Just like Heaven

Just like Heaven

8 out of 10

Running time: 1:35

MPAA rating: PG-13 (Some sexual content.)

Peruvian rating: Mayores de 14

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue, Jon Heder, Dina Spybey, Ben Shenkman, Ivana Milicevic.
Director: Mark Waters
Script: Peter Tolan and Leslie Dixon, based on the novel If Only It Were True by Marc Levy
Photography: Daryn Okada
Score: Rolfe Kent
Distributor: Dreamworks

Surprisingly enough, I liked Just like Heaven. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it nevertheless entertained me, delivering some laughs, a lot of romance, and effective performances. Reese Witherspoon remains as likable and believable as ever, and Mark Ruffalo's laid-back, low-key performance is perfect for his character. There's chemistry between the two main leads, most of the gags tickle the funny bone, and the film's short enough to entertain the audience without boring it. Just like Heaven may an ordinary kind of movie, but by closely following the romantic comedy formula, it succeeds.

That doesn't mean the film's plot is common. On the contrary, the movie's story involves the supernatural and the concept of life after death. Elizabeth Martinson (Reese Witherspoon) is a workaholic doctor who works 26 hours straight in a hospital drinking only coffee. One rainy night, on the way home from the hospital, she experiences a car crash. When we next see her, she's become a spirit haunting her old apartment, which is now occupied by David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo), a laid-back man addicted to beer. Eventually, David comes to realize that Elizabeth is a ghost, and Elizabeth notices that she might no longer be alive. The two then try to discover what happened to Elizabeth, and why David is the only one who can see her.

Even though there's a supernatural edge to the story of Just Like Heaven, director Mark Waters (the underrated Mean Girls) and his team decide not to focus on this; the movie's main objective is to tell a romantic tale, and it succeeds. While the story of how and why Elizabeth became a ghost don't make much sense, the movie's conclusion is satisfying enough and the romance is emotional enough for the audience not to pay attention to the "ghostly" aspect of the story. It's just the icing on the cake. Yes, we do believe Elizabeth is a spirit, but this aspect of the film doesn't stand to careful analysis after the viewing. The good thing is, the viewer doesn't think about all this while watching the flick because he/she is just too busy enjoying the romantic aspect of the plot.

Romantic comedies usually succeed because of the performances of its lead actors, and that's precisely the case here. That's not to say Witherspoon and Ruffalo give Oscar-deserving performances, but chemistry between them is palpable enough for the audience to believe the development of their relationship. Witherspoon's Elizabeth starts as an annoying and selfish kind of character, and her transformation into a much more relaxed and kind woman (or ghost) is believable. Ruffalo's David is more laid-back and low-key, and although he's not precisely three-dimensional, his character is given enough background for the audience to root for him. Secondary performances by John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Donal Logue are all effective and sometimes genuinely funny.

Just Like Heaven might not be an Oscar-deserving, award-winning masterpiece of a movie, but it fulfills its main aim, which is to provide with a believable and warm romance, with some touches of comedy, drama and fantasy. Witherspoon's and Ruffalo's performances are believable and effective, and there's enough chemistry between them for the viewer to believe in their relationship. The movie's ending is a little disappointing, and the fantasy elements are not that well-explained, but the movie as a whole provides with enough romance and comedy to entertain the average movie audience. Am I being too forgiving or nice with this movie? Maybe, but I can't say I wasn't touched and entertained by it.