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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: First Look Pictures
Salesrank: 64414
Released: March 13, 2007 |
| Our Price: $2.92 |
| Used Price: $0.58 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Insurance agent Abe Holt (Forest Whitaker) is investigating the suspicious death of the driver of a burned-out car. Holt has to work out whether the dead man, a conman with a criminal record, could possibly have been the victim of an attempt to swindle the insurance company. When he meets Isolde (Julia Stiles), the dead manís sister, Holt slowly begins to lose his professional distance.
Description of A Little Trip to Heaven:
Moody dialogue, drab lighting, and characters who aren't quite who they say they are pepper the indie film A Little Trip To Heaven. Starring Forest Whitaker as Holt (an insurance investigator looking into a man's suspicious death), and Julia Stiles as Isolde (the frightened and sketchy sister of the deceased), A Little Trip's destination actually is closer to hell than heaven. Unevenly portrayed and not well-fleshed out, not one of the characters is sympathetic. Isolde's brute of a husband is the prime suspect, but Holt--who in a different film would be the story's hero--isn't exactly a saint either. There's a particularly creepy scene where he's little more than a peeping Tom, justifying his perversion as doing what's necessary to get his job done. As shown in films such as Half Nelson and Sherrybaby, imperfect characters can make for compelling filmmaking. The problem with A Little Trip To Heaven is that we want to root for someone--anyone--but there's just no one who's worthy of our interest. --Jae-Ha Kim
A Little Trip to Heaven Reviews:
Unique Atmosphere, But Ending Hurts It 
2009-03-14 - This was an intriguing, although not satisfying,, movie and one I still felt was worth my few bucks I paid to rent it.
It was filmed in Iceland - one of the few films I've heard of with that locale - but the story in the film takes place somewhere in Midwestern America. I knew that going in, so it made it kind of strange to view, in that respect. However, the story seemed very realistic. In parts, it almost felt like a documentary, it was so real and atmospheric.
However, as much as I enjoyed the movie, and particularly Forest Whitaker with his odd accent, the ending was a big disappointment. The film had so much promise up until then. With a more satisfying ending, I would have bought the DVD and watched it several more times
Some people say this film had the feel of a Coen Brothers movie, and I agree with that. To some, this might also have been a bit slow or boring but I thought it had unique atmosphere to it.
Wonderful Movie 
2007-12-07 - Unlike some of the other reviewers I thought this was a great movie. The scenery was beautiful, acting excellent and I can't believe the number of people who didn't understand the story. It was fully revealed who the real Calvin was and in the end he tells his sister who actually died in the crash. It was revealed early on that he wasn't really her husband. As as for Frederick, look closely at the gravestone scene and the name on it. The insurance agent may have been protecting the agency's interest in the beginning but how he breaks from that and what he does for Thor is shear martyrdom. I highly recommend it but guess I must warn you to closely watch for all the clues.
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
2007-11-06 - 2005. Written and directed by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur. Forest Whitaker is convinced that Julia Stiles and her husband try to cheat the insurance company he's working for. Kormákur who directed a few years ago the interesting 101 Reykjavík, is in his element in the morose Minnesota. Not bad.
Dark, twisted story line with an unexpected ending
2007-05-10 - Forest Whitaker gives a powerful but understated performance in this strange twisted tale of family loyalty, greed and murder. Characters are deeply realized, plot is rock solid, and the directing is superb. Loved it.
The bleak setting is its selling point... 
2007-05-05 - ...honestly, if this movie had been set in the suburbs of Chicago or LA or some other popular, overdone location, I wouldn't have liked it nearly as much. I wanted to take photos of most of the scenes - the barren fields, delapidated buildings and gray sky. Wow. I'm guessing it was supposed to take place in Minnesota or North Dakota.
I was kinda confused about the identities of Frederick vs. Kelvin, but overall it was a compelling story. Julia Stiles has really matured since I first saw her in 10 Things I Hate About You (she was excellent in that too though, but in a different way). I still wonder about the blood running down her leg in one of her first scenes. Was that also done by Fred?
Whitaker was fantastic as well, his character being quite likable. Shy, awkward, principled..trying to do the right thing for his company (to a point, of course) and his clients. Also liked his description of what it's like to burn to death - your eyeballs cracking like glass, your body fat bubbling out, etc. I could empathize with his character when his boss, played by Peter Coyote, makes him go on the road trips because he doesn't have a wife and kids. It's so rude how people assume that you have tons of free time if you're single. Married people get most of the breaks in life, but what else is new.
So anyway - "Thor" and "Isolde" seemed like fairly sterotypical names for people of Scandinavian-American origin, but I guess that all adds to the atmosphere.
