Movie Review: Just Like Heaven (2005)
The kind of fluffy romantic comedy that Reese Witherspoon can usually open in her sleep, Just Like Heaven is a pleasantly above average movie directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls). An adaptation based on Marc Levy’s novel “If Only It Were True”, it relies on the supernatural premise of two people being separated by death before they even meet.He is emotionally dead, she is physically dead. Given the heavy themes of this movie, it is remarkably funny, moving and almost…shall I say thought-provoking?!
Ms. Witherspoon plays Elizabeth Masterson, a workaholic ER doctor in San Francisco with no time for a personal life. The night her sister sets her up on a date, she gets into a tragic car accident. Weeks later, her stunningly beautiful apartment is sub-let by her family to David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo), a heartsick fellow who is still mourning his wife’s sudden death after two years. Unaware of her non-corporeal state of being and what happened to her, Elizabeth’s spirit stumbles upon David and accuses him of breaking into and squatting in her apartment. After several somewhat brief but contentious encounters, David agrees to help her find her identity and find out why he is the only one who can see her…
Just Like Heaven is somewhat uneven as it starts with a somewhat generic rom-com beginning but it soon starts gathering solid momentum into the seriously hilarious climax. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit overwrought and quite corny but that’s to be expected with the genre. It would have been very intriguing had the movie broke from convention and ended on a sad and bittersweet tone instead. Most of the charm of Just Like Heaven comes from seeing Elizabeth revive the brooding and emotionally empty David. Waters has a good eye for comedy and extracts some laughs by showing David talking and reacting to someone no one else can see and he is crafty enough not to overuse that device. It is pleasing to see that the romantic undertone of the plot are underplayed and that this flick is more “com” than “rom”.
Like every romantic comedies, the movie relies on its leads to make it stand out from the pack. The versatile Reese Witherspoon is at ease in her territory, effortlessly giving depth to an underwritten but likable control freak spirit. There is an innate intelligence about all her characters –she went to Stanford University after all– that makes her playing a doctor easily believable. Mark Ruffalo is excellent in another romantic lead role, performing brilliantly in terms of both physical comedy and comedic timing. There is a workmanlike and unassuming quality about his acting that make it very easy to sympathize with his characters. In supporting roles, Donal Logue is a highlight as David’s sidesplitting best friend while Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Dina Waters are solid as a psychic and Elizabeth’s sister respectively.
Finely directed and acted, Just Like Heaven is a light and dreamy romantic comedy that is surprisingly enjoyable and funny thanks to terrific chemistry between the two charming leads.
B
(7/10)
Lesson of the Day: It’s possible to make a rom-com that’s not really a rom-com.
Notes: Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, 95 minutes, a DreamWorks SKG release.
42 Comments
This is one of my main guilty-pleasure romantic comedies, and I find myself watching it fairly often just because it’s so easy to enjoy. The leads are so likable and the comedy is much more understated than most films in the genre. I’m glad you liked it!
Indeed Alex, as far as rom-coms go, you can do much worse than this. I definitely would not mind seeing Ruffalo and Witherspoon team up again some day.
I’m glad Ruffalo is leaning away from these rom-coms and doing more serious stuff again.
Yep, I love Mark Ruffalo. I’m surprised he hasn’t really moved to “credible leading man” yet, though.
I’ve never seen this movie, but I have a massive man-crush on Mark Ruffalo. His performance in “You Can Count on Me” is the most overlooked performance in the past decade.
Ditto. He’s wonderful in You Can Count on Me. I’m still surprised that Hollywood didn’t treat him better this past decade after that performance. He’s has started to pick up steam the past couple years, but he could’ve had so much more.
I thought this was a pretty decent rom-com as well. As others have said, the two leads clicked very well and it made the movie work.
Hated this movie. Almost as bad as that similarly-plotted Eva Longoria one whose title I can’t recall. Witherspoon and Ruffalo should be ashamed of themselves for making this crap.
