Tags
2000's, Dina Spybey, Donal Logue, Fantasy, Jon Heder, Just Like Heaven, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Waters, Reese Witherspoon, Romantic Comedy
Film Title
Just Like Heaven
Director
Mark Waters
Starring
- Reese Witherspoon as Dr. Elizabeth Masterson
- Mark Ruffalo as David Abbott
- Jon Heder as Darryl
- Donal Logue as Jack
- Dina Spybey as Abby
As predictable as some of it gets, Just Like Heaven at least distinguishes itself from other romantic comedies by having a fantasy element and being able to earn our sympathies as a metaphysical relationship is sweetly but movingly played out.
Elizabeth Masterson is a supremely dedicated and caring San Francisco physician, who as events open is completing a marathon twenty-six hour shift. The hospital is Elizabeth’s whole life and she has little time for anything else. Her superiors tell her to go home and rest and after much resistance she does. Though on the way home where she is to go on a blind date set up by her sister, Elizabeth’s car collides with another in an accident. Three months later through happenstance, David Abbott; a landscape architect still grieving for the death of his wife two years prior moves into Elizabeth’s apartment. What he gets is a real surprise when Elizabeth appears and begins telling him that he is trespassing in her apartment. Bewildered and shocked by the fastidious woman telling him that the apartment isn’t his, David is in for even more of a surprise as he comes to see that Elizabeth is in fact a spirit who only he can see and seemingly communicate with. The pair is then at each other’s throats about this as confusion takes centre stage and David remains puzzled on how this apparently supernatural turn of events unfolds. On the other hand, fussy Elizabeth is convinced she is not a spirit of someone recently deceased even though there is a lot of evidence to suggest this( she can walk through walls and appear and disappear at will). She also has gaps in her memory and call only recall her name. David enlists the knowledge of Darryl, a young bookshop worker who has an unexpected gift of being able to sense cosmic and spiritual energy. Over time, Elizabeth and David’s animosity thaws as they grow closer and Elizabeth manages to get David to open his heart once more after keeping it guarded for so long following his wife’s death. Yet as they begin to warm up to one another romantically and assemble some of the fragmented pieces of why she is a spirit and only David can see her, unexpected circumstances threaten them. Can the growing love between them conquer an uncertain future for the unusual union?
Mark Waters makes proceedings a mixture of humorous and emotional, letting the two main characters work through their differences which are anything but ordinary. A sensitivity is generated throughout the film which sets it apart from most romantic comedies that often have no real depth to them. And yes Just Like Heaven has its amount of sugary moments that you’d probably expect, but the soul of the film permeates through with effervescence. The brisk pace makes the movie sprightly and full of moments of comedy; most of the humour stemming from situations in which David talks to Elizabeth, who often disagrees with him and other people think he’s either crazy or hallucinating about something. San Francisco shines in sun dappled glory, pervading the film with a loving sense of magic that comes from the two principal characters. It must be said that Just Like Heaven is in my view a very underrated film that not enough people talk about. If it’s a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist, this movie is the ticket and provides something a little different from the ordinary. A tender score accentuates the growing attraction of the two main characters and the subject of fate which seems to play a part.
Reese Witherspoon is engaging, funny and moving as the dedicated Elizabeth, whose predicament of whether she’s alive or dead takes centre stage. Witherspoon positively glows in an ethereal way in a part that displays her deft comedic timing and soulful emotions. Equally as good is Mark Ruffalo in the part of the grieving David, at first shocked at the appearance of Elizabeth and then slowly given parts of his life back as he develops romantic inclinations for her. Mark Ruffalo really shows a different side to his acting here, showing a gift for physical comedy underneath a veneer of wounded seriousness. In an exceptionally hilarious performance as the chilled out psychic Darryl, Jon Heder makes a marked impact on the film whenever he graces the screen in this engaging supporting turn. The guy is just hysterical because as helpful as the character is, he’s often so laid back he could fall over. Donal Logue as David’s concerned friend and Dina Spybey as Elizabeth’s sister help complete what is already a lovely film.
A funny but very touching romantic comedy/fantasy, Just Like Heaven is a heartwarming film, given a gentle core and an amusing top, along with lovely work from the two leads that bring a touch of magic to the underrated film.
filmsCine said:
This movie really is a silly one, but it’s in my DVD collection and I very much enjoy it!
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vinnieh said:
It has silly moments but I found it very moving.
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beetleypete said:
Witherspoon can be very good sometimes, but I am not that much into rom-coms, unfortunately.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
I love Reese Witherspoon, she lights up the screen. Though as you aren’t one for rom coms you might not enjoy it.
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jillianmrks said:
I’ve never heard of this one. I like both actors. I’ll have to check it out!
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vinnieh said:
It provides a different slant to traditional rom coms. And both actors are very good and share a tender chemistry.
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fragglerocking said:
Like Pete I’m not a rom-com fan, but I quite like the sound of this one, might check it out if it is on TV.
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vinnieh said:
Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo really make this a lovely film.
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Paul S said:
Unlike Pete and Fraggie, I am a rom-com fan.The romantic comedy is unique in that it is one of the most loved and watched genres, yet it is also the most dismissed. Women who love a good romantic comedy are seen as sappy losers who just watch ‘chick-flicks’, and men are seen as less-than-men if they admit to enjoying a Meg Ryan movie. I’ve never seen this film, never even heard of it, but from your review it sounds as if it’s worth a look.
You take it easy brother!
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vinnieh said:
Nice defence and appreciation of the genre there Paul. My tastes spread right across the genres.
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Paul S said:
We’re kindred spirits!
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vinnieh said:
I like that we agree on movies.
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alexraphael said:
I’ve warmed a lot to Mark Ruffalo. I’ve seen him in quite a few things. Zodiac, Now You See Me and 13 going on 30. I was curious what Jon Heder was doing after Napoleon Dynamite.
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vinnieh said:
I really like Mark Ruffalo, he’s a very versatile actor who has made some quality.
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alexraphael said:
There have been rumours he’d do Columbo. I wouldn’t think I’d have been a fan but if anyone could pull off the role it would be him.
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vinnieh said:
That could be an interesting casting choice.
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ninvoid99 said:
I do like this film. Mostly because of the chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Someone needs to make a rom-com with these 2 again but as exes where Reese is about to marry Paul Rudd and then he meets the ex in Mark Ruffalo where he and Paul Rudd become….. BUDDIES!!!!
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vinnieh said:
They work magically together. I would love to see them work together.
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emmakwall said:
Nice review Vinnie! I’d probably dismiss this as the usual rom com but you’ve made it sound better than that 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Hi sister, oh this stands above most rom coms with its heart.
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abbiosbiston said:
I remember watching this on a plane and crying my eyes out. I think it works so well because of the excellent leads.
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vinnieh said:
I too had tears in my ears and am not afraid to admit it. Mark Ruffalo and Resse Witherspoon where magical together, I hope they make another movie together in the future.
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