Written by Jennifer
March 30, 2009
Just Like Heaven is one of the lamest movies I've seen in a long time. I enjoyed it very much.
Just Like Heaven is one of the lamest movies I've seen in a long time. I enjoyed it very much.
Reese Witherspoon stars as Elizabeth Masterson, a devoted young doctor who sacrifices her social life for her career. Described by her neighbors as a reclusive cat lady with no cats, romance is clearly not a priority in Elizabeth's life. When she finally allows her sister to arrange a blind date for her, she gets into a car crash on the way. This girl is SO unlucky!
We then meet David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo). He's been searching high and low for the perfect apartment, but nothing gels until he finds a tidy little sublet. It seems almost too good to be true, and it kind of is—the apartment is Elizabeth's, and she hasn't quite left the building. The next time we see her, she's walking through tables and putting her hand through the phone. Uh-oh. She must have died in the crash, right? Not so fast, Bucko.
Elizabeth the Ghost harps at David for not using coasters, and does her best to get him out of her home. Weirdly, Elizabeth knows where she lived, has her original personality, but can't remember who she was. David's not budging, but he takes pity on her, thinking that if he helps, maybe he can unload this busybody. We then watch as the two try to put the pieces together. Gasp! Was Lizzy a slut?! Was she a friendless loser?! Oh my goodness, she was a doctor, and now she's lying in a coma in the same hospital where she used to work!
The fact that our heroine is alive is good news, but her doctor is a colleague who had been competing with her for a promotion, so he has every reason to—whoopsie—pull the plug on Elizabeth. You'll recognize the evil doctor (Ben Shenkman) from Angels in America, and he's not one bit more likable this time around. Making matters worse, Elizabeth's sister is also preparing to say goodbye. She reasons that Lizzy wouldn't want to live as a vegetable, and anyway, this whole thing has eaten up three perfectly good months. Who needs the stress?
Elizabeth the Ghost tries to climb back into her body, but to no avail. The only thing that seems to help is when David hold's Elizabeth's real hand (not the ghost one). I figured if he sat there with her long enough, her brain waves would get going, and she'd wake up. Instead he leaves with Elizabeth the Ghost, and they waste a bunch of time upsetting Lizzy's sister. Of course the film culminates in a poignant happily-ever-after. I just wish they would have used their heads to get there.
When you get right down to it, Just Like Heaven is pretty stupid, and its flippant treatment of Elizabeth's life-or-death situation could be considered offensive by some (think Terry Schiavo). The soundtrack also features annoying modern versions of 80's songs, which seems to be the hot new trend. We don't even get to hear The Cure's version of "Just Like Heaven" until the final credits. However, Witherspoon and Ruffalo excel at creating characters that are both likable and real, and Ruffalo is especially touching as a wounded widower afraid to love again. Despite its short-comings, Just Like Heaven offers a pleasant dose of fluffy romance that somehow hits the spot.
