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| SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 | Send
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Movie Review
Nothing Like Heaven
Bad plot, lighting send this film
to the grave
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| Courtesy photo |
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By Mark
Roberts
The Shorthorn staff
A goodie-basket and a “thank you” note: That’s
what I am sending Mark Ruffalo for keeping Just Like Heaven from
being a complete waste of time.
Ruffalo highlights this forgettable romantic comedy directed by
Mark Waters about out-of-work architect David Abbott (Ruffalo) who
moves into an apartment only to find it’s already occupied
by Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon), a spirit in limbo. That’s
right, a spirit.
Several things in this film miss the mark. A man falling in love
with a free-roaming apparition is one of them. Not mentioning the
obvious problems in the plot, Ruffalo’s character also deals
with his wife’s death. It’s a bit confusing that his
first post-marriage love interest, though all kinds of cute, is
in fact a vaporous specter.
Small things can help a film with a bad plot. In Just Like Heaven,
however, the small things push viewers over the edge. For instance,
the film has bad lighting. When actors are lit too well, especially
at night, their surroundings can look fake. It looks like the actors
perform in front of a green screen instead of an actual setting.
Bad lighting killed a couple of serious moments between Ruffalo
and Witherspoon.
Another blown subtlety is the title itself. There’s nothing
in this film that is just like heaven. Heaven isn’t even mentioned
in the film’s dialogue. It’s like calling Dirty Dancing
“The Two-Step Brotherhood.”
Finally, the last 30 seconds are horrible. The movie has an entertaining
climax and a bearable resolution, but the last 30 seconds made me
laugh out loud and not in a good way.
Witherspoon does the best with what she’s presented, but her
character isn’t written too well. Ruffalo is easily likable
and plays his lazy, heart-broken character well. He has an unexpected
sense of comedic timing to complement his abilities with physical
comedy. He’s the reason this film receives two stars.
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JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Starring: Reese Witherspoon and Mark
Ruffalo
Director: Mark Waters
Rating: PG-13
Ranking: 2 stars
on a 1-5 scale
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