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A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)

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A Little Trip to Heaven

The dour humor that marked Icelandic thesp-turned-director Baltasar Kormakur's "101 Reykjaviik" and "The Sea" isn't enough to salvage -- or cohere -- his English-language "A Little Trip to Heaven." Rural noir, ostensibly set in northern Minnesota but mostly shot in Iceland, is a classic case of directorial talent lost in translation.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

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The dour humor that marked Icelandic thesp-turned-director Baltasar Kormakur’s “101 Reykjaviik” and “The Sea” isn’t enough to salvage — or cohere — his English-language “A Little Trip to Heaven.” Rural noir, ostensibly set in northern Minnesota but mostly shot in Iceland, is a classic case of directorial talent lost in translation. As with many other maiden efforts abroad, this one feels like ESL Cinema, its narrative gone murky, characters undeveloped, sense of place dislocated, fuzzy overall intent ill-compensated for by quirky touches. Despite toplining presences of Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles, this watchable misfire looks to hit Ancillary Town fast.

Stab at a showy action opening piles up three separate car crashes in the first reel; their import isn’t clarified until later. First, a young couple driving on what looks like a perilous coastline gets ejected from their car as it careens off a cliff. Swimming to shore, the girl grabs a nearby steel pipe and smashes the boy’s legs with relish, as if to make sure he knows this is the end of their relationship.

Next, an urban transit bus is crowded with passengers after a collision — but how many of them boarded after the incident, hoping to cash in on the victims’ monetary settlement? That’s a question posed by Holt (Whitaker), who scares the posers away by telling them a hidden videocamera will expose them to police. Many leave — not realizing this is a bluff, and that Holt isn’t a cop but an insurance investigator trying to minimize company payout.

Finally, a longhaired, late night traveler has his gas tank drained while he’s taking a break from a blizzard in a tavern. When his car stalls shortly thereafter, the culprit picks him up and promptly slams them both into a tunnel wall. By the time cops show up, there’s just one passenger in the vehicle — and he’s charred beyond recognition.

Holt goes to the hinterlands to investigate. Identification found on the corpse suggests he’s the well-known scam artist brother of local resident Isold (Stiles), who lives in squalor with young son Thor (Alfred Harmsworth) and husband Fred (Jeremy Renner). All three act like they’ve got a whole lot of secrets to hide.

“Little Trip” recalls the many offbeat, low-key ’70s U.S. suspensers that valued milieu and character over genre thrills (Arthur Penn’s “Night Moves” being a classic example). But the tonal echo is only that, as the pic fails to etch a convincing setting, create fleshed-out characters, or build basic tension. Humor at the expense of dumb townies (notably a horny, plus-sized female bartender) feels condescending, idiosyncratic individual sequences dangle unmoored, and dialogue frequently sounds like a foreigner’s idea of what rural Yanks would say, drawn from other movies. Even the overall plot comes across as convoluted, its ironies arriving minus emotional resonance.

While few viewers will find satisfaction in the result, this is still the kind of movie that maintains a certain interest because it makes one wonder how it will pull itself together — even if, finally, it doesn’t.

On the plus side, visual contributions make a frosty atmospheric cocktail of winter exteriors; soundtrack likewise goes for flavorful kitsch ‘n’ twang. While Stiles is working to create a naturalistic woman-in-peril, Whitaker’s shambling company sleuth doesn’t quite come into focus (and what’s with that high, quasi-Irish lilt?). Renner and Peter Coyote (as Holt’s home office supervisor) are OK in one-dimensional roles.

Tech aspects are good. Post the Toronto preem, pic is being re-cut prior to further showings.

Iceland-U.S.

