justlikeheaven

I had no desire to see this film. It looked stupid in the previews and I couldn't see a single way that
it could come out well (as all rom com's must) without some deus ex machina that, in general, drive
me up a wall. But...I was dragged into this one and sat there in a packed theatre with all my other
date night peers and watched. I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, it takes you about ten seconds to realize that she's not dead, she's in a coma. (I'm not
giving anything away, I swear...if you can't figure that out within the first few minutes...you're just
stupid and you should stop reading this review and go back to school.) Okay...once that was
established, I calmed down and enjoyed the movie. Mark Ruffalo is fantastic and really does a
good job bringing dimension to an otherwise campy plot. Reese Witherspoon is almost too cute, as
she valiantly tries to pull off the "Meg Ryan" rom com damsel in distress routine.

Elizabeth Masterson (Witherspoon) is a workaholic doctor that gets into an accident on her way to
her sister's house. David Abbott (Ruffalo) is a widow that sublets Elizabeth's apartment while she is
stuck in a coma. After a few days, David starts to see Elizabeth wandering around the apartment
telling him to get out. Eventually, they realize that she is a spirit of some kind and only David can
see or hear her. They start out hating each other but then they grow on each other. (This is the
only part that doesn't flow well in the script. One minute they hate each other and the next they
love each other...What?) Okay...the rest of the movie is spent trying to get Elizabeth's spirit back in
her body and to figure out why David is the only one that can see or hear her when they don't
seem to be connected in any way.

There are some really funny moment in this, mostly by Ruffalo who leads this cast and makes the
movie worth seeing. He actually brought a tear to my eye at one point, though it was only one and I
was kind of ashamed that I'd been taken in by such a silly little rom com. There a handful of lines
that are so contrived and cheesy that you have to cringe a little, but for the most part, the tone is
set as a little cheesy so you forgive the extravagant situation and dialog. As a date movie, this one
is good. It tugs all the right heart strings while staying light and funny and even produces some
insightful topics for discussion later. So...snuggle up, get some popcorn and enjoy.

NOTE FROM MIKE: "Rom com" is Liza slang for "Romantic comedy."