‘Just Like Heaven’ an old-fashioned romantic comedy

Just Like Heaven (2005)

15 years ago, a little fantasy film about love conquering death called Ghost, starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg stole audience’s imaginations an went on to become of the the biggest blockbusters of 1990.

Now in 2005, DreamWorks has re-worked the idea into a romantic comedy where recent widower David (Mark Ruffalo), a San Francisco-based landscape architect, falls in love with Elizabeth (Witherspoon), the spirit of a nearly-departed doctor who used to live in the San Francisco apartment David is subletting.

This film does work as a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist. Witherspoon and Ruffalo are both top-form actors who portray characters compelling and sweet enough to make the most jaded heart swoon.

The plot and writing seem to be a throwback to romantic comedies of the 1950s and early 1950s, where smart dialogue and compelling characters told a story that speaks to an audiences heart and soul. The film avoids the potty humor that has become a hallmark of recent comedies and because of this has a very classy feel to it.

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