The Movie
Eddie (Jon Voight) is a simple man, an 83-year-old repairman working at a local amusement park. When tragedy strikes at the park one day, and a ride goes haywire, Eddie is at the epicenter, and as a result, his life flashes before him, guided by five people with a connection to him. Each one reveals a part of his life that illustrates just what gives his life meaning. Through these examples, he comes to learn what the meaning of life is. Meanwhile, his co-workers are busy trying to figure just who it is they've been working with, as they also look for details of his life. If you can't figure out what's going on from the title, you may want to stop right here.

Five People sounds a lot like the kind of tripe that makes up most TV movies, but there's something different about this one. Perhaps it's the source material, a quasi-spiritual examination of life's mysteries, written by Albom, a preeminent sportswriter out of Detroit. A shorter novel than most, it gets to the core of the matter quickly, rather than wasting pages and time. The story translates well to the creative tablet of cinema because of this conservation of writing. It's also, as my wife will frequently remind me, a damn good story. The kind of story that refuses to be put down once it is started.

The casting also helps tremendously, as big names like Voight, Jeff Daniels, Michael Imperioli and Ellen Burstyn are surrounded by a more-than-capable supporting cast. Relative newcomers Steven Grayhm and Dagmara Dominczyk, as young Eddie and his bride Marguerite, respectively, are excellent in their key roles. If they couldn't carry the weight of the film's emotional punch, the entire effort could have fallen apart. That they surpass many of the other stars in terms of impact, shows just how good they are in this film.

TV movies, for the most part, are bereft of creativity, dealing in cheap melodrama and shock value to garner inexpensive ratings. So when I noticed that this one was directed by Lloyd Kramer, a veteran of Oprah's TV flicks and The Mary Kay Letourneau Story, my expectations took a severe nosedive. Well, Mr. Kramer has redeemed his sins in my eyes. Five People is a beautifully rendered story, with excellent use of color and camera angles. I don't think I've ever seen a TV movie look so terrific. The sets, the techniques, the composition...everything goes well beyond any standard for TV movies. If the amount of effort put into this film could be repeated in every TV movie to follow, the networks wouldn't have to worry about losing viewers to cable.

In the end, the film is very emotional, and it also goes for the happy ending that middle America seems to love, but it's hard to hold those things against it. When you're dealing with humans, love, life and death, it's bound to get emotional, and a happy ending sometimes happens. Besides, for the movie to end on a bummer note would have negated the impact of the rest of the film. That's the last thing anyone would want to do with this story.

The DVD
Packed in a standard keepcase (and no insert), The Five People You Meet in Heaven is presented in full-frame format on one DVD. The main menu is similarly formatted, with some subtle, elegant animation. Unfortunately, it follows some quick hits of video that introduce the concept of the film, which give away some things coming in the film that really shouldn't be revealed. If you've never seen the movie, look away for a few minutes as the intro starts. Menu options include playing the film, scene selections, audio set-up and special features. The scene selection menus feature still previews, which, unlike the film, are widescreen, while the set-up options include 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital soundtracks, and commentary. There are no subtitles, but the disc does contain closed captioning.

The Quality
Simply beautiful is the best way to describe this DVD. I couldn't spot a speck of dirt or a mark of damage in the entire movie. The color, which is altered often to create specific looks, is fantastic, as are the black levels. Grain is minimal, while fine detail is crystal clear. The only complaint I can really make is the aspect ratio, but it's entirely likely that the film was shot for standard TV. This film looks fantastic.

The audio, presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround, is quite good, but is most active during the war scenes, which feature receiver-friendly explosions and gunfire. There are absolutely no concerns when it comes to the audio, as the dialogue and music don't step on each other's toes. The stereo isn't bad, but there are some surround effects that help enhance the film's atmosphere.

The Extras
The top special feature is a commentary featuring Albom, Kramer and Voight. The commentary isn't exactly revealing, as they chat about what went on behind the camera, how scenes were shot and the process that went into making the film. There are some pretty big silences, and most of the comments are of the positive variety, but that's excusable, considering the length of the film. When you have a movie over two hours long, the commentary tank can run a bit dry, and even the participants admit this at times.

Up next are Q&A segments with five members of the cast and crew, which give more insight into the movie and the actors' process. Included among the interviewees are Albom, costume designer Tish Monaghan and actors Steven Grayhm, Michael Imperiolo and Voight. Each answer is preceded by the question, in the form of a text screen. In a little over 20-minutes worth of clips, plenty of topics are covered, including how they came to be involved in the film, spirituality and their experiences working on the movie. Anyone into the film might find something interesting in this area of the DVD.

Any question about how the make-up artists aged Voight into an 83-year-old man should be sufficiently answered by "Make-Up Magic with Jon Voight." Through 2:30 worth of edited time-lapse photography, the featurette shows the special-effects make-up effort that goes into making an older man out of an old man. For anyone who's never seen this kind of behind-the-scenes footage, it's certainly interesting, but for anyone who's seen it before, it's kind of boring.

A trailer for the Sci-Fi TV movie EarthSea is also included.

The Bottom Line
As a moderately intelligent person with a college degree, I tend to view TV movies as a step above Nazi propaganda films in terms of entertainment value. Five People blows away every stereotype I have about the genre, thanks to a great cast, a great story and a terrific presentation. I can't say that this movie is for everyone (re: macho men), but if you have a bit of sensitivity and curiosity about what's next, this movie is worth a viewing. The DVD isn't hugely packed, but has a decent amount of extras for anyone willing to put down the cash.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.