Albom's book was one of my favorites for the year and I hoped that his screenplay would retain the spirit of the book. I was not disappointed. Voight's performance as Eddie was practically perfect. Ellen Burstyn was outstanding as Ruby and having her narrate parts of the story helped fill in some flashbacks that appeared in the book but were omitted in the film. All of the supporting players were well cast, especially Dagmara Dominczyk as Margarite and Jeff Daniels as Blue Man. I thought the cinematography was top notch and added to the presentation. Many times a book is lost in translation to film but this is not the case with The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
(2004 TV Movie)
Faithful adaptation of the book, outstanding performances
6 December 2004