Heart and Souls (1993)

An unhappy businessman finds a new sense of purpose after he's tasked with helping a quartet of ghosts fulfill their last wishes before moving on to 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 | death | guardian angel | bus driver | afterlife | 

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Taglines:

We want your body.

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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

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,581,714

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films, Stampede Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second of two ghost movies that Alfre Woodard appeared in within five years. The first being Scrooged (1988).

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Goofs

Mr & Mrs Reilly were shown about to give birth in a 1958 Rambler. Their interior headshots displayed adjustable headrests in velour - not available in 1958.

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Quotes

[to a child he robbed]
Milo Peck: Hey, life's tough. Sometimes you don't get what you want. Mostly you don't get what you want.

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Connections

References Topper (1937)

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Soundtracks

Ah Si Ben Mio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Franco Corelli
Courtesy of Angel/EMI Classics
Under license from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

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