Really? Why did you think it was so bad?
To be honest, I’ve struck most of it from memory. I recall being annoyed with Witherspoon’s character, though, and the general setup. wish I could offer more – I just know it left a bad, bad taste, and I thought it was beneath them.
Reading the comments here, though, helped me to remember this: I actually enjoyed that Longoria one even more than this one. It’s also stupid, but it got me on board for Lake Bell, as it was the first time I’d seen her (that I was aware of – turns out she’d been a supporting character in other stuff seen). Thought she made for a good lead.
Are you referring to “Over Her Dead Body?”
Eva Longoria Parker makes movies?
“Movies” is a polite way of describing what she stars in.
Well, if it didn’t end on a happy note – albeit a super supernatural one – then it wouldn’t be a rom com in the first place, would it? Now, having said that… I really do have a soft spot for Witherspoon, and then there’s Ruffalo whom I just love. It’s just a pity that their likability gets mixed with the hatred people have of romantic comedies… or oooh *shudder* Chick Flicks.
Don’t get me wrong, Eva Longoria… though funny is bits of Desperate Housewives doesn’t have the on-screen charisma required for a movie screen. And… can I just say? Jennifer Aniston doesn’t have it either.
I do have to admit, I thought Legally Blond (not 2) was a pretty good film… but again, it suffers from it because it’s a “chick flick”.
You are absolutely right that by definition, a romantic comedy needs a happy ending. Nevertheless, why stick to convention? It would be nice to see someone gutsy enough to make it happen
Absolutely agree with you on Longoria and Aniston, they simply don’t have the on-screen charisma that a Reese Witherspoon has for example. As for Legally Blonde, I shall review that movie someday but I’m not gonna lie, I thought it was hilarious and Reese entirely carried it on her shoulders.
Funny thing, I was trying to make a point to a friend on email about TV, and I threw in my example Jennifer Aniston, realizing that she’s not longer a “tv actress”.
I get a lot of crap for defending films like Legally Blond, 10 Things I Hate About You (yeah, I like that one two), and even Cruel Intentions… oh, late 90s! xD
Great review! I really liked this film and thought that when you compare it to other romantic comedies, it had a little more substance. Think Fletch is thinking of Over Her Dead Body, which I watched on a long flight and thoroughly enjoyed!
I was surprised how much I liked this. I do think its down to Reese Witherspoon – not only is she gorgeous, she’s one of the most delightful actresses. She’s perhaps the only person who could have made Legally Blonde so watchable. It would be nice to see her do some more meaty roles – ala Cruel Intentions, Walk The Line. Less of the Sweet Home Alabama’s Reese!
Witherspoon is such a talented performers. I highly recommend you to see Freeway and Election if you haven’t already to see the vast extent of her talent. I just wish she would go back to making these kind of movies instead of playing it safe in rom-coms since she got her Oscar.
Yep, I’ve seen Election – I’m a big fan of Alexander Payne movies (Sideways is one of my all time favourite movies).
I’m trying to think of other movies that have gone against the grain of the conventional rom-com – she was good in Pleasantville and her small part in American Psycho showed her in a different light. I will have to check out Freeway. I do remember her in the little-seen Overnight Delivery with Paul Rudd – that was amusing but did end up resorting to convention. However, when that came out she wasn’t famous.
Mark Ruffalo made this watchable for me, the rest is just meh. I never hated it, but I never really cared about it either. The kind of movie I forget all too easily.
Ruffalo is the man! Finely acted is right and Reese is so cute, it should be illegal:) Spot on write up and this was quite a bit more appealing than “Over Her Dead Body”…honestly, I haven’t seen that one as it just looks terrible:P
But having seen The Brothers Bloom, I think Ruffalo should stick to more high profile and serious acting gigs. This was a nice change of pace for him but he’s more suited to films like Bloom.
