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"JUST LIKE HEAVEN" (2005) (Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Moderate Mild None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Romantic Comedy: After subletting an apartment, a man discovers that the former occupant, a workaholic doctor with an otherworldly presence, isn't pleased that he's in her place. PLOT: Elizabeth Masterson (REESE WITHERSPOON) is a dedicated if overworked doctor at St. Matthews Hospital in San Francisco where she's competing against Brett Rushton (BEN SHENKMAN) for a coveted attendee slot. Much to the concern of her sister Abby Brody (DINA WATERS) and best friend and coworker Fran (ROSALIND CHAO), Elizabeth is so busy she has little to no time to date and doesn't realize she's letting her life pass her by. Thus, she's in for a surprise when she discovers that morose landscape architect David Abbott (MARK RUFFALO) has moved into her place, claiming her family sublet it to him. The two immediately clash, with her thinking he might have drinking and/or mental issues, an observation shared by his psychiatrist friend Jack Houriskey (DONAL LOGUE), especially when David claims he's the only one who can see her when she's not passing through walls, etc. Seeking the aid of occult bookstore worker Darryl (JON HEDER), David eventually realizes Elizabeth is some sort of wayward spirit unlike his new downstairs neighbor Katrina (IVANA MILICEVIC) who's decidedly earthy in her demeanor toward him. As David and Elizabeth work through their issues and become friends and then more, they set out to discover the truth behind their situation and her otherworldly presence. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of romantic comedies, someone in the cast or are looking for a date movie, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: REESE WITHERSPOON plays an overworked doctor who suddenly finds herself in an unusual and otherworldly situation when David ends up living in her place and she can't remember details about her life. Although she initially sets out to annoy him (to try to drive him away), she eventually falls for him. MARK RUFFALO plays a still grieving widower who's put his landscape business on hold in favor of subletting Elizabeth's place and drinking beer. He thinks he's crazy for a while (based on her otherworldly presence) but then comes to like and love her, all as he tries to help her discover the truth. DONAL LOGUE plays his psychiatrist friend who tries to get him back into the dating scene, drinks and uses some profanity. DINA WATERS plays Elizabeth's married sister who's concerned about her well-being. ROSALIND CHAO plays Elizabeth's friend and coworker with the same concerns. BEN SHENKMAN plays Elizabeth's rival at the hospital who becomes full of himself when he gets the position initially earmarked for her. JON HEDER plays a laidback worker at an occult bookstore who can sense Elizabeth's presence and offers help to David in working out his unique problem. IVANA MILICEVIC plays David's new downstairs neighbor who aggressively comes on to him several times. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this romantic comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, a woman sexually comes on to a man several times (provocatively tossing her clothes out onto the floor in one scene and then dropping the towel around her to expose her full nudity to him -- but only he sees it), we see an older man's bare butt in his open hospital gown and some classic style statues show such standard nudity. Unusual thematic material for a romantic comedy includes previous marital death (leading to related tense family grieving), a person being in a coma and then the decision to pull the plug on that person (partially played for comedy. Some viewers may find some of the related material as unsettling, which might also hold true for some scenes that nearly show medical incisions into skin). Some bad attitudes are present, as is some imitative behavior, while various characters drink, including one of the main ones who seems to have a bit of a drinking problem (related to his wife's earlier death). A character is injured in a car wreck (not seen in full) and is then in a coma, while some slapstick material and brief striking of and/or contact with others is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Abby has some wine. David has beer, then more, and we see various empty bottles by him. Thinking he's a burglar, Elizabeth tells David that there's no money or drugs in her place. David has a beer after coming out of the shower. When David tells Jack about Elizabeth, Jack asks if he was buzzed and David admits that he was a little drunk. Jack then says that alcohol is a social lubricant, adding that it makes men brave and women "loose." David has more beer. David sees Elizabeth in his/her place again, with Elizabeth thinking he's not quite in touch with reality and asking if his alcohol consumption has increased recently and he admits it has. David grabs a beer from the fridge with Elizabeth (who's positioned inside the fridge) commenting on him having another. