Heart and Souls (1993)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

13 August 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

The story of four souls who needed a body and one guy who needed some soul.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Guardian Angel | Life After Death | Reincarnation | Red Dress

Awards:

1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (#32586) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The guest comedian at The Purple Onion is Bob Newhart, played by his real life son, Robert William Newhart. It is his only movie credit to date.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The four "guardian angels" are supposed to be invisible, yet they cast shadows in several outdoor scenes.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Features "The Donna Reed Show" (1958)

Soundtrack:

I Only Have Eyes For You

Sweet, Goodhearted, and a Pleasant Surprise.

"Hearts and Souls" is a pleasant and thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that I really didn't expect when I first watched the film years ago.

Robert Downey, Jr. plays a young man whose life is going very well: he's engaged to Elisabeth Shue, he's got a lot of money working as a lawyer or such...until some old friends of his drop in--imaginary friends, that is. Sort of. Dead imaginary friends that only he can see.

Many years ago, some people boarded a bus, including Charles Grodin and Tom Sizemore. The bus flipped over a bridge and everyone died, going to heaven. But then they came back down involuntarily to Downey as a child and stayed with him for a few years. Every time they tried to leave him, they were pulled back to him. Until he was about eight, then they somehow managed to leave because they were influencing his schoolwork and life (I don't remember how they got out of it). Now they're back to haunt him again, because they need him to help get to heaven.

I haven't seen this movie in a few years, so I'm a bit rusty on the plot summary, but I remember that I found it enjoyable and sweet. There aren't any big complexities here, just some good old fashioned fun.

Robert Downey, Jr. is convincing in his role, as is the rest of the cast. I've liked Charles Grodin and Tom Sizemore for quite some time, and they got to show off their talent here. Too bad Grodin left the showbiz scene, because I really did enjoy him in films. He wasn't over the top of crazy: he seemed very normal, and played very normal characters ("Beethoven," "Midnight Run").

I think that this is the perfect example of romantic comedies that have both wit and respect for the audience. In a time of cheap teen flicks and so-called romantic comedies, the rare FUNNY romantic comedy that comes along is usually very good ("When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle," "While You Were Sleeping," "As Good as it Gets," etc.). While "Heart and Souls" isn't a great romantic comedy, it's above average, and definitely recommendable.

3.5/5 Stars -

John Ulmer