Review 110: Just Like Heaven

Just Like Heaven is lovely romantic comedy, sweet as a lollipop and as ernest as a saint.

Based on the French novel If Only It Were True by Marc Levy, Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon) is a dedicated doctor working in San Fransisco who gives herself almost no time for anything other than her job. When her sister Abby (Dina Waters) sets her up on date. She becomes involved in a tragic road accident. Three months later, David Abbot (Mark Ruffalo) a landscape architect recovering from the sudden death of his wife moves into a new apartment. But the apartment isn't entirely as looks would lead you to believe.
It's in fact haunted by Elizabeth herself despite the accident and appearing as a ghost. Although she can't remember much about her life, she's convinced that she's still alive. David & Elizabeth, with the help of an eccentric, psychic bookstore clerk Darryl (Jon Heder) attempt to get to the bottom of her identity all the while they begin to fall in love with each other.

Once in a while a romantic comedy comes around that isn't contrived drivel, Just Like Heaven is that rare gem in the rough.

In the opening of the film we get a wonderful introductory scene to Reese Witherspoon's character Elizabeth. We understand what she's there for, we understand what she's like as a person, we understand why she's behaving & acting the way she is.
Elizabeth Masterson is a young, hard-working, ambitious, bright, empathetic, intelligent doctor who's very good at her job and what she does but she's a workaholic and doesn't really take a lot of time to slow down and enjoy life. Then, all of a sudden, that life she holds on so tightly to is taken away from her in a single accident. After said accident, she's given the opportunity to re-evalute and re-access the life she's lived and stop and smell the roses.
You might think that I'm paraphrasing here. Believe me all of that is firmly established in the first 5 minutes.

Director Mark Waters' direction is sensitive & keeping the film lighthearted and romantic but never shying away from some of the more harsher and tragic moments. The cinematography is beautiful and captures the warm and sunny atmosphere of San Fransisco, the production design is fantastic, the costumes are terrific, the score by Rolfe Kent is delightfully charming. There are also some really impressive effects for portraying Elizabeth as a Ghost which include some very clever cinematography and camera tricks.

Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo are superb together in this film and have a genuinely warm screen presence and chemistry. Both of them are people who have experienced loss, David as he’s going through a divorce and Elizabeth as she’s a spirit

Just Like Heaven is a Heaven Sent romantic comedy, 4/5.

The Anonymous Critic.