Hilfe, ich komm' in den Himmel

a film who reminds Frank Capra's films. the atmosphere, the lead character, the theme. sure, not at the same high and subtle level but more than a decent work. film about self redefinition, using in inspired manner the charm of Greg Kinnear, proposing nice characters and a seductive mixture of humor and drama, remembering that small things who defines every day life, being, in fact, a film about importance of community, it is a kind of soup for soul, without high ambitions but amusing and useful as lesson of life. preserving the mark of Christmas' spirit, the old formula of she and he who, after struggles, discover the real love, it could be the best option for a comfortable evening after a long work day.

Tom Turner is a small time con-man making a living off passengers at train stations etc. When he is caught and sent to trial he is sentenced to jail time or to get a full time job and earn his own money. He gets a job in the dead letter office at the post office where undeliverable letters are sorted by category. When trying to steal valuables to help pay off his gambling debts he accidentally puts them in a envelope in reply to a "Dear God" letter. When the money helps some people to fix problems with their block of flats and improve security his colleagues think he did it on purpose and begin to answer some other "Dear God" letters. However how far can they go without being discovered as the media begin to pick up on the miracles.

This is a very gentle comedy that struggles with being overly sentimental in the second half. The story is quite unlikely but the film is gentle enough that the slight plot is not really a major problem. Nor is it very unlikely - you won't be surprised to learn that every learns important lessons about life at the end. The comedy is also very slight, it has some laugh out loud moments but outside of this it also has an overall funny feel to the film that is quite nice.

Greg Kinnear is not a leading man, but he does a reasonably good job here. Out of his colleagues Metcalf is good and John Seda (of Homicide:LOTS) gives a different performance! The cast is also fleshed out by some nice cameos from Larry Miller and Jack Klugman (better known as Quincy). Elizondo has the best small role as the Post Officer manager who slips quietly away mid-conversation unnoticed.

Overall a gentle comedy that eventually gets bogged down by being too sentimental. It really could have benefited from having a more cynical edge.

Tom (Greg Kinnear) is a petty conman who poses as a burn victim (among other things) to elicit money from innocent bystanders. He has quite a reputation around town so law enforcement goes to some length to catch him in the act. Brought in front of a judge, she decrees that he will get a real job or end up in the pokey. So, a job it is for him. Tom has his eye on a pretty lady named Gloria, anyway, so it might help his image with her, too. Strings are pulled to get him into the postal service's dead letter office. Once there, surrounded by kind and interesting people, he begins to turn his life around. He even reads some of the letters addressed to God and performs random acts of kindness. What could be wrong with that? This movie leaves the viewer with feelings of great joy. Kinnear is a charmer, in every way, and with cast members such as Maria Pitillo, Tim Conway, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Hector Elizondo, he is in great company. The script has a buoyant message to give about helping others, only to receive kindness back in return. How nice the settings and costumes are, too. A love story develops quietly for any viewer who longs for comedies with romance. This film is recommended for individuals or families who need their faith restored in humanity, but who also enjoy laughter and nonsense along the way.

When letters written to God start getting results, and replies, people everywhere are amazed. The Post Office, however, is annoyed.

Siskel & Ebert gave the film two thumbs down upon its release. James Berardinelli gave the film one star and explained, "At least after seeing this movie, I understand where the title came from – starting about thirty minutes into this interminable, unfunny feature, I began looking at my watch every few minutes and thinking, 'Dear God, is this ever going to end?'" I have to agree, and maybe I'm being a little generous with my 5. This is probably closer to a 4, because it really isn't very funny, and as one person so aptly said, it "drowns in its own sentimentality". I suppose the bonus point will be for having David Hasselhoff and Elvira show up, even if only for a second. Tony Danza, as well. But if I ever see this movie again (I hope not), it will probably lose a star.

Everyone's already hit the main points in the other reviews. I wanted to add that this is a movie with a lot of heart and high ambitions, that it doesn't quite achieve. Although it has likable characters and the zaniness is fun, the premises are trite and the script stretches credibility to the breaking point. In the end I decided to receive it on the "dumb but fun" channel, rather than turn it off, and made it through.

Someone else here said, "I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it." That about sums up my feelings, too.

But I wanted to leave a review to draw attention to Tim Conway's incredible performance. I'm not a giant fan of Conway's trademark burlesque, which worked wonders on Carol Burnett but is out of place in anything that's not an ensemble variety show (i.e., vaudeville). But here he's absolutely brilliant, playing a comedy archetype that is not however over the top. He sold the character with complexity and palpable sincerity and proved that he could in fact act, in the full sense of the word.

Watch this movie for him. I'm glad I did. I wish we could have seen him in many other such roles. Such a missed opportunity.