I agree with your review. I liked it a lot. It wasn’t Witherspoon’s best, but I think Ruffalo does a good job with the rom-com – 13 Going on 30 is terrific too. Fletch, I think Over Her Dead Body is the worst movie I saw the year it came out and this is actually good.
I have to admit 13 Going on 30 is one of my guilty pleasures and I’m not even sure why!
Thanks Jess and welcome to AM!
Excellent post of a film I haven’t seen – although I do have a special place in my heart for Witherspoon, so I’m going to have to netflix this bad mofo!
Hope you enjoy it Frank! Let us know what you think
Surprisingly fair review of a chick flick (again)… is there something you’re not telling us?
This film’s my kryptonite and first-few-date fodder so I’ve seen it a good few times. Really enjoyed this, and totally agree with the review.
I also think Mark Ruffalo is great, totally under-rated.
Ahaha, but I strive for fairness Paul!
Personally, I don’t have anything against chick flicks as long as they are harmless.
Ruffalo is great in everything he does!
I’ll be putting up a review of “blindness” later this week, more Rufallo gold. Still think Zodiac’s his finest hour.
Talk about actor dynamite.
I agree with you, this movie was surprisingly charming albeit a bit morbid. I would watch Reese Witherspoon in “Alvin and the Chipmunks 3″ or “All About Steve 2″ if she so horribly decided. One thing that kind of bothered me about this movie was how it offered up Jon Heder as a sort of novelty, as if to say, “HAHA! Look! It’s Napoleon Dynamite without his afro or glasses! He’s still weird!”
I liked this better when it was called Over Her Dead Body… Oh, different movie… or is it?
Honestly, this one is superior. Witherspoon is such a sweetheart that you can’t help but like her and Ruffalo, as I said above, is great in everything but I remember feeling this movie was just OK.
It certainly is delightful, but for the life of me, I can’t even remember how it ends, it was so inconsequential.
I do believe, if memory serves, it involved a rooftop Zen garden.
It’s a romantic comedy so you can assume that the two biggest names/two biggest stars get together. Rule of thumb.
And the only people who ever get hurt are jerks/snobs/not nice people, so the audience doesn’t feel bad.
And they all have to hate each other at first. Everyone.
And none of the jerkiness at the start is ever brought up again, even though you imagien some of it would be an issue.
And there’s always a ridiculous hurdle twenty minutes from the end which could be avoided if either lead had any communication skills. (“That was your sister I saw you hugging? Oh, I’m so relieved!”)
This would probably be a guilty pleasure one, it’s diverting and the leads are enjoyable. What is it with Reese though, she also makes me enjoy Sweet Home Alabama which is not very good but she’s so enjoyable and yeah Mark Ruffalo is a little bit of awesome. He needs more film roles, though.
I think what really elevated this movie (which would’ve been a snooze in the hands of others) is that the two stars are truly likable people. Sure, they’ve both been in duds in their careers, but they’ve got such a knack with the good performances (Election, You Can Count on Me, etc.), you kind of just want to lap up whatever they throw out there.
Castor, I often think we are on the same cycles as we watch the same random movies way too often. I didn’t respond to this movie as well as you did, however it looks like Citizen Kane next to the romcom I watched right after it *cough cough 13goingon30 cough cough*
I thought the script suffered from trying to fit in too many rom-com conventions. But at least they didn’t have the female lead bumbling around like a clutzy idiot. It’s weird, after a few weeks of sitting on it, the film has resonated with its own charm so it’s hard for me to really speak poorly of it.
Ahah we are on our own wave! Genius think alike they say lol
I have stated many times 13 Going on 30 is inexplicably one of my guilty pleasure but I agree, it’s really not that good a movie. As for Just Like Heaven, you are right. I never thought much of it but after seeing it again and reviewing it, it does leave you with a pleasant feeling.
Witherspoon and Ruffalo are consistently appealing who genuinely connect. Yet I felt their particular chemistry was not as exciting as it could have been; had Ruffalo’s nice guy David Abbott been written a little more edgy, interactions could have had more spark.
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