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An average movie

Posted : 11 years, 11 months ago on 16 April 2012 07:35

Since I always had a weak spot for romantic-comedies, I was rather eager to watch this flick. The same year, Reese Witherspoon starred in 'Walk the line' and won her oscar later on so you could say that it was back then the best time of her career. I always find her charming and she delivered a decent performance her but it was nothing she hadn't done before. The good surprise from this movie, for me, was Mark Ruffalo who's definitely one of the most underrated actors at work nowadays. He was, as usual, very good, and actually deserved a better plot than this. And this was the main issue with this movie. Indeed, the story was entertaining enough but it was so generic and damned predictable, I can't say I was blown away by the whole thing. Still, it remains a well made and charming romantic-comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


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Just Like Heaven review

Posted : 12 years, 1 month ago on 19 February 2012 04:12

Telling a friend you’ve set her up on a date with a sweet guy who has a good personality is like giving the dating candidate the kiss of death. But thankfully there’s no such stigma attached to the word 'sweet' when it's used to describe a romantic comedy. “Just Like Heaven” is the movie equivalent of a harmless first date: polite and sweet. It's a pleasant enough way to spend an evening, yet ultimately totally forgettable.
“Just Like Heaven” doesn’t try to reinvent the romantic comedy genre. It sticks to the old formula of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy fights to get girl back. The only thing that sets this rom com apart is the talented cast and the plot twist of having the female lead portray a ghost.

Reese Witherspoon stars as Elizabeth, a workaholic doctor who has no social life, no friends other than acquaintances at work, and no romantic entanglements. As a doctor competing for a residency position with a butt kissing suck up (played with smarmy charm by Ben Shenkman), Elizabeth survives on lots of caffeine and a determination to be the best. But her 'survival' is soon an issue when, while distracted driving home, she crashes her car into a big rig.

Mark Ruffalo enters the picture as David, a former landscape designer who recently suffered through life-altering upheaval of his own. Subletting an apartment in San Francisco (he selected it based solely on the furnished apartment’s comfy couch), David now spends his days and nights flipping through TV channels, guzzling beer, munching on fast food, and generally moping around. Not wanting to be bothered, David tucks himself away from life by spending the majority of his time safely inside his rented apartment.

But David’s cozy apartment soon becomes a little crowded. Elizabeth shows up out of the blue, claiming the place is hers (which it is) and that he has no right to be there (which he does). David figures he’s either crazy or he’s being haunted by a very unpleasant, pushy ghost. Deciding it’s the latter, he tries his best to get Elizabeth to go into the light. When that doesn’t work, the two make an uneasy truce. Together they try and figure out what happened to Elizabeth, whose skills now include walking through walls and other ghostly feats, and why her ghost can only be seen by David.

Since this is a romantic comedy and because the eventual outcome is telegraphed from the start (and in the movie’s trailer), you know these two are going to wind up falling for one another despite the fact that, as a ghost, Elizabeth is unable to touch anything. How they work things out and what they have to overcome to get there is what makes “Just Like Heaven” such a cute little feel-good, fluffball comedy.

The two leads are adorable. Even when Mark Ruffalo’s character is at his frumpiest (as called for in the script), the actor can’t help but look sweetly attractive. Reese Witherspoon once again proves she’s a sure thing when it comes to casting romantic comedies. She can pull off things others of her generation would look silly trying to attempt. And let’s face it, Witherspoon is this generation’s Meg Ryan - whether she wants to be or not. I say that with the following caveat: Witherspoon’s only comparable to Ryan as far as romantic comedies are concerned. Witherspoon’s dramatic skills are much more advanced than Ryan’s were at the same age. Witherspoon also does darker comedy better than Ryan ever did.

Jon Heder follows up his breakthrough performance in “Napoleon Dynamite” with a supporting role in “Just Like Heaven.” Playing the owner of an occult book store, Heder’s character provides a link between the living and the dead. His character also generates a large dose of laughs. In fact, the preview audience I was with actually laughed as soon as Heder’s face appeared onscreen. He didn’t even have to utter a line to win the audience over.

“Just Like Heaven” isn’t a movie meant to be dissected by critics. The effects are decent but not groundbreaking. Lighting, locations, and other technical issues play no part in making or breaking this romantic comedy. It is what it is: a fluffy escapist movie.


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Nothing groundbreaking...

Posted : 15 years, 9 months ago on 23 June 2008 01:40

"God made alcohol as a social lubricant. To make men brave, and to make women loose."


From the viewpoint of Hollywood studios, films in the vein of Just Like Heaven are a blessing: they don't cost much to make, they don't take long to make, and they are modestly profitable at the box office. Quality is never the issue as a studio grabs an idea, hires a screenwriter to transform the idea into a full-length script, then the three major stages of filmmaking commence, and voila - 6 months later, a cheap sappy chick flick is produced. As much as it pains me to admit, Just Like Heaven isn't as bad as I was anticipating - but that's still a fairly faint praise. One of the most interesting aspects of this film is its subject matter explored by Hollywood on multiple occasions: what happens to us after we die? Films from Ghost to Beetlejuice have ventured a perspective on the matter, and despite the premise being delved into several times the afterlife is still a much-reprised foundation for a film in the age of contemporary chick flicks.

Just Like Heaven is not about to become the Citizen Kane of the genre, but it's a fair attempt at an average concept. Certainly, the film exceeded expectations set by its deplorable trailer. Successful Hollywood screenwriters Peter Tolan and Leslie Dixon have a few interesting credits on their résumé including crowd-pleasing flicks such as Analyze This, America's Sweethearts, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Next Best Thing. Their take on the concept is a fascinating one; however their script for Just Like Heaven fits comfortably in the 'average chick flick' category. This is a pleasant-enough romantic offering, but it's also a film that takes no risks and has nothing innovative to bestow. While watching the film we are always three steps ahead of it and its twists. However thanks to the likeable leads, a couple of touching scenes, funny moments and pacey direction we're content to be swept along with the proceedings.

David Abbott (Ruffalo) moves into a seemingly quiet San Francisco apartment. His life has been a total mess since the unfortunate demise of his wife two years earlier. Now his friends are encouraging him to get started on his life again. While still settling into his new apartment, he runs into the ghost/spirit of a young controlling woman named Elizabeth (Witherspoon). Three months earlier, Elizabeth had been in a car accident and is unaware that she is just a spirit. Elizabeth doesn't remember anything about who she once was, and wants David to move out of her apartment. After the two have a number of arguments and attempts are made to remove the "ghost", David becomes convinced that she isn't actually dead. Despite her controlling nature and annoying paranoia towards cleanliness, David slowly begins to fall for her. He now wants to find out more regarding the person she once was, and sets out to investigate with the spirit of Elizabeth by his side.

Just Like Heaven may be superior to your average chick flick...but this one is far from perfect. To get things started: it's far too clichéd, feel-good and conventional from square one. Almost every scene and every twist can be predicted after it's established. It's far too formulaic as a whole, and the final 10 minutes almost made me want to puke my guts out. Honestly, the ending is the worst part and almost an insult to the movie. Why? It's terribly feel-good and not at all clever. The final moments of the film can be predicted just by reading the plot synopsis or watching the first few minutes. The whole premise is completely preposterous! I mean, it's hard to overlook the obviously logistical flaws. Okay, so it's possible to turn off your brain for an over-the-top action movie but this is just way too far. As a whole the film is indescribably predictable, clichéd, formulaic, corny and sappy!

The only upside is the modest entertainment value. There is a strong group of actors involved, despite minuscule chemistry emerging between the leads. Seriously, Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon are good actors...they just don't make a convincing screen pair. Overall, Just Like Heaven is nothing more than your average Hollywood chick flick. It's entertaining enough with some good laughs and sweet moments, but it's clichéd and predictable beyond all belief!

5.8/10



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