Drama
Fantasy
Romance
Chris Nielsen dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one thing missing: his wife. After he dies, his wife Annie killed herself and went to hell. Chris decides to risk eternity in Hades for the small chance that he will be able to bring her back to heaven.
Directors
Robin Williams
Chris Nielsen
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Albert Lewis
Annabella Sciorra
Annie Collins-Nielsen
Josh Paddock
Ian Nielsen
Jessica Brooks Grant
Marie Nielsen
Max von Sydow
The Tracker
Wilma Bonet
Angie
Lucinda Jenney
Mrs. Jacobs
Rosalind Chao
Leona
Matt Salinger
Reverend Hanley
Maggie McCarthy
Stacey Jacobs
Carin Sprague
Best Friend Cindy
June Carryl
Woman in Car Accident
Werner Herzog
Face
Clara Thomas
Little Girl at Lake
Benjamin Brock
Little Boy at Lake
London Freeman
Kid by the Dock (uncredited)
Phaedra Neitzel
Angel (uncredited)
Directors
User reviews1
Review
Featured review
Hindsight, and all that, but I wonder how much of the things going through the mind of his character here were actually going through the mind of Robin Williams himself in his later life? Here, he is doctor “Chris” who quite literally collides with “Annie” (Annabella Sciorra) in their boats, and the whirlwind that ensues sees them married and living in the USA. An accident in a road tunnel sees him try to help a stranded driver, but before he can assist he comes a cropper himself and is soon up in heaven being looked after by Cuba Gooding Jnr. So far, it does sound quite heavenly! Unfortunately, “Annie” just cannot handle life without her new husband especially as this is not the first time tragedy has affected her life, and now she is truly bereft. Her solution sees her sent elsewhere and so “Chris” has to convince his new friend “Albert” that - yep - true love conquers all, even in matters of heaven and hell. To prove that very point, he decides to sacrifice his Elysian existence and set off to find her - but that is a journey fraught with emotional pitfalls that build on his memories of her, their family, and of his own frailties. Upon his journey, he is also to have the sagely honesty of “The Tracker” (Max Von Sydow) on his shoulder. Perhaps I’m a bit of a cynic, but though Williams’s effort is engaging, I found this all just a little too soft-focus sentimental. It presents character difficulties and flaws at us, but never ones that we know won’t be resolved, and usually fairly predictability. The bumps in his not so yellow brick road seem contrived for the plot rather than to really showcase the ghastliness and loneliness of grief. On that front, Sciorra delivers quite potently for a time; as the story develops it gives Gooding a little more to get his teeth into, and von Sydow has his “Seventh Seal” (1957) to draw from - which he does with a scene-stealing integrity. Mainly, though, it is a showcase for the star to show he is not just about comedy. He can clearly tackle more substantial issues and at no point throughout didn’t ever feel like laughing. Sadly, though, I didn’t ever feel like crying either. For a film that is all about the essence of what makes us people, it’s remarkably soul-less.
Geronimo196707 Aug, 2025
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Budget
$85,000,000Gross worldwide
$71,485,043More to explore
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