Almost Heaven (2006)

Director:

Shel Piercy

Writers:

Richard Beattie (screenplay) and
Shel Piercy (screenplay)

Release Date:

September 2006 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Canadian television director is hired to salvage an international fishing show in Scotland. The only hitch: his ex-wife is the host...

Plot Keywords:

Fishing | Director | Washed Up Actor | Alcoholic | Sex With Coworker

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Julie Cox	...	Hilary Wooler
Alisa Cox	...	Jenny McAdam
Christopher Fairbank	...	Teapot Ted
Erin Karpluk	...	Catherine
Peter Kelamis	...	Kenny
Eilidh MacDonald	...	Anabella Gordon
Karen Rae	...	Kimberley
Bruce Allen	...	Ben
Lynda Boyd	...	Samantha Robbins
Kirsty Mitchell	...	Nicki McAdam
Georgina Hegedos	...	Georgina
Tom Conti	...	Bert Gordon
Joely Collins	...	Taya
Hamish Wilson	...	Old Fisherman
Julius Lovaghy	...	Bagpiper
Jonathan Rush	...	Farm Lad
Garrick Hagon	...	Promo Voice Over (as Garrick Hagon Lighter)
Jamie Schwanebeck	...	Owen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amanda Butler	...	Cindy
Donal Logue	...	Mark Brady
Julie-Ann Marshall	...	Village Girl
Beth Miller	...	Village Girl
Hollie Miller	...	Ceilidh Dancer
Jennifer Laura Stark	...	Village Girl

Directed by
Shel Piercy

Writing credits
Richard Beattie		(screenplay) and
Shel Piercy		(screenplay)

Produced by
Kim Barsanti	....	associate producer
Dan Carriere	....	executive producer: Canada
Cynthia Chapman	....	producer: Canada
Joely Collins	....	executive producer
Tom Cox	....	executive producer
Sherrold Haddad	....	executive producer
Blair Hall	....	executive producer
Shel Piercy	....	producer: Canada
Allan Scott	....	producer: U.K.
Peter R. Simpson	....	executive producer: Canada
Robert Whitehouse	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Richard G. Mitchell

Cinematography by
Oliver Cheesman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Allan Pinvidic

Casting by
Sasha Robertson

Production Design by
Judi Ritchie

Art Direction by
Kate McDonald

Set Decoration by
Carole Alexander

Costume Design by
Vicky Mulholland

Makeup Department
Sally Barnes	....	assistant makeup artist
April Boyes	....	key makeup artist
Cleo Gagner	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Ken Craw	....	production supervisor
Jill Fairclough	....	production supervisor
Michele MacInnes	....	production manager
Pam Roberts	....	production manager: UK

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexia S. Droz	....	second assistant director (as Alexia Droz)
Ray Kenny	....	third assistant director: pick-ups
Catherine Kretz	....	second assistant director
Collin Leadlay	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Andy Drummond	....	stand-by art director
David Goodman	....	property master
Curt Maze	....	assistant property master
Lila Mckinlay	....	second assistant decorator
Sonia Zimmerman	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Ben Brazier	....	sound editor
Peter Brill	....	sound mixer
Chris Higgins	....	boom operator
Mathew Knights	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Noda	....	sound mixer
Chris Roberts	....	adr editor
Chris Roberts	....	adr supervisor
Louise Sinclair	....	sound effects editor
Simon Tomlinson	....	boom operator

Stunts
Dan Redford	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Sarah Allinger	....	lamp operator
Paul Bates	....	best boy
Marco Ciccone	....	camera operator
Martin Coton	....	clapper-loader: Scotland
Chris Cristobal	....	grip
Tim Critchell	....	grip: Scotland
David Hutton	....	best boy grip
Alan Maxwell	....	camera operator
Martin Oicle	....	key grip
Chris Oliver	....	lamp operator
Maria Powell	....	company grip
Ernie Redden	....	generator operator
Ralph Rivers	....	generator operator
Mark Sneddon	....	focus puller: UK
Gary Stamford	....	gaffer
Ken Sutherland	....	second assistant camera
Neil Swakum-Peck	....	best boy

Casting Department
Chloe Eckert	....	casting assistant: Canada
Maddy Hinton	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Chris Bizzocchi	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Bob Chase	....	driver: grip truck
James Hill	....	driver: honeywagon
Joe MacEachen	....	driver: trailer
Richard Massey	....	driver
Ted Massey	....	transportation coordinator
Pierre Miranda	....	driver
Dory Vanderkuip	....	driver
Richard Vanderkuip	....	transportation captain (as Rick Vanderkuip)

Other crew
Ann Marie Clark	....	script supervisor
Tiffany Crisp	....	assistant accountant: Canada
Gary Davidson	....	stand-in
Kathryn Drew	....	accountant: Canada (as Kath Drew)
Chloe Eckert	....	business affairs assistant
Jill Fairclough	....	business affairs: Canada
Monica Hilborn	....	production assistant
Caroline Humphrey	....	craft service
Caroline Humphrey	....	first aid
Marten Kayle	....	assistant production coordinator
Nolan Kelly	....	location manager
Jedrzej Kowalski	....	location manager
Jedrzej Kowalski	....	location manager: Canada (as Jendrek Kowalski)
Jacqui McBride	....	assistant production accountant
Andrew McKay	....	assistant chef
Elizabeth Mueller	....	accountant: Canada
Amy Munro	....	production runner
Christina Ollson	....	location manager: re-shoots
Daphne Park	....	business affairs: Canada
Anna Robbins	....	costume assistant UK
Kathy Rudick	....	consultant: fly fishing
Trevor Sadler	....	key chef
Ewan Stewart	....	floor runner: UK
Ryan Valade	....	key locations
Jack Valdehuis	....	assistant location manager
Scooby Vincent	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Kyle Welton	....	location manager
Robyn Wiener	....	production coordinator
Derek Yeaman	....	location manager: UK

Production Companies

• Infinity Films

Distributors

• E1 Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Norstar Releasing (2006) (Canada) (all media)
• Odeon Films (2006) (Canada) (all media)
• Teleview International (2006) (Lebanon) (TV) (Middle East)

Other Companies

• Post Modern Sound  ADR recording facility

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Gartmore, Stirling, Scotland, UK

Company:

Infinity Films

Why do tubby middle-aged average looking male leads always end up with the prettiest female in the film?

Donal Logue is a talented writer/actor. I especially liked him in "The Knights of Prosperity". Here, however, he plays a man who walks into a room and every woman wants to bed him. Even when the little girl meets him, she almost immediately sees him as her new perfect stepfather. It just doesn't work.

Drunken, self-centered, egomaniac he does very well. But even George Clooney would have a hard time making this character's almost instantaneous conquest appeal believable. The film makers use a few slow motion montages to try to make it work, but it doesn't.

This standard rom-com is all script and no substance. We are supposed to think these things happen because the story says so. I didn't buy it. Bill Forsyth at his peak might have been able to pull this off. Shel Piercy simply fails.