A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)

33% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
43% of users liked it
(2,359 ratings)

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 Minnesota to look into a bus accident; the bus seems to have had significantly more passengers after… More 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 Minnesota 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

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Baltasar Kormákur, Alfred Harmsworth
Written By: Baltasar Kormákur
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 13, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Mar 13, 2007
Studio: First Look Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

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, 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
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...needlessly arty...
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy
This is a very dark, very pretty picture (photographed by Óttar Guðnason) that has little else to offer, and its ending, at least for my taste, was a little corny.
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.
Kevin Courrier, Boxoffice Magazine
The pacing makes you feel like you're trudging through the snow.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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)

Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

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 is… More
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 is 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."
Bruce B

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 excellent… More
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 excellent 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
Chosen 7

Good film, interesting plot. Great performances by Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles.