Susan Granger’s review of “Just Like Heaven” (DreamWorks)
It’s “Ghost” with giggles, or “Ghostbusters” meets “Sleeping Beauty.” Either way, it’s an unabashedly romantic, heart-warming comedy about finding a soulmate.
Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) is a spunky, ambitious and overworked, but obviously not underpaid, resident at a San Francisco hospital whose car, one rainy night, collides with a truck.
Three months later, David (Mark Ruffalo), a landscape architect sublets her furnished, yet vacant apartment. He’s just settled in when, suddenly and unexpectedly, Elizabeth shows up, demanding to know why he’s there. Convinced it’s a rental-agent misunderstanding, he tries to explain. When that fails, he’s suspects she’s a ghost, someone who needs help in making the transition to the other side. But she insists she’s still alive – somewhere. Problem is: only David can see Elizabeth. To others, she’s invisible. But to him, she’s not only quite real but a woman with whom he’s developing a meaningful relationship. Adding to the urgency of this captivating dilemma, there’s the harrowing probability that Elizabeth’s spirit might not always be around.
Directed with a sure, graceful hand by Mark Walters (“Mean Girls,” “Freaky Friday”) from a screenplay by Peter Tolan and Leslie Dixon, based on “If Only It Were True” by Marc Levy, it’s a frothy, funny, off-beat love story that makes this supernatural encounter seem entirely possible. Reese Witherspoon is an extraordinarily appealing comedienne, but it’s Mark Ruffalo who handles the most challenging, complex part, making it not only believable but curiously touching. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Just Like Heaven” is an ethereal, irresistible 8. It’s a charming, romantic fable for those who want to believe: the ultimate chick-flick.