• Production: A Palomar Pictures and Blueeyes Prods. presentation. Produced by Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Baltasar Kormakur. Executive producers, Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Lilja Palmdottir. Co-producer, Agnes Johansen. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur. Screenplay, Kormakur, Edward Martin Weinman, from a story by Kormakur.
• Crew: Camera (color), Ottar Gudnason; editors, Virginia Katz, Richard Pearson; music, Mugison; production designer, Karl Juliusson; art direction, Eggert Ketilsson; costume designer, Helga I. Stefansdottir; sound (Dolby Digital), Kjartan Kjartansson; assistant director, Leifur Dagfinnsson; casting, Liora Reich. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentations), Sept. 12, 2005. Running time: 105 MIN.
• With: Holt - Forest Whitaker Isold - Julia Stiles Fred - Jeremy Renner Frank - Peter Coyote William - Philip Jackson Martha - Anne Reid Head Mistress - Phyllida Law Thor - Alfred Harmsworth

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A Little Trip to Heaven

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A Little Trip to Heaven

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A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN

A husband and wife tangle with an investigator over her dead brother’s million-dollar insurance policy.

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A Little Trip to Heaven

2005, Comedy/Drama, 1h 27m

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A little trip to heaven   photos.

Insurance investigator Abraham Holt (Forest Whitaker) travels to a tiny town in rural Minnesota to look into a particularly unusual insurance claim stemming from a horrific car accident. As Holt examines the scene of the wreck, it all seems a bit too perfect. And when he interviews Isold Mcbride (Julia Stiles) and her shifty husband, Fred (Jeremy Renner) -- the impoverished beneficiaries of the massive, recently initiated life-insurance policy -- he begins to suspect that something is amiss.

Rating: R (Some Violence|Language|Disturbing Images)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Producer: Sigurjon Sighvatsson , Baltasar Kormákur

Writer: Baltasar Kormákur , Edward Martin Weinman

Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017

Runtime: 1h 27m

Production Co: Palomar Pictures

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Cast & Crew

Forest Whitaker

Julia Stiles

Jeremy Renner

Peter Coyote

Philip Jackson

Phyllida Law

Head Mistress

Alfred Harmsworth

Baltasar Kormákur

Edward Martin Weinman

Sigurjon Sighvatsson

Agnes Johansen

Co-Producer

Karl Juliusson

Production Design

Eggert Ketilsson

Art Director

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A Little Trip to Heaven

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Currently you are able to watch "A Little Trip to Heaven" streaming on fuboTV or for free with ads on Peacock, Peacock Premium, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, Crackle, Pluto TV, Freevee. It is also possible to rent "A Little Trip to Heaven" on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube online and to download it on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple TV.

Where does A Little Trip to Heaven rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 5:09:17 PM, 11/09/2023

A Little Trip to Heaven is 31435 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved down the charts by -2392 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Oleg's Choice but less popular than CRO - Unsere Zeit ist jetzt.

Insurance investigator Abraham Holt travels to a tiny town in rural Minnesota to look into a particularly unusual insurance claim stemming from a horrific car accident. As Holt examines the scene of the wreck, it all seems a bit too perfect. And when he interviews Isold Mcbride and her shifty husband, Fred -- the impoverished beneficiaries of the massive, recently initiated life-insurance policy -- he begins to suspect that something is amiss.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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A Little Trip to Heaven

Film details, brief synopsis, cast & crew, baltasar kormakur, alfred harmsworth, phyllida law, philip jackson, forest whitaker, technical specs.

When a scam artist dies with a million-dollar life insurance policy, his sister and her husband try to collect, but an insurance investigator has different plans.

Peter Coyote

Jeremy renner, julia stiles, jay burnley, doug delaney, ottar gudnason, karl juliusson, lilja palmdottir, joni sighvatsson, edward martin weinman, miscellaneous notes.

Released in United States 2006

Released in United States January 2006

Released in United States on Video March 13, 2007

Released in United States September 2005

Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (Sturm und Drang) January 25-February 5, 2006.

Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Special Presentation) September 8-17, 2005.

English-language debut for director Baltasar Kormakur.

Released in United States 2006 (Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (Sturm und Drang) January 25-February 5, 2006.)

Released in United States January 2006 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (Premiere) January 19-29, 2006.)

Released in United States September 2005 (Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Special Presentation) September 8-17, 2005.)

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Where to watch

A little trip to heaven.

2005 Directed by Baltasar Kormákur

There is no such thing as a no fault death.

