Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon’s 2005 movie “Just Like Heaven” is a romantic comedy that further proves love can come in any form.
Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon’s 2005 movie “Just Like Heaven” is a dreamy romantic comedy that left most fans in their feelings. The story follows a man named David (Ruffalo) who falls in love with a woman named Elizabeth (Witherspoon), whom only he can see.
Elizabeth, in this film, is neither a ghost nor dead; instead, she is a spirit that only David can see. Although the film gives no reason why only David can see her, most assume it’s because he moved into her apartment, at least that Elizabeth claims.
After David moved to the quaint San Francisco apartment, Elizabeth would appear to scold him anytime he was messing the place up. At first, David thought changing the lock would keep her out, but that didn’t work. Instead, Elizabeth just mysteriously appears and disappears.
Soon the duo learns to connect more with each other. However, while David believes she is a ghost who needs help crossing over to the other side, Elizabeth, on her part, believes she is alive and doesn’t need help crossing anywhere.
The duo ultimately falls in love as the days pass and tries to work out their issues together. David tries his best, including enlisting his friend and psychic bookstore clerk to help bring Elizabeth back to a normal existence.
Ruffalo and Witherspoon’s Performance
Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon did a good job of carrying “Just Like Heaven” with their performances. The actors portrayed the sweetest characters in the movie, giving out no mean energy but a loveable aura all through.
Also, the romantic comedy showcases a sensitive and heartfelt storyline of two lovers trying their best to stay together. Also, Ruffalo and Witherspoon received huge plaudits for switching from their traditional roles and genre to something more fun and loose.
Both actors displayed charming personalities, which helped carry the movie. Although “Just Like Heaven” borrowed concepts from the movies “Ghost” and “City of Angels.” However, the film toned those concepts into a more humorous and relaxed form of comedy.
The overall cast also did a fantastic job in perfectly portraying their On-screen characters. Meanwhile, actor Jon Heder who played David’s friend Daryl also received huge plaudits for his performance. Although the movie’s dialogue was a bit poor, the film’s actual message is top-notch.
Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo Speak About “Just Like Heaven”
In 2014, Witherspoon and Ruffalo sat down with Hoolywood.com to discuss their movie “Just Like Heaven.” In the interview, Witherspoon explained she felt attracted to the role in the film because she likes to grow with her roles. The actress explained she loved to play a more mature character and that the message of the movie is what a lot of people can connect with.
Witherspoon also spoke about working with Ruffalo and that she was excited to work with him because he understood what doing a comedy film entails. She explained:
“I knew he was a very versatile actor. I was actually just really thrilled by how funny he was, to come on the set and be laughing every day, constantly. Yeah, he’s funny, he’s funny. He reminds me a lot of myself.”
Meanwhile, Ruffalo disclosed that romantic comedy is not his favorite genre but decided to take the role because many people doubted he could do comedy. He also chose “Just Like Heaven” because he liked the story. He noted:
“Everything’s played really real; everything’s shot dark, you open up with a character who’s deeply depressed and slightly marginalized. He’s not your classic leading man in a romantic comedy. Then we get into the love story, which I feel is handled really honestly.”
The actor also touched on working with Witherspoon explaining it took him a while to get into his style, especially with the nature of the film where he has to pretend he is seeing something that isn’t there. However, he lauded Witherspoon for making things easier, allowing him to fall into the rhythm gradually. The movie also did very well at the box office, grossing $48.3 million.