Just Like Heaven (2005)

A lonely landscape architect (Ruffalo) falls for the spirit of beautiful woman (Witherspoon) who used to live in his new apartment.

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers:

Peter Tolan (screenplay), Leslie Dixon (screenplay),

Stars:

Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reese Witherspoon	...	Elizabeth
Mark Ruffalo	...	David
Donal Logue	...	Jack
Dina Waters	...	Abby
Ben Shenkman	...	Brett
Jon Heder	...	Darryl
Ivana Milicevic	...	Katrina
Caroline Aaron	...	Grace
Rosalind Chao	...	Fran
Ron Canada	...	Dr. Walsh
Willie Garson	...	Maitre D'
Gabrielle Made	...	Nurse Maria
William Caploe	...	Nurse Bill
Shulie Cowen	...	Nurse Jenny
Billy Beck	...	Mr. Clarke

Storyline

Elizabeth Masterson, a dedicated doctor in San Francisco, had almost no time for anything. When her sister with two kids set her up on a date, she gets into a tragic car crash and gets in a coma. Meanwhile, a landscape architect named David Abbott moves into San Francisco and coincidentally, into Elizabeth's apartment for rent. While at the apartment, Elizabeth's spirit haunts him. She doesn't remember who she is, who her family is, and what she did - All that she remembered was her apartment and where everything was. To settle the arguments, David agrees to figure out who Elizabeth really is. When they get close to figuring out who she is, they eventually find love with one another and as they finally know who she really is, they learn that fate really has put them both together.

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | spirit | architect | landscape architect | doctor | 

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Taglines:

Love will bring you back

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks [us] UIP [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Mandarin

Release Date:

16 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

If Only It Were True

Filming Locations:

609 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$58,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$598,973 (Australia) (6 January 2006)

Gross:

£5,054,262 (UK) (20 January 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, MacDonald/Parkes Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first feature film to use the Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 camera, the upgraded version of the Millennium XL.

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Goofs

After Elizabeth prevents David from drinking the whiskey at the bar, David puts the glass down and it vanishes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nurse Maria: Elizabeth...
Elizabeth Masterson: How long was I out?
Nurse Maria: Um, about six minutes.
Elizabeth Masterson: Thanks, I'll be right there.
Nurse Maria: OK, I'll be outside.

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Connections

References SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Just Like Heaven"
Written by Robert Smith, Boris Williams, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson (as Paul Thompson) & Laurence Tolhurst
Performed by Katie Melua
Produced by Ralph Sall and Mike Batt
Courtesy of Dramatico Records

User Reviews

Wonderfully acted comedy; sensitive, silly and sweet

Just saw a preview of this film last night, and I have to say, I can't wait to see it again. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of "otherwordly" type films, but this one is original and fun. Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon have great chemistry, and the script is smart. He's a depressed landscape architect trying to get his life back together; she's a disgruntled spirit, wondering what ever happened to hers. After their initial frustrations (she hates how he doesn't use coasters or pick up trash in HER apartment, he hates how she appears without notice in what he now considers HIS apartment) they try to piece together the course of events that have left her in this state of limbo. What I loved about this film is David and Elizabeth's progression from animosity to genuine affection, as they alternately pester then rely on one another. He becomes dedicated to trying to help her, despite appearing insane to everyone in San Francisco, except for a wonderfully quirky psychic bookstore clerk played by Jon Heder (aka Napoleon Dynamite.) Not since Patrick Swayze quarreled with a Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost" have I been so amused by a spirit haunting a mere mortal. This is a great chick flick, but would work out nice for a date, too. Just have a tissue handy!