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I love ice cream. Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip is by far my favorite of any brand or flavor. Unfortunately I have very sensitive teeth and thus am prone to brain freeze which tends to make any ice cream experience less than lovely. My problem is that I can’t stop eating the ice cream, so on some level part of me still finds it enjoyable, despite the pain. This also happens to be the way I feel about romantic comedies.
So many movie genres these days tend to follow formulas so strictly that they’ve become overly predictable. Leading this pack of unoriginality is the romantic comedy, which can reliably be broken down into the following; boy and girl meet, boy and girl fall in love, life is wonderful, insert emotional dilemma here, boy and girl separate, all hope seems lost as contemporary pop music montage plays magically, boy and girl reunite, love conquers all. The result of which is severe emotional brain freeze – just trying to stick with the metaphor people.
I’ll be honest; I do have a soft spot for the occasional romantic comedy. I’m not quite sure why. Most are sappier than a red maple tree in October, but for some reason known only to my subconscious they appeal to me. Maybe it’s the fact that everything is so cleanly tied up by the end credits that I feel safe believing the lie that love could actually be hammered and molded into something that could look like forever. In any case, there is occasionally a good one that just makes you smile and that’s what “Just Like Heaven” did for me.
Now while this movie does follow the same romantic cookie cutter outline as any of the rest of them you’ll see, the motivations here are completely original. By mixing a touch of the supernatural into the mix, writer Peter Tolan has given us a little drop of something different in a sea of a lot of the same. The characters’ reasons for getting together, how they fall in love, even the “emotional dilemma” that causes the two to separate is completely original and, while expected, is at least entertaining. “Just Like Heaven” never forgets what it is and doesn’t insult your intelligence by trying to be something it isn’t. It’s sweet, funny and most likely one of the better times you’re going to have at a romantic comedy this year, whether going by choice or being dragged by your significant other.
The story follows grieving everyman David Abbott, played by Mark Ruffalo, as he moves into a new San Francisco apartment. Not long after he acquires the apartment, he discovers that the “too good to be true” rent-controlled residence is haunted by former tenant Elizabeth Masterson, played by Reese Witherspoon. What I found peculiar is that Mr. Abbott spends the first quarter of the movie trying to get Elizabeth out of the apartment, an action I find odd considering hey, it’s Reese Witherspoon, but whatever, that’s his choice. After all attempts at exorcising her spirit fail, the two turn toward discovering who Elizabeth was, something easier said than done considering she’s forgotten who she once was. From here on out it pretty much follows the expected blueprint of Hollywood romance.
While Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo are both excellent actors in their own rights, neither show more than a handful of their talent here, but when you look as good on screen as these two do, you tend to forgive something like that pretty easily. What does shine in this movie is the underused supporting cast. Donal Logue who plays Ruffalo’s friend and therapist, could steal a scene from anyone with the simplest line. When commenting on Ruffalo’s attempt to stop drinking, he responds by saying, “Don’t quit drinking, buddy, it’s therapeutic. Just go out and do it with other people!”
Dina Spybey, who plays Witherspoon’s sister, not only has the comedic timing of a Swiss watch but here for the first time she’s also able to play the part sincerely when necessary. Of course there’s the big screen return of Jon Heder in the role of a clairvoyant shopkeeper. The character can easily be described as Napoleon Dynamite high on caffeine – and possibly a few other substances. Maybe it’s the eighth grader in me but the guy just plain makes me laugh.
In the end that’s all you want from a romantic comedy anyway. You want to look at life and love through someone else’s eyes. This way it’s safe and enjoyable as opposed to heart wrenching and most likely to turn out badly, as it does in real life. So I say grab a spoon and don’t worry, the brain freeze doesn’t last that long with this one.
Bangor Daily News