ddie (Voight) has worked to maintain the Ruby Pier Amusement Park since he was a child helping his father. The lonely and bitter war veteran and widower feels his life has been wasted, and the occasion of his 83rd birthday is no exception. For him it's just another routine day to remind him that he can barely walk because of an old war injury and that he has managed to outlive everyone he ever loved.
After being physically and mentally damaged in the war, Eddie feels he hasn't been able to move on in his life. He never went off to engineering school, and he got stuck taking care of Ruby Pier. He harps at the other maintenance men about safety, makes animals out of pipe cleaners for the children and goes through each day without any joy in his life.
However, on this day, Eddie's life is about to end. When a cable snaps on one of the newer rides, Eddie rushes to save the life of a little girl. In the last moment of his life he feels the child's hands in his, and then he finds himself in heaven. There he meets the Blue Man (Daniels), one of Ruby Pier's freaks, who tells him he'll meet five people who have a significant connection to him. Each has a story to tell him.
Eddie quickly discovers that death was only the beginning for him, as this strange combination of strangers, acquaintances and loved ones comes together to show him the impact his life has made on others. From the Blue Man to the Captain (Imperioli) to Ruby (Burstyn) to his wife, Marguerite (Dominczyk), to the final unexpected person, Eddie puts together the surprising pieces of his life. However, as each person leaves, the question most on his mind is whether he saved the little girl during the accident that took his own life.
It's a Hallmark movie with punch
Based on his best-selling book, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a wonderfully touching film. Albom's script and Oscar-winner Jon Voight's amazing performance lift the story above other sappy holiday fare, bringing a resonance to the tale of a simple man whose life had an impact beyond anything he could have imagined.
Voight and the rest of the fine cast take us on a journey of discovery along with Eddie to show how all lives are connected. As Eddie, Voight mines the depths of his rich character in a way he hasn't been able to since early in his career with Coming Home and Midnight Cowboy. With the help of Steven Grayham, who plays Eddie as a young man, Voight makes us care about this bitter old man and pulls us into his story. The rest of the cast are equally strong, especially Jeff Daniels as the Blue Man and Dagmara Dominczyk as Eddie's wife, Marguerite.
Hallmark Entertainment's seamless production values flow from heaven to earth, providing the actors with a fine backdrop for the story and allowing Lloyd Kramer's sure-handed direction to take root. Kramer gets exceptional performances from everyone, including the many children who play an important part in the story.
As for Albom's script, he does a brilliant job of bringing his book to life, mixing flashbacks from different points in Eddie's life with his heavenly journey in a way that connects us to the material. Like the best fiction, it's an enormous puzzle that fits together perfectly, with each piece being as important as the next. By the end, the emotional impact of Five People You Meet in Heaven will make you wonder how your life has affected others.
