Review 110: Just Like Heaven

Once in a while a romantic comedy comes around that isn't contrived drivel, Just Like Heaven is that rare gem in the rough; a lovely romantic comedy, sweet as a lollipop and as ernest as a .

Based on the French novel If Only It Were True by Marc Levy; When David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo) rents his new appartment, the last thing he wants is company. Then Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon) shows up, insisting the appartment is hers... until she dissapears right before his eyes. He's convinced she's a spirit. She's convinced she's still alive. As they search for the truth of Elizabeth's past, their relationship changes from resentment to romance. 

 

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.

The caper aspect towards the end of the film is surprisingly well executed 

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. There's great useage of fog to give the film a heavenly like atmoshere 

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. Elizabeth is a workaholic doctor who, ironicly is given a chance to figure out what life is after she's almost dead. 

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

The Anonymous Critic.