Heaven (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Alessandro Sperduti, Mattia Sbragia, Stefano Santospago, Alberto Di Stasio, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Gianfranco Barra, Mauro Marino Director: Tom Tykwer Summary: Deeply disappointed by law enforcement's lax… More
  Cast: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Alessandro Sperduti, Mattia Sbragia, Stefano Santospago, Alberto Di Stasio, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Gianfranco Barra, Mauro Marino Director: Tom Tykwer Summary: Deeply disappointed by law enforcement's lax investigation following her husband's drug-related death, Philippa Paccard (Cate Blanchett) takes the law into her own hands and ends up imprisoned in this moody romantic drama from director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), a police officer involved with Philippa's questioning, falls in love with her and helps her escape, as they flee together to the Tuscan countryside. My Thoughts: "The film has a beautiful back drop. The concept was interesting but failed to succeed in delivering a great thriller. Since there is little character development, you don't develop enough emotions for these character's to really care what happens. I wasn't convinced of the romance between Philppa and Flippo. I didn't see the right kind of chemistry brewing for them to make me believe they could be in love. When Flippo's father asks Philippa if she loves his son, I was so certain she would say no. But besides the lack of chemistry, there was a lack of action. I get the quiet thriller aspect of it, but there could have been a little bit more going on to keep the interest. It's a slow burning, but visually beautiful thriller that some will have the patience for where other's will try to stay awake to finish it. But as usual, Cate and Giovanni give stellar performances."

• Randy T

  
  Blanchett and Ribisi have an uneasy chemistry that seems to work within the context of the story. An odd sort of film with texture and forgivable deficiencies.

• Dean M

  
  Fantastic drama, mesmerizing performances and tight direction keep this film running in high gear. This is one of Cate Blanchett's most under-rated pieces of work. Not only stunning in it's visual and directing effects, but it has a screenplay that is hard to beat.… More
  Fantastic drama, mesmerizing performances and tight direction keep this film running in high gear. This is one of Cate Blanchett's most under-rated pieces of work. Not only stunning in it's visual and directing effects, but it has a screenplay that is hard to beat. Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi have perfect chemistry and the intense storyline is there from the beginning.

• Lady D

  
  This Itlian speaking film (with a small amount of English speaking) is a little slow moving, but has a very interesting story. Cate Blanchett of course (as always) is brilliant, pairing with Giovanni Ribisi once again, who also gave a great performance. Ironically there is a… More
  This Itlian speaking film (with a small amount of English speaking) is a little slow moving, but has a very interesting story. Cate Blanchett of course (as always) is brilliant, pairing with Giovanni Ribisi once again, who also gave a great performance. Ironically there is a sense of freedom found in them being fugitives and the spark between them (in other circumstances) would probably not have ignited

• Stephen M

  
  A curious movie with some interesting credits that it fails to quite live up to. It's not lively enough to be enjoyed as escapist entertainment, but it's too simplistic and far-fetched to resonate on any deeper level. Though there's no great chemistry between the two… More
  A curious movie with some interesting credits that it fails to quite live up to. It's not lively enough to be enjoyed as escapist entertainment, but it's too simplistic and far-fetched to resonate on any deeper level. Though there's no great chemistry between the two leads, it still works best as an offbeat romance. The characters are severely underdeveloped; Stefania Rocca, for one, is completely wasted.

