Here On Earth (2000)

17% of critics liked it
(69 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(19,721 ratings)

In this romantic drama, a young man must make some difficult decisions when he discovers that his girlfriend's future is almost used up. Kelley (Chris Klein) and Samantha (Leelee Sobieski) are waiting out the summer after their high school graduation before moving on to college. Although Kelley… More In this romantic drama, a young man must make some difficult decisions when he discovers that his girlfriend's future is almost used up. Kelley (Chris Klein) and Samantha (Leelee Sobieski) are waiting out the summer after their high school graduation before moving on to college. Although Kelley comes from a wealthy family and Samantha's folks are working class, they soon find that they have more in common than they imagined, and they fall in love. However, Samantha's parents (Annette O'Toole and Bruce Greenwood) soon learn that their daughter has only a few more months to live. When Kelley learns the awful truth, he must decide if he should stay by the side of the first girl he's ever loved or obey his father's wishes and go to college. This was the second feature film for director Mark Piznarski, who has directed episodes of the TV series E.R., My So-Called Life, and Relativity, as well as the TV miniseries The 60s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Mark Piznarski
Written By: Michael Seitzman
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Mar 24, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Jan 9, 2001
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here on Earth is a missed opportunity.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Here on Earth slides too easily into its sentimentality; the characters should have put up more of a struggle.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Three appealing performers are lumbered with material that doesn't measure up to them in Here on Earth.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
A film that wants to be both simultaneously slick and tender and misses both by a country mile.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Director Mark Piznarski, who cut his teeth on My So Called Life, isn't able to to animate this perfunctory tear-jerker.
Randy White, Common Sense Media
Contrived plot purposely pulls at heartstrings.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
This is just the type of "dignified" tragedy Louis B. Mayer loved to churn out in the 1940s, where characters - even the unsavory ones - acted so noble they practically turned to statues before your eyes.
Blake French, NutzWorld
Demonstrates the lowest, most unscrupulous technique of filmmaking -- it involves no imagination, creativity, or original ideas.
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com
It may not be an earthshaking cinematic experience, but it does have its heart in the right place, here on earth.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Such a mawkish and poorly constructed piece of melodrama.
Andy Klein, New Times
Things are not helped by the performances: Klein is simply a stiff, and Sobieski is neither more nor less Joan of Arc here than she was on TV.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nani V

This was really a sweet movie.
Megan S

So the girl was dating an jerk and then fell for a prick. I didn't really get this movie.
Jason S

A surgary tale about young love. I liked it.
Nate Z

[font=Arial][color=darkred]The story 'Earth' portrays is nothing groundbreaking: new guy arrives in town, sweeps girl off her feet because he's "different" than the rest, earns ire from mean boyfriend, and eventually gets the girl. It's been the plot from… More
[font=Arial][color=darkred]The story 'Earth' portrays is nothing groundbreaking: new guy arrives in town, sweeps girl off her feet because he's "different" than the rest, earns ire from mean boyfriend, and eventually gets the girl. It's been the plot from everything from 'Lady and the Tramp' to 'Edward Scissorhands'. But even though the theme is based in predictability, the creators of 'Here on Earth' seem to have lazily put forth an execution.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The movie and its screenwriter have their logic completely reversed. The girl's boyfriend is supposed to be the wife-beating snotty jerk, and the new kid is supposed to be the nice sensitive "different" guy. But in 'Earth', Klein is the snotty Richy Rich whose colors never change, and Josh Hartnett is the dependable and established nice guy boyfriend. What kind of way is it to build dramatic sympathy toward a character who flights from a nice caring guy to have sex with an arogant newbie as soon as he arrives?! The structure of this tragic tale is no way to build drama, only contempt for the female lead.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Whatever high-minded message 'Earth' is hopelessly aiming for is destroyed by dialogue so cheesy that it could be considered a side dish at a local Taco Bell. By the time Klein starts naming Leelee's breasts after different states in the Union the movie loses what little credibility it had - or thought it did. ("Massachusettes welcomes you") It's a wonder most of these young actors can even say what they do with a straight face.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#8b0000][i]Spoilers follow as I make fun of this movie.[/i][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Just when you're wondering why the hell Leelee is doing the things she does and it looks as if we may reach a conclusion or insight - [i]BAM![/i] - she has cancer and dies. This ranks up with "it was all just a dream" as one of the cheapest ways to sneek out of an uncomfortable or unexplainable position. It turns out our Joan of Arc bumped her knee and somehow that has exploded into unstoppable cancer. The doctor tells the distraught family members that they always suspected this could happen. Like hell! Everytime I stub my damn toe it never crosses my mind I've contracted cancer.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]'Here on Earth' is supposed to be the tear-jerker for the teeny bopper audience out there; the 'Love Story' for the under twenty. But the only thing wringing from this formulaic clunker of a sob story is a healthy outpouring of sap, moral high ground, and a warning to always wear knee pads.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C- [/color][/font]
Dannielle A

