Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - The Five People You Meet in Heaven

So our married-couple small group (YMC) at our church voted to watch a movie as food for discussion. We decided on The Five People That You Meet In Heaven. Once that I learned that it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie, I was a little wary. I was expecting a weepy story about a disease, or maybe a sappy plot involving a mother and her estranged daughter, or maybe an estranged mother-daughter stricken with the same disease. Needless to say, my expectations were low.

The film is based on Mitch Albom's 2004 book about Eddie, an amusement park handyman played by Jon Voight. Eddie's a grumpy old sort that feels as if his life was not worth much. We learn from flashbacks that he had a pretty rough childhood and things never got a whole lot better for him. On his 83rd birthday, in an attempt to rescue a little girl form an accident at the park, Eddie awakens to find himself in "heaven."

Here, in a very Christmas Carol fashion, he meets five people from his past that have also passed away. Guiding him through flashbacks of his life, each heavenly life coach gives Eddie insight into important events of his past and teaches him (and us) meaningful life lessons.

A movie like this is at risk to be very heavy-handed and corny, but the top-notch cast, especially Jon Voight, gives real weight to the film. I thought that Voight did a nice job of making Eddie sympathetic, not just a one dimensional Scrooge-type character. The supporting performances are strong too, especially Jeff Daniels - I almost didn't recognize him as the Blue Man. Being a Hallmark production, I was surprised that the movie didn't sugarcoat on the scenes of war and death. The second half of the movie did drag a little bit for me - some editing may have helped. Having said all this, some may still find this movie corny, but I was really touched by the thoughtful truths that each character had to teach Eddie.

Before watching, I checked out some reviews on several Christian web sites to get some spiritual perspective on the film. Most liked the movie, but some could not recommend it based on a shaky theological view of the afterlife. I think some Christians often tend to get caught in the trap of missing the point of movies like these. Films like Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life or even The Sixth Sense aren't trying to tell us what happens after we die, but how we should live while we are here on Earth.

Disclaimer: I tend to be kind of a sucker for this type of movie; if it's done well. Hopefully I will give you enough information to let you decide if this is you're kind of film. I say "Go."

Carrie's Disclaimer: I didn't like it - it was boring. I say "Don't Go"