Insurance investigator Abraham Holt travels to a tiny town in rural Minnesota to look into a particularly unusual insurance claim stemming from a horrific car accident. As Holt examines the scene of the wreck, it all seems a bit too perfect. And when he interviews Isold Mcbride and her shifty husband, Fred -- the impoverished beneficiaries of the massive, recently initiated life-insurance policy -- he begins to suspect that something is amiss.

Forest Whitaker Julia Stiles Peter Coyote Jeremy Renner Iddo Goldberg Joanna Scanlan Philip Jackson Alfred Harmsworth Anne Reid Juan Carlos Pardo Pardo María Fernández Ache Kharl Anton Leigh Phyllida Law Richard Weinman

Director Director

Baltasar Kormákur

Producers Producers

Sigurjón Sighvatsson Baltasar Kormákur Agnes Johansen

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Lilja Pálmadóttir Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson

Writers Writers

Baltasar Kormákur Edward Martin Weinman

Original Writer Original Writer

Casting casting.

Liora Reich

Editors Editors

Richard Pearson Virginia Katz

Cinematography Cinematography

Óttar Guðnason

Production Design Production Design

Karl Júlíusson

Composer Composer

Makeup makeup.

Ragna Fossberg

Hairstyling Hairstyling

BlueEyes Productions Pink Productions Palomar Pictures

Iceland USA

Releases by Date

12 sep 2005, 26 dec 2005, 05 jan 2006, 06 apr 2006, 17 mar 2007, 18 sep 2007, releases by country.

• Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
• Theatrical U

98 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by sarah ½ 2

hillbillies commit insurance fraud

also jeremy renner is way too good at playing the incesty wife beater what’s that abt

Review by 𝓶𝓮𝓵🥀📜 ½

straight up awful

Review by VHSvandal ★★★

I ENJOYED THIS MOVIE...THAT SAID...MINUS WHITAKER,STILES AND RENNER I WOULD PROBABY NOT LIKE THE MOVIE AS MUCH...THE MOVIE REALLY HANGS ON THEIR STAR POWER...IT WORKS THOUGH...I WAS ENTERTAINED FROM START TO FINISH.

Review by Tryggvi Thayer ½

Hahaha Hlemmur og Rockville. Þetta er ekki mynd fyrir Íslendinga

Review by William Kretschmer ★★★

A husband and wife tangle with an investigator over her dead brother's million-dollar insurance policy. Highly construed crime drama with a nice touch of noir and watchable for its atmosphere and good performances.

Review by Keith ★★

Depressing film. Whitaker's accent is irritating. Aside from that it is ok.

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It’s no “Home Alone” or “Jesus Christ Superstar,” but it does have Antonio Banderas as a song-slinging Herod and Lecrae as a quavering Angel Gabriel.

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By Glenn Kenny

Christmas announces its coming earlier every year. We haven’t even hit Thanksgiving and here is this peculiar Nativity movie for, um, someone’s whole family, directed and co-written by Adam Anders. Anders, making his feature debut here, is a former “Glee” writer and music producer, and his co-writer, Peter Barsocchini, is a veteran of “High School Musical.” While their treatment of the ancient world is informed, to say the least, by their prior work, the scenario also feels like Hallmark pulped through a Disney strainer.

For instance, the future Jesus-mom, Mary (Fiona Palomo), bridles at her arranged marriage, and actually says, “What about my dream of becoming a teacher, like my father?” She is talked down by girlfriends on a shopping trek who sing, “Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary/It’s good for you.”

The familiar story line is festooned with “kicky” touches, like a meet-cute between Mary and Joseph (Milo Manheim) at a fruit market, and the angel Gabriel (the rapper and singer Lecrae) struggling with stage fright before making his presentation to the Blessed Virgin. Later, in a dream, two Josephs ponder the pregnancy issue, with the anti-Mary manifestation singing “Don’t make concessions/for her transgressions.”

Antonio Banderas appears as Judea’s King Herod, dead set on making sure the newborn (other) King doesn’t stick around for long.

