In “Just Like Heaven,” Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon) is a young doctor who is working her way up to attending. She wants this promotion more than anything else in her life, to the point of excluding a social life and even sleep. When we meet her, she’s working through a twenty-six hour shift at the hospital, tired but pulling it together for the sake of her patients. Her sister Abby wants her to come over and meet this guy, and she says she will, but things keep coming up. Finally off work and on her way to her sister’s house, Elizabeth is in a car accident.
We fast-forward a month to see David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo) searching for the perfect apartment. Nothing fits his style until he walks into one special place. It’s being offered on a month-to-month lease because of a family tragedy, and he’s more than happy with the terms. But he’s not quite so happy when he starts being haunted by Elizabeth’s ghost, who is furious with him for “breaking in” to her house. She doesn’t understand that she’s dead, and she thinks he’s a squatter.
As hard as David tries to get rid of Elizabeth, nothing works. They’re stuck together, but he’s the only person who can see her. Little by little, they start to grow on each other until they have formed a solid friendship, and then just a little bit more. But how are they going to be together when she’s a spirit and he’s still alive?
There’s only one scene in the movie that I felt deserved the PG-13 rating this movie carries—David’s neighbor takes a shine to him and decides to throw herself at him. But even in this compromising situation, David shows a lot of integrity and walks away.
If you’re looking for a funny, sweet romance, this movie will be the one for you.
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