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar where David orders a double-scotch to Elizabeth's protests. She then gets inside his body (in spirit form) to stop him from drinking it, despite his efforts to do so). A guy in a restaurant is knocked out by accident and requires immediate medical attention. Elizabeth then has David step into action, talking him through what to do (all played for comedy rather than suspense). That includes using some vodka as an antiseptic (and the nervous David takes a swig from the bottle). We see a picture of Elizabeth and her sister holding drinks. Elizabeth later tells the story about that photo, saying that her sister said to drink lots of margaritas and that's what they did (not seen beyond the still photo). BLOOD/GORE We see some fresh stitches in somebody's skin and later a scalpel being pushed down onto some skin, but we don't see the actual cutting. We later see the same when David has to perform some emergency surgery. Hearing Katrina's come-on to David, Elizabeth disgustedly states, "I just threw up in my mouth" (a figure of speech and not the real thing). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A male patient nearly slaps Elizabeth's clothed butt. Some viewers might not like the material involving Darryl working in an occult bookstore and getting David to try to perform a séance. Having gotten Elizabeth's job, Brett is now full of himself and more concerned about himself than the patients. He's also eager to pull the plug on a potential rival. A person uses the term "midget" (but not referring to any particular small person). Elizabeth states that her sister kissed her (the sister's) ex-boyfriend five minutes before her own wedding. FRIGHTENING SCENES As Elizabeth drives at night, truck lights suddenly blind her and we hear the squeal of brakes, but don't see the actual impact. There's a brief flashback to the same later in the film. Some younger kids might be unsettled by the fact that Elizabeth appears to be a ghost/spirit of some sort who can vanish through walls and whose hands pass through objects she tries to pick up (but none of it's inherently played to be scary). A guy in a restaurant is knocked out by accident and requires immediate medical attention. Elizabeth then has David step into action, talking him through what to do (all played for comedy rather than suspense). That includes using some vodka as an antiseptic (and the nervous David takes a swig from the bottle) and a paring knife to cut an incision in the man's torso to allow him to breathe. We see the knife pushed against the skin, but don't see the actual insertion. We hear news that Elizabeth's sister has decided to pull the plug on her and will do so the following day. Trying to "steal" a comatose body from a hospital, David punches a doctor in the face, while Jack tackles a guard into an elevator (played for comedy). With the patient's breathing tube gone, she then flat lines, with David then performing CPR to revive her. Various guards then tackle and pin him to the floor until they see that the patient is now alive. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Oh sh*t," "Kissing my ass," "Who put Spongebob in the pasta?" "Are you insane?" "Righteous," "You pervert," "Walk into the light," "Dude," "I'm 99.9% parched...Could really use a cola," "Shut up," "Shut the hell up," "You don't know what the hell you're talking about," "I just threw up in my mouth," "Horn-dog," "Slut," "Lonely, home-wrecking whore," "Sweet," "You always said she had a stick up her butt," "Midget," "Big pain in the ass," "Who the hell's calling me?" "It's going to freak them out," "Lie your butt off," "Get the hell out of here you freak," "Bro," "What the hell's he talking about?" "What the hell are you doing?" A male patient nearly slaps Elizabeth's clothed butt. Abby's kids playfully blow raspberries at her. Darryl belches. Thinking David's crazy after saying that Elizabeth is right there with them, Abby chases him out of the house with a large butcher knife (played for comedy). A van goes airborne while driving fast down the road. Jack gives "the finger" behind his back while seeing if David is telling the truth about Elizabeth being in the room with them (she comments on him "flipping me off"). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 7 hells, 5 asses (1 used with "hole"), 1 crap, 1 damn, 12 uses of "Oh my God," 2 each of "God" and "Oh God" and 1 use each of "Good God" and "Jesus." SEX/NUDITY A male patient nearly slaps Elizabeth's clothed butt. We see a partial view of a man's butt when he's given a shot. We see an older man's bare butt when his hospital gown is open in the back. Classic-style statues inside a house show nudity (bare butts, seen in close-up) as well as male figures outside with fig leaves covering the crotch areas. We see David with a towel around his waist after he comes out of the shower. As David tries to explain to Jack about Elizabeth, he says that a woman tried (but doesn't finish the thought) with Jack apparently thinking he means touching him and David then says "Not there Jack." Jack says that alcohol is a social lubricant, adding that it makes men brave and women "loose." We see David in a towel again after coming out of the shower. We see David showering in his boxers (nothing seen) due to Elizabeth being there (to annoy him). David's downstairs neighbor, Katrina, shows up wearing a sports bra and showing her toned, bare midriff. After a comment is made about dinner, she suggestively says that she has dessert, but David turns down the offer. Later, Elizabeth (who witnessed the event while invisible to Katrina) comments on Katrina's "big boobs" and that she thought sports bras were supposed to keep them down and not push them up. While doing some detective work to figure out who Elizabeth is/was, she and David come across a man who thinks David is on to the affair that man is having (he says he'll pay him off). As they walk off, Elizabeth believes that David thinks she was the man's lover (she wasn't), prompting her to say, "You don't think I had sex with that old horn-dog." After a moment, she then sadly says, "Maybe I was a lonely, home-wrecking slut." She then goes defensive and says that there's nothing wrong with a healthy sexual appetite, prompting him to chuckle and her to reply "Look who's talking" while adding that he tried to "feel me up" (earlier, but he didn't, although she thought he did). About the above, Elizabeth then comments on being a "lonely, home-wrecking whore." Elizabeth comes across a couple making out in the hospital's supply room (fully clothed with no groping, etc.). Katrina comes on to David again, wearing a top that shows some cleavage and some low-cut jeans as she sashays into his place (with the camera on her clothed butt). We then see the same again as she walks away from the camera (representing his POV). He then hears her say "Come here, I want to show you something" as we see her various bits of clothing landing out in the hallway. Elizabeth then looks into the room (since she can lean through doors/walls) and says that a tattoo on her "ass" reads "All aboard." Katrina then walks out wearing just a towel (showing cleavage). Realizing she can't have him (due to being in spirit form), Elizabeth dejectedly/realistically tells him "Just do it" and exits. The camera is then behind Katrina as she drops that towel, thus showing David everything (we only see her bare back). Moments later, David joins Elizabeth on the roof and she sarcastically states "That was quick," but he says that nothing happened. We see David and Elizabeth lying clothed on a bed (side by side on their backs but not touching), with him asking how she can be nervous when he can't even touch her (since she's spiritual in nature). Nothing sexual happens between them. Elizabeth shows a little cleavage. David and Elizabeth do a little passionate kissing. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We briefly see David watching a tape of his wife and then later learn that she died of a brain hemorrhage (before the film started) and that he still hasn't gotten over that. Abbey worries about Elizabeth being in a coma and frets about her decision to pull the plug on her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Some younger kids might be unsettled by the fact that Elizabeth appears to be a ghost/spirit of some sort who can vanish through walls and whose hands pass through objects she tries to pick up (but none of it's inherently played to be scary). Jack says that alcohol is a social lubricant, adding that it makes men brave and women "loose." Being in a coma. The issue of life support and "pulling the plug." We hear that David's wife died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The notion of working too hard and saving one's life for later when that might not ever come. VIOLENCE A patient pushes a doctor back against a wall with his forearm to his neck before being subdued in the hospital. As Elizabeth drives at night, truck lights suddenly blind her and we hear the squeal of brakes, but don't see the actual impact. There's a brief flashback to the same later in the film. Elizabeth tries to hit David, but her hand goes through him. To stop David from drinking a drink, Elizabeth gets inside his body (in spirit form) and then causes himself to slap his hand away from his mouth and the drink, slap his face, and spill the drink on a miscellaneous woman (played as slapstick). A guy in a restaurant is knocked out by accident and requires immediate medical attention (he's fine after David saves him). Trying to "steal" a comatose body from a hospital, David punches a doctor in the face, while Jack tackles a guard into an elevator (played for comedy). With the patient's breathing tube gone, she then flat lines, with David then performing CPR to revive her. Various guards then tackle and pin him to the floor until they see that the patient is now alive. Reviewed September 7, 2005 / Posted September 16, 2005

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