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“Mine is the kingdom/mine is the power,” he belts out. And Joel Smallbone, as his scheming son Antipater, sidles up beside him to harmonize on “mine is the glory.”

The magic of movies does depend on a certain suspension of disbelief, but “Journey” tests the viewer beyond rational credulity, even as it persists in asserting the reality of its existence.

Call it a Christmas anti-miracle?

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Mutiny in Heaven: The Birthday Party review – documentary is a warts-and-all sonic assault

Portrait of post-punk band’s debauched journey from Melbourne to London is a scuzzy time capsule filled with juicy revelations about Nick Cave and co

• The Birthday Party: the danger, drugs and rancour behind Nick Cave’s post-punk band

F ans of the legendary post-punk band the Birthday Party will take to Ian White’s new film like pigs to slop, relishing the debaucherous badassery of its subjects and their drug-addled journey to greatness.

The uninitiated will probably also have a good time with this full-tilt boogie, sonic assault of a documentary, which paints a warts-and-all portrait of the band and its members: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Rowland S Howard , Phill Calvert and Tracy Pew. These wrong-side-of-the-tracks artists played by their own rules, spat in the face of decorum and decency, and through a haze of putrid indulgence succeeded against the odds.

“We didn’t do anything to try and be likable,” we hear Harvey comment shortly after the film enters its second hour. And boy does that seem true. Emerging in the late 70s from the noise and stink of Melbourne’s “St Kilda scene”, which we’re told was a “dangerous” and “deranged” community of artists working outside the system, Cave and co were the rough and rowdy people your parents told you to stay away from.

The film opens with a young sweat-slathered Cave on stage, cigarette in hand, delivering a public health announcement: “The front row is not for the fragile.” He doesn’t say why but we can safely assume the reasons include cochlear damage and body fluids. The camera bobs around in slow-mo, as if the frame itself has had a few too many, as White inserts soundgrabs broadly reminiscing on the band and its journey. We’re told the group, with its “naive adventurousness”, stumbled “on to something quite unique” that provided “glimpses into another dimension, another way of perceiving the world”.

People who don’t jive with the Birthday Party’s discordant and fiercely experimental style aren’t likely to emerge from Mutiny in Heaven sold on those big claims. But many would agree that, on enough drugs, virtually any kind of music can become an astral-projecting pathway through the cosmos.

The film in part is a scuzzy time capsule capturing the post-punk scene in Melbourne and the UK in the 70s and 80s, beginning by touching on the aforementioned St Kilda scene then moving on to the band’s relocation to London, where their drug habits worsened and they developed a reputation as no-hopers to stay away from.

But once they embraced their role as outsiders, the band started to find a groove, recording killer tracks and performing wild concerts to full houses, finding resourceful ways to replenish their stashes by requesting revellers throw their drugs on to the stage.

There’s lots of juicy tidbits, from all the partying stuff to meatier elements such as Cave’s attraction to Christianity and the Bible – a brief tangent that could have been expanded. The singer indicates this wasn’t the standard “born again” chapter in a musician’s career when he recalls: “God was talking not just to me but through me, and his breath stank.”

For extra punch and panache, White integrates animated sequences based on the work of the German artist and graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist, illustrated with a spunky in-your-face style that gels with the film and its subjects beautifully. The use of these animated elements address a core challenge in documentaries about artists: how to use the subject’s work to influence the aesthetic of the film. This challenge was well realised in Ecco Homo , about another artist – Troy Davis – whose career was etched in the post-punk scene, and in 2021’s The Witch of Kings Cross , Sonia Bible’s trippy film about the artist, tabloid sensation and self-professed witch Rosaleen Norton.

By finding ways to mesh together the form of the film with the content of the artist, documentaries about famous creative people can be taken to the next level. In Mutiny in Heaven: The Birthday Party, it’s not just the subjects who rock out but the whole cinematic kit and caboodle, with White imparting a sense that the film, too, is necking bottles, smoking dream pipes and banging around in the mosh pit, soon to wake up with a terrible hangover.

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