Product Details

• Actors: Chris Klein, Leelee Sobieski, Josh Hartnett, Michael Rooker, Annie Corley
• Directors: Mark Piznarski
• Writers: Michael Seitzman
• Producers: David Higgins, David T. Friendly, Jeffrey Downer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: August 8, 2000
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630596307X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,142 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad, Inspiring story, July 11, 2000

By 

Thomas Leahey (Rock Tavern, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here on Earth [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Here on Earth is a wonderful movie. This movie, while watching it makes you realize just how precious your life can be. The movie is about a girl who works at a diner, and her long time friend who is always there for her. Enter a high school boy who comes from a highly sophisticated world of money and likeliness. An accident forces the wealthy kid(played by Chris Klien) to stay and help repair the accident, along with Sams best friend Jasper(played by Josh Hartnett). Both are attracted to Sam(played by Leelee Sobieski), but during the halfway point of the movie, Sam realizes that her time on earth is but short. Her parents watch out for her, and Jasper does too. Sam has an instant attraction to Kelley(Chris Klien), and so does he for her. Drama ensues between the two boys and Sam is trying to cope with her illness she is facing while not giving up so easily as others do. She lives her life to the fullest and the line that can get to you is when she says "some people live their whole life and never fall in love. And i've lived my life, and I fell in love". In the end, when all is said and done, the viewer will realize just how precious life can be and just to enjoy your life, before your time on earth is gone forever. I recommend watching this movie because it is a sad look at the ultimate choices we make when we are faced with life altering choices and the strengths it takes to live each waking moment to the fullest and appreciate what life has to and can offer you. Thank you!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A romantic tale, October 17, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Here on Earth (DVD)

Perhaps I am a softie or a romantic, but I can't agree with many who pan this film. It is far from the greatest of films, but it was touching in many ways. It is rather formulaic, but the formula works here for the most part. A rich upstart teenager comes into a small town and manages to get into a fight with a local and burn down the local diner. In a made-for-television kind of Solomonic wisdom, the judge sentences them to work together to rebuild the diner, Mabel's Table, the 'hot spot' of this whistle-stop town. Rich out-of-towner and local boy fight over the local girl, who has a tragic secret she is concealing.

Leelee Sobieski, plays the lead as Samantha, the local girl track star whose knee gave out, jeopardising her chance to go to college. Chris Klein plays Kelley, the spoiled rich kid who is nonetheless intelligent and has a heart he begins to discover during his time in the small town. Josh Hartnett is Jasper, the local boy who wants nothing more than to keep things the way they are, including his relationship with Samantha. Most of these performances are servicable without being stellar; they are typical romantic B-film fare, with many long, ponderous glances overlooking scenic views, and silly situations in which everyday life is shown.

The action is slow, but then, it isn't meant to be a fast-paced film. Samantha is torn between the comfortable sameness of her life in the small town with Jasper and her family, and the attraction that rich 'bad boy' Kelley represents, particularly after she learns he does have a heart. Samantha overhears Kelley reciting the valedictory speech he was prevented from delivering because of his sentence to build the diner; Kelley in the end does get to the deliver the speech, under different circumstances.

Jasper and Kelley fight (both verbally and physically) over the affections of Samantha, but when Samantha falls ill, they are able to put this aside for her sake. The diner is rebuilt, the town is restored to wholeness, but the situation with Jasper, Kelley and Samantha enters a new dimension, as fate has a different ending in store that none of them anticipated at the beginning of the summer.

The other actors in the film are really background for the tale - few stand out, but one who does is Annette O'Toole, who plays Samantha's mother, a role very similar to the one she takes up on 'Smallville' as Clark Kent's mother.

The story is gentle, sad, poignant - not terribly original, but very understandable in human terms. Love is unpredictable, and love often hurts. Love sometimes requires a sacrifice. Love can transform you. These are all themes that come across in the film, if not always terribly successfully.

It is a film worth watching, though.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a MUST see movie with amazingly talented actors, August 17, 2000

By 

"juliet16" (ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here on Earth (DVD)

This movie was so unbelievably amazing. At first I knew I had to see it because it had Josh Hartnett and Chris Klien, that was a must. I expected it to be good, but it was so far beyond that. From the previews it just seems like some lame, romantic teen flick but it's so much more. Everyone needs to see this movie because they need to realize what's important in life, not how much money you have(even though I'm sure it makes life a whole heck-of-a-lot easier), not what kind of car you drive, or how big and fancy your house is. It's about the who, not the what. After seeing this it will make you realize that you shouldn't take anything for granted, I know it sounds really cliche but it's true. For those of you who haven't seen it or don't remember the previews, here's a quick plot review; rich guy walks into town, flirts with poor guys chick, poor guy gets a little pissed and decides to race the rich guy. Well, they crash, blow up a restaurant and are sentenced to rebuild it that summer. The story goes on from there while conflict builds with the Leelee's character(I don't want to reveal too much). I would like to warn you that even if your a person who takes a lot to cry, you'll at least have tears in your eyes. I sobbed through at least half of the movie. The ending scene will cheer you up though. I recommend you to see this movie and buy it, at least add it too your "wish list"!