Just Like Heaven may be a generic romantic comedy that does everything by the numbers, it is also quite a pleasant surprise. Thanks to spirited roles from lead actors Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon, the predictablity is not as annoying as it is in most other cookie cutter romantic comedies. On the contrary, even though I could see the ending coming from a mile off, I still rooted for the leads to get together and finally have that kiss that eludes them for most of the running time.
David (Ruffalo) is having a hard time. Life is not smiling at him, and his fruitless search for a new apartment is bringing him down even more. There's an unexpected bit of luck when he happens upon the apartment of Elizabeth (Witherspoon), a young woman who has been in a coma since a horrible car accident almost took her life. Her family is subletting the room, and David finds the room charming enough to move in. After all, the look of the apartment does not matter that much to him, all he needs is a good couch that he can use to sit on while watching television, which is mainly what he does all day long. His boring, depressing life gets an unexpected jolt of excitement when Elizabeth suddenly appears before him.
She demands to know what David is doing in her house, but he has no idea what she is talking about. It soon becomes clear that Elizabeth (like David) does not know what fate has befallen her, doesn't even remember anything about her life, other than the fact that she used to live in this apartment, and her spirit is wandering about aimlessly. At first the two hate each other, both believing the other to trespass in their home, but when they start to realize what is wrong, they start a search to find out what happened to Elizabeth. And what do you know, sparks fly, the animosoty dissapears, and David and Elizabeth start to feel closer to each other than they ever have to anybody before.
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Just a little bit less nuance could have sent this movie flying over the edge, into that shadow realm of movies that 'Some Women Love, But Most Men Should Avoid Like The Plague'.
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Break out the handkerchiefs, because Just Like Heaven doesn't pull back any punches. The story has a lot of dramatic possibilities, and each of these is milked for it's full effect. Of course David falls in love with Elizabeth, of course there are complications, and of course it turns out that there is a reason behind them meeting each other in the first place. None of the questions in this movie are answered in a very original or unexpected way, and in the hands of less capable director, screenwriter and actors, this movie could have been a real chore to watch. Just a little bit less nuance could have sent this movie flying over the edge, into that shadow realm of movies that 'Some Women Love, But Most Men Should Avoid Like The Plague'.
However, none of that in Just Like Heaven, thanks to the frequently funny jokes, great acting and sizzling chemistry between the leads. Ruffalo is great in movies like this, as he bumbles enough to be funny for the guys, yet has enough charisma to charm the girls. And the movie almost couldn't have been a better fit for Witherspoon, who doesn't need to stretch her acting chops but still convinces. The 95 minutes of running time zip right by, and at the end you will have a smile and a sigh, after which you realize that they can still make romantic comedies that are a pleasant way to spend an evening nowadays.
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