Just Like Heaven

Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) is a workaholic doctor. She rarely sees her family and hardly ever dates. Her sister tries to change this situation by inviting her to dinner, with the hopes of introducing her to a man. Her match-making plans however go awry when Liz has a crash…

David (Mark Ruffalo)  is a young widower. He has lost his beloved wife 2 years ago and he is yet to recover from it. He has quit his job, his social circles… Even the fact that his best friend (Donal Logue) is his therapist doesn’t help matters. David feels the most comfortable being alone. His solitude however is disrupted when he rents his new flat. It’s Liz’s flat and he is shocked that there is a cute but somewhat too talkative woman walking around his apartment. At first David thinks he is losing his mind. He is the only one who sees this woman. He tries the most ludicrous methods to get rid of her. But then they find that the best solution is to get used to each other and find out what the hell happened to Liz. After all, she is not dead. But she is not alive either.

Elizabeth and David’s relationship evolves from the two people who can’t stand each other to two people who just happen to get each other. They develop a great friendship and they of course fall for each other. The more David likes Elizabeth, the more trapped he feels because she is in a coma- and unless they can figure out a way to wake her up, he will lose her forever.

This movie is super- sweet, very funny, absolutely romantic and really fun. You can count on both Witherspoon and Ruffalo to deliver perfect comedic and emotional timing. Their chemistry feels sincere and real. Their characters are both likeable. And since this is a romantic-comedy that wouldn’t be unsuitable even for children, you are not supposed to expect complex characterizations and “gray” issues. Our leads are genuinely nice and we love them both. I don’t think your date can feel free to reject this movie completely for these reasons:

1)      He/she would come off as (a little) heartless and completely insensitive.

2)      I mean rom-coms/romantic dramas don’t usually get a rating of 6.8 on IMDB (voted by over 27.000 people) so I’m assuming that the movie appeals to both sexes.

3)      The comedy and drama are very well-balanced. You won’t get bored.

See it if you haven’t already. I think I have seen it more than 2 times and I’ll see it again. It’s based on the book by Marc Levy- If Only It Were True”.  I read the book and I prefer the movie. It is lighter. (Yes, I am biased- I saw the movie before I read the book.)