• Drew S

  
  Marketing this must have been a nightmare. It's awfully risky to put Cate Blanchett slinging bombs around in the first ten minutes of your movie and follow it up with another eighty of sad, ethereal drama; that's a hell of a tonal mismatch. Those expecting either a riotous… More
  Marketing this must have been a nightmare. It's awfully risky to put Cate Blanchett slinging bombs around in the first ten minutes of your movie and follow it up with another eighty of sad, ethereal drama; that's a hell of a tonal mismatch. Those expecting either a riotous thriller or a larger-than-life romance are going to be sorely disappointed. Heaven's main function, which it pulls off flawlessly, is as a character piece with an emotional backbone. The pared-down plot acts as a playground for Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi (who is excellent here, by the way) to emote and react; with two lesser actors, this movie would have been excruciating. It's a testament to Blanchett and Ribisi's abilities that they are able to carry the human angle of this movie so competently. Take the interrogation scene. When Phillipa Paccard begins to cry at some unexpected news, Blanchett's acting is so absurdly good that you find yourself caring for this woman that you've seen in action for about two total minutes. And when Filipo touches her hand...something magic happens, right there, that the entire movie hinges on. It may not work for some people, which is kind of a shame. But it worked for me. Heaven is inert as a thriller, but that's not its goal. The poster shown here is maddening because there's one explosion and two helicopters in the entire movie. The movie's priority is to get you to feel what these people feel, and it does it in the wrapping paper of a drug-related thriller. It's just a love story in a strange package and no one seems to understand that. The term "love story" in itself is misleading, because Phillipa is so tormented that it's hard to imagine that she loves Filipo - she really just needs him. There's something distant and transient about their relationship, like the little white things you see floating in the air sometimes. When you add that emotional approach to the rich filming and the simple piano score, you have a movie that doesn't stop poking your Swoon button. Heaven is a perfect title for this movie, not only for its quality, but also for its atmosphere. Highly recommended, but know what you're getting yourself into.

• vieras e

  
  Wonderful camera work.

• Joey N

  
  A hypnotic film with a compelling performance by Cate Blanchett. Giovanni Risbi is good as well, but I didn't buy their romance. I have no idea why Cate would love him. No chemistry and just all in all not enough to buy into their relationship. It's actually a very… More
  A hypnotic film with a compelling performance by Cate Blanchett. Giovanni Risbi is good as well, but I didn't buy their romance. I have no idea why Cate would love him. No chemistry and just all in all not enough to buy into their relationship. It's actually a very weird movie, tonally. Loved the begining, but it kinda dragged towards the end. It started out 4.5 star worthy, dropped to 4 around three fourths into it, but I'll add another half star for the breathtaking ending. Heaven is lyrical film with spiritual depth disguised as a political thriller.

• Daisy M

  
  Directed by Tom Tykwer, Heaven was surely another more of Blanchett's great pieces of work. Visual it was stunning and the screenplay was hard to beat. Blanchett and Ribisi had a perfect chemistry and the storyline was there from the beginning, even though it started a little… More
  Directed by Tom Tykwer, Heaven was surely another more of Blanchett's great pieces of work. Visual it was stunning and the screenplay was hard to beat. Blanchett and Ribisi had a perfect chemistry and the storyline was there from the beginning, even though it started a little slow paced. The last half hour wasn't that dramatic as the first half, but it showed why, they were busy forming their connections. The concerned of being caught was there, but personally I was more interested in seeing them discover their love despite the stressful circumstance they were in. I was not familiar with Tykwer movies, but this one had all the elements of a basic thriller making it deep, uplifting and with unexpected twist.

• Doctor S

  
  'Heaven' Strives for Otherworldly Experience Starts as an interesting, atypical, semi-thriller/semi-love story that turns into an escape film that doesn't know where to run. Pairs former co-stars completely different from their characters in The Gift, Giovanni Ribisi… More
  'Heaven' Strives for Otherworldly Experience Starts as an interesting, atypical, semi-thriller/semi-love story that turns into an escape film that doesn't know where to run. Pairs former co-stars completely different from their characters in The Gift, Giovanni Ribisi and Cate Blanchett, who makes the most stunning bald woman I've ever seen. Ultimately I've learned from this movie that if you're going to go on the lam, do it in Italy because A) the police are completely incompetent, and B) the scenery is gorgeous.

• John A

  
  Built on a premise that promises so much more, there is no denying the fact that 'Heaven' is rather dull. It is understandable that direction involves more than just revealing the narrative, but here it is vague and sloppy. The film seems to be nothing over than a collection… More
  Built on a premise that promises so much more, there is no denying the fact that 'Heaven' is rather dull. It is understandable that direction involves more than just revealing the narrative, but here it is vague and sloppy. The film seems to be nothing over than a collection of arty shots with a slow moving camera, and after the fifth or sixth consecutively we do begin to wonder if there's any narrative at all. And these are a lot less effective or meaningful than the film-makers think they are, or wanted them to be. It tries to say so much through so few words, and ends up saying little at all. Still, Cate Blanchett is on top form in a moving performance, despite her character eduring some silly sequences but still making up for the ultimately ridiculous finale.

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