Heart and Souls (1993)

A businessman is reunited with the four lost souls who were his guardian angels during childhood, all with a particular purpose to joining the afterlife.

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writers:

Gregory Hansen (short film), Gregory Hansen (screen story),

Stars:

Robert Downey Jr., Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Thomas Reilly
Charles Grodin	...	Harrison Winslow
Alfre Woodard	...	Penny Washington
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Julia
Tom Sizemore	...	Milo Peck
David Paymer	...	Hal the Bus Driver
Elisabeth Shue	...	Anne
Bill Calvert	...	Frank Reilly
Lisa Lucas	...	Eva Reilly
Shannon Orrock	...	Woman at Audition
Michael Zebulon	...	Singer at Audition
Chasiti Hampton	...	Shirley Washington - Age 7
Wanya Green	...	Diane Washington - Age 8
Janet MacLachlan	...	Agnes Miller
Javar David Levingston	...	Billy Washington - Age 4

Storyline

In 1959, in San Francisco, the telephone operator Penny Washington leaves her three children to work in her night shift. The shy singer Harrison Winslow is afraid of the stage and quits his audition. The waitress Julia is proposed by her boyfriend and she does not accept; then she regrets and leaves her job to seek him out. The smalltime thief Milo Peck tries to retrieve a collection of stamps that he had stolen from a boy. They embark in a bus and the driver Hal distracts while driving and has a serious accident, and driver and passengers die. Meanwhile, Frank Reilly is driving his pregnant wife Eva Reilly to the hospital. Frank successfully escapes from the bus but Eva is nervous and delivers her baby in the car. The souls of the four passengers become the guardian angels and the invisible friends of the boy Thomas Reilly. Seven years later, Penny, Julia, Harrison and Milo conclude that they are harming the boy and they decide to become invisible also to him. Thirty and something ...

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Plot Keywords:

bus | baby | afterlife | soul | guardian angel | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about two hearts, four souls...and second chances.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

4 fantasmi per un sogno

Filming Locations:

2810 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$16,581,714 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films, Stampede Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sign on the bus just before four of the main characters die is "4 Terminal."

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Goofs

The trolley poles of the trackless trolley are clearly not making contact with the wire in certain shots.

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Quotes

Hal the Bus Driver: I like that, it adds unity.

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Connections

References Days of Our Lives (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Walk Like A Man"
(uncredited)
Written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Performed by Tom Sizemore, Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Alfre Woodard and Robert Downey Jr.

User Reviews

Nice Combination!

This was another winner in a fantastic year for movies: 1993. In fact, there were so many good movies in this year that films like this were buried.

If you can just ignore the typically off-the-wall Hollywood version of death and heaven and just enjoy the wonderfully-sentimental and humorous fantasy- romance-drama story, you'll be very entertained.

The story is nicely told, entertaining start-to-finish in its 103 minutes. It really takes off after Robert Downey Jr. has become an adult and the "spirits" return to him.

As much humor as in here, in addition to fantasy and drama, the final 15-20 minutes are tear-jerking.