's A Wonderful Life"

One of the most uplifting and encouraging movies I've seen in a long time. It's a must-see for everyone!
November 03, 2008

Scripture As Film

If you've read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, then you know the author's got a way with wrenching your emotions. I've never teared up as much as when I'd read that book; the story of a student and his old teacher who was dying of a horribly debilitating disease. But it also had a fairly high schmaltz factor. THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN also has that sappiness running through it, but with a serious religious bent to boot (not surprising considering the title).

The story is that of Eddie (Jon Voight, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets) and his life as a repairman at an entertainment park. Many things have happened at this unique place. It's where Eddie's father worked day in and day out all of his life. It's where Eddie fell in love with his future wife Marguerite (Dagmar Dominczyk, 24 TV series). It's the place where Eddie would leave in order to fight and become injured in WW II. And it's where Eddie would eventually die while trying to save the life of a child.

The story takes place immediately after Eddie's death, and we get to see five flashbacks via five people that Eddie thought he never knew. The first is Blue Man (Jeff Daniels, The Lookout) who was a sideshow freak at the carnival. Little did Eddie know he'd touched Blue Man in a very special way, but also may have been partially responsible for his death.

The second is Captain (Michael Imperioli, Shark Tale) who was his commanding officer during WW II. Both having been captured and tortured during the war, they also broke themselves free and torched their prison before departing. It was also during this time that Eddie was wounded in the knee, making him unable to walk normally for the rest of his life. But who shot him? And were there any people in those prison huts they burned down?

The third person is Eddie's own Marguerite. Having not seen his wife since her death many years before, Eddie comes to understand just how much he loved her ...but also how much he'd held back due to his own past during the war.

The fourth is someone he'd never met in life but had worked for during most of his time on Earth, Ruby (Ellen Burstyn, The Fountain), for whom the park was named where Eddie worked. The destruction and rebuilding of Ruby's Pier (the name of the entertainment park) is an analogy for the same thing Eddie must do in order to salvage himself from the destructive behavior toward his abusive father.

The fifth and final person is someone, again, Eddie had never met but who's life he touched in a very significant way. Telling you who and how this happened would be a huge spoiler, so I'll just say that, in true scripture fashion, Eddie is able to "wash away" his sins and become someone worthy of heavenly entry.

The biggest challenge for some viewers will be trying to separate the acting/scenes with the religious themes being rammed down their throats. But if you're able to separate them, you might enjoy it on some levels. Although morally it's a tale of one man's eventual redemption in the afterlife, it also has some pretty good acting and interesting sets for a made-for-TV Hallmark presentation.

A message to those who are "true believers": please try not to thump your bibles too loudly.
October 07, 2008

Five People You Meet in Heaven

Totally, true to Mitch Albom's book. A great story!!! Gives hope and truth to life. Very moving, excellent cast and very inspirational. I've bought a few for friends. EXCELLENT DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 06, 2008

This Is An Excellent Piece Of Work!!

I came into the knowledge of this movie late...
like, just today! (-:
I find that Mitch Albom's work creates strong
reactions from people. Either they totally get it
and love it or they completely miss it and hate it!
---I LOVE HIS WORK!!---
This story teaches great lessons about forgiveness,
self-sacrifice, and our inter-connectivity to humanity
& the bigger picture as a whole.
I truly believe that our souls are not free until
we learn the lessons we missed..preferably while
we're still here, but if we don't, as many who pass on
never do, we learn them on the otherside before we are
able to claim our piece of heaven!
The role of the main character Eddie is expertly
played by veteran actor John Voight.
The supporting cast all play their roles very
believably and with great impact.
Michael Imperioli, Jeff Daniels, Ellen Burstyn
and Dagmara Dominczyk all shine and deserve kudos!
I'm not going to give all the story away, but it really
takes you on a journey of the spirit and makes you think.
In the end, you come away feeling good and inspired!
Unlike so many movies today!
It's well worth adding to your collection.

September 05, 2008

5 people You Meet in Heaven

This is a very good movie. I shared it with friends and they liked it as well. I rented this movie, not knowing what it was about and thoroughly enjoyed it. I purchased it when two members of my family died and it brought some comfort, not only to myself but others as well.
August 02, 2008

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Tuesdays with Morrie
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The Five People You Meet in Heaven
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