Just Like Heaven Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)September 27th, 2005
"Just Like Heaven" Tolerable Afterlife
by Homer Yen
(c) 2005
I'm not sure how we get sold into the
premise of this frothy film. In "Just Like Heaven," a couple of kindred spirits meet in a not-so-conventional way. One is the workaholic Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon). The other is cute-guy David (Mark Ruffalo). It's a lightweight romantic comedy the relies on the sunny appeal of its lead actors rather than on its storyline. After all, you've seen one romantic comedy, you've just about seen them all, right?
Fortunately, you can't go wrong with the likes of Witherspoon, who beams with sunshine and verve. She has become this generation's Meg Ryan. As a busy doctor, her sister asks her if she ever has time to meet men. Elizabeth fires back that she meets men all the time. Her sister interjects by clarifying that she means men who aren't bleeding! Before she does get to
meet the man of her dreams, she has a almost-life-ending accident.
Mark Ruffalo is well-cast has a counterweight to Witherspoon's chirpiness. He's
disarmingly charming despite the fact that his character, David, seems to in the midst of a heartbreak. Here's a guy that needs to find a spark. And even with the void that he carries around, he has this understated sweetness that suits him for this kind of silly piece of confection. And yet, he does get to do a bit of physical comedy so that he can mix things up a bit.
Call me a silly romantic, but I actually liked the film up to a point. I found many parts of the film appealing. I liked the offbeat occult bookstore employee (Jon Heder) whose spaced out demeanor was nerdy but welcome. I liked how David and Elizabeth start off as uneasy combatants but eventually warm up to each other. I liked how David and Elizabeth had a sense of otherworldly connection. A few scenes would crescendo into tear-inducing elation. It works hard to pluck the heartstrings. And "Just Like Heaven" satisfies the basic
requirements of this kind of film.
When you have the right pieces and you have a lovable couple, you kind of just accept things as they are presented. Despite the droll tone, the feeling of the film seems a bit off. Perhaps it's the interjection of the right-to-die argument. Perhaps it's the shift from gooey romance into a harried damsel in distress. Perhaps unfairly, I am reminded of the ultimate afterlife tearjerker film "Ghost".
That film was about romance through and through in the here and in the hereafter. This one is fear and then love and then black comedy and then political statement and then a sudden lurch towards a happy ending. At one point, the film literally needed to defibrillate itself. Thank goodness for the sweet chemistry between this complimentary couple. Otherwise, this is a film that could flatline any second.
Grade: C+
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
