A Little Trip to Heaven poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles, Jeremy Renner, Peter Coyote, Philip Jackson ... see more see more... , Anne Reid , Phyllida Law , Alfred Harmsworth , Joanna Scanlan , Iddo Goldberg , Vladas Bagdonas , Matyelok Gibbs , Damon Younger , Juan Carlos Pardo Pardo , Kharl Anton Leigh , Maria Fernandez Ache

Three stories of human treachery are given an unexpected link in this dry comedy drama from Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur. Holt (Forest Whitaker) is an insurance investigator who is sent to Mi... read more read more...nnesota to look into a bus accident; the bus seems to have had significantly more passengers after it crashed than it had when it left the station, and Holt, posing as a police detective, needs to know who is telling the truth and who is attempting to cash in on the tragedy. Later, Holt is back on the job, when a badly burned body is found in a wrecked car, and the ID on the corpse indicates the victim was a small-time con artist with a police record. The victim's sister, Isold (Julia Stiles), claims that her brother's accident happened after his gas tank was drained and he was struggling to make his way home on a stormy night, but Holt isn't buying it; and Isold's husband, Fred (Jeremy Renner), and son, Thor (Alfred Harmsworth), don't seem especially trustworthy. Finally, a man and a woman struggle to make their way to shore after their car sails off a cliff into a body of water. While they seem grateful to make it back to dry land, it seems the woman has reason to be unhappy with her mate when she viciously attacks him. Who are these people, and what is their story? A Little Trip to Heaven received its North American premier at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

43% liked it

2,358 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

6 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur, Alfred Harmsworth, Anne Reid, Balthasar Kormakur, Forest Whitaker, Jeremy Renner, Joanna Scanlan, Julia Stiles, Peter Coyote, Philip Jackson, Phyllida Law

Release Date: March 13, 2007

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 13, 2007

Get It:

Stats: 174 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Alfred Harmsworth A Little Trip to Heaven A Little Trip to Heaven A Little Trip to Heaven
Upload a Photo | View All A Little Trip to Heaven Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (174)

  • LWOODS04
    December 27, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Maria Fernandez Ache, Karl Anton Leigh, Peter Coyote, Forest Whitaker, Juan Carlos Pardo Pardo, Damon Younger, Jeremy Renner, Joanna Scanlan, Julia Stiles, Alfred Harmsworth, Philip Jackson, Anne Reid, Phyllida Law

    Director: Baltasar Kormákur

    Summary: When a claim i... read mores sought on the million-dollar life insurance policy of notorious con artist Kelvin Anderson, crack investigator Holt is assigned to uncover the truth in Baltasar Kormakur crime noir. Holt (Forest Whitaker) suspects deceit from the get-go, and he stealthily tries to uncover the truth from Kelvin's sister Isold (Julia Stiles) and her erratic husband, Fred (Jeremy Renner).

    My Thoughts: "The movie wasn't very good. I mean it was a decent suspense film, just not very interesting. I thought the brother and sister scamming was more interesting then the insurance fraud. The acting by Julia was good, Whitaker's Irish accent through me off. I am not sure if it was good or ridiculous, or why he needed the accent in the first place. I'm leaning more towards ridiculous. I did enjoy the look of the film. The scenery and the depressing gloom of it. Especially that great creepy house. But besides those things, the film was a sleeper for me."
  • bbcfloridabound
    October 14, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    The crash scene at the end of this movie is in itself worth watching, best stunt I have ever seen. The film is about the best suspense film I have seen in some time. Forest Whitaker keeps popping up in these unheard of films. Julia Stiles plays the abused female and does a excell... read moreent job of it. Child Actor Alfred Harnsworth reached the top of the peak in this one. It will keep you on the very edge of your seat, you will not get up or walk away from this one. 4 Stars reaching for 5
  • Chosen718
    June 15, 2008
    Chosen718
    Good film, interesting plot. Great performances by Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles.
  • jasontmartin3
    October 7, 2009
    jasontmartin3
    This move seem realy stupid till you get to the end and it makes you start it over so that you can watch it becuz it good, so just keep your mind in it and it will turn out great.
  • HeathcliffMalachy
    April 29, 2009
    HeathcliffMalachy
    In Short: A brother-and-sister team attempt to swindle a life insurance company by faking the brother?s death, but a skeptical insurance agent digs deeper into the case and ends up getting personally involved in the web of deceit.