Was a huge favorite of mine in high school and then slowly went down the list as I grew up and grasped a greater appreciation for film making. It has a great soundtrack, an amazing cast of characters, and is filled with both weepy scenes and laugh-out-loud scenes. One thing I never… More
Was a huge favorite of mine in high school and then slowly went down the list as I grew up and grasped a greater appreciation for film making. It has a great soundtrack, an amazing cast of characters, and is filled with both weepy scenes and laugh-out-loud scenes. One thing I never did understand is why at the end Samantha's character picked the rich-boy jerk over her childhood best friend Jasper whom she loved her whole life (played by cutie Josh Hartnett.) Jasper truly cared about her no matter what, even if her happiness meant her being with another guy. You don't meet a guy like that every day. She should have been with Jasper! But his character is what makes this movie worth watching!!! SPOILER: This is almost a carbon copy of A Walk to Remember.
Christopher H

In the annals of romantic drama films, "Here on Earth" is a slightly watered down, mildly acting-challenged film. I do enjoy Chris Klein, Josh Hartnett, and Leelee Sobieski in their parts, but they just do not come off as sincere and noteworthy than say Shane West and Mandy… More
In the annals of romantic drama films, "Here on Earth" is a slightly watered down, mildly acting-challenged film. I do enjoy Chris Klein, Josh Hartnett, and Leelee Sobieski in their parts, but they just do not come off as sincere and noteworthy than say Shane West and Mandy Moore, or Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The ending is a bit laughable (a knee injury that becomes life threatening), but overall, I believe people get out of the film what they need. Where is Nicholas Sparks when you need him?
Quinto W

LEELEE SOBIESKI DIES IN THIS MOVIE. If that's a spoiler for you, then congratulations, you're a retarded person. Also, Leelee Sobieski has exactly one expression during that entire movie and that is that she's about to fall asleep at any moment. Also, Leelee… More
LEELEE SOBIESKI DIES IN THIS MOVIE. If that's a spoiler for you, then congratulations, you're a retarded person. Also, Leelee Sobieski has exactly one expression during that entire movie and that is that she's about to fall asleep at any moment. Also, Leelee Sobieki's character is so stupid that she cheats on her boyfriend at the store where her boyfriend's best friend work and then she's completely shocked to get caught. The only real surprise during the entire movie is that Nicholas Sparks's name is nowhere to be found.
Jason R

Basically A Walk to Remember meets Pretty in Pink with a little bit of the formula from The Defiant Ones (among others) is basically how you can sum up this completely unoriginal film, that sadly misuses a bunch of really great actors. Simply put a spoiled rich kid gets in a race with… More
Basically A Walk to Remember meets Pretty in Pink with a little bit of the formula from The Defiant Ones (among others) is basically how you can sum up this completely unoriginal film, that sadly misuses a bunch of really great actors. Simply put a spoiled rich kid gets in a race with his this poor farm boy, the aftermath of which sees the town's local diner destroyed and the two boys facing jail time until they are forced to work together to rebuild the diner. Enter the farm boy's girlfriend who has eyes for the rich kid, who slowly opens up to the girl and they quickly become lovers, which cause a stir in the community, and after it is all said and done and the two boys become friends, somewhat. We find out the girl is very sick, what happens next? Well your either gonna have to watch the film for yourself, or read the first sentence of the review and figure it out on your own.
Erin C

VERY sad, but good movie. Lots of stars in this one, and the message is a good one!
Janice :

Now first of all, I'm a sucker when it comes to good romance films and this is one of them. I don't particularly like Chris Klein, nor Josh Hartnett but the character's are so well developed that you forgot how much Klein has bad looks. P is for Predictable, but also… More
Now first of all, I'm a sucker when it comes to good romance films and this is one of them. I don't particularly like Chris Klein, nor Josh Hartnett but the character's are so well developed that you forgot how much Klein has bad looks. P is for Predictable, but also Priceless. We've seen this type of love story for years and years but it'll always be timeless - that's the whole beauty of romance! Watch if you're a fan of sappy and melancholic films. Or just because you're a hopeless romantic.
Leo L

Great film!