    Recommend: Yes
  • JHeafitz
    April 1, 2008
    JHeafitz
    It's no wonder this was a straight to dvd release. The movie had potential but looses it on the script being overly dry and slow.
  • StaisilD
    March 16, 2008
    StaisilD
    We first meet insurance investigator ('adjustor') Abe Holt as he listens to his boss Frank (Peter Coyote) explain to a new widow why she will not receive full death benefits because the insurance company took photos of her husband smoking, the apparent cause of his death. Abe jus... read moret sits in the background but we know he is in tune with the fraudulent activity of the insurance company. Almost immediately he is assigned to a new case: an ex-con with a million dollar life insurance policy has apparently been found dead in a car crash burned beyond recognition. Abe drives to the tiny snowy desolate village where his questions of the townsfolk reveal that the victim was Kelvin Anderson, the brother of Isold (Julia Stiles) who is married to a low life type named Fred (Jeremy Renner), a man who we have seen in flashbacks as the one responsible for arranging the car crash and setting the car on fire. Abe sneaks around the town, spies on Isold, and becomes involved in the investigation in more ways than the honest one. It is the interplay of the three - Abe, Fred, and Isold - that provide the intrigue and mystery of the apparent framed insurance scam. a modern film noir with an excellent cast, a beautiful soundtrack and atmospheric sequences in the rain or snow. Maybe the tone is a bit too sad and nihilistic for the big crowd.
  • Bojanglz
    February 24, 2008
    Bojanglz
    A good performance from Forest Whitaker, unfortunately that's about it. A dull story which stumbles all over itself sabotages it's own good ending. Too bad.
  • kylomufachi
    January 8, 2008
    kylomufachi
    it was...a bit stale at times, and predictable at times too. but Whitaker's voice is something else...i don't know what to think of him doing different voices yet.
  • tashagirl113
    December 28, 2007
    tashagirl113
    I really enjoyed this film and I can not stand Julia Stiles. This movie showed me why she's so popular in Hollywood.

View All A Little Trip to Heaven Reviews

Critic Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt
November 4, 2006
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

Kormakur, who directed and co-wrote the script with Edward Martin Weinman, falls short in the story department and even shorter in evoking the droll, twisted humor that must carry the day.

Jeremy Mathews
November 4, 2006
Jeremy Mathews, Film Threat

A stylish film that captures the bleak gloom of a desolate town and contrasts it with a satire of insurance commercials that concentrate on happy, sunny days -- not the ones that require insurance Full Review

Boyd van Hoeij
November 4, 2006
Boyd van Hoeij, european-films.net

The director also has a strong visual sense, turning the barren wastelands of Minnesota into the visual equivalent of the Reagan era of corporate greed in which the story is set. Full Review

David Nusair
November 4, 2006
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...needlessly arty... Full Review

Jon Popick
November 4, 2006
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

This is a very dark, very pretty picture (photographed by Óttar Guđnason) that has little else to offer, and its ending, at least for my taste, was a little corny.

Kevin Courrier
November 4, 2006
Kevin Courrier, Boxoffice Magazine

The pacing makes you feel like you're trudging through the snow. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
February 11, 2009
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

A Little Trip to ... : Watch Free on TV

A Little Trip to Heaven Trivia

  • Which actor played the leading role in the movie "A little trip to heaven"  Answer »
  • Which actress appeared in these films ? Wide Awake State And Main Mona Lisa Smile A Little Trip To Heaven The Business Of Strangers   Answer »
More A Little Trip to Heaven Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for A Little Trip to Heaven. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add A Little Trip to Heaven to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?