Just like Heaven (2005)
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A lonely man finds himself sharing a San Francisco apartment with the spirit of a woman who doesn't realize she is dead.
The story
Lonely landscape architect David Abbot finds an amazing San Francisco apartment to sublet, only to find it is inhabited by Elizabeth Masterson, the spirit of the overachieving doctor previous tenant. Elizabeth begins appearing in the apartment, confusing both. She initially believes David is a squatter, and he thinks she broke in. They soon realize Elizabeth can move through walls and objects. She does not know who she is, but insists she is not dead. David unsuccessfully tries to have Elizabeth's spirit exorcised. As only he can see and hear her, others think he is hallucinating. Elizabeth asks him to help her discover who she really is, so David first talks to neighbours in the building but no one knows her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Elizabeth Masterson, a dedicated young San Francisco physician, is in a serious car crash. Three months later, the grieving recent widower David Abbott sublets Elizabeth's apartment. Elizabeth begins appearing in the apartment, and while she doesn't know she is dead, she asks David to help her discover her identity. David eventually enlists help from a psychic bookstore clerk, Darryl, who tells him he must emotionally release the woman in his life. During a moment of crisis at a restaurant, Elizabeth remembers she is a doctor, and they find her body in a coma at a nearby hospital. David and Elizabeth bond as they navigate her existence. When David is offered a long-term lease on the apartment, he realizes she will be taken off life support. He tries to convince her sister, Abby, to keep her alive. In a final desperate act, David tries to steal her body from the hospital to keep her alive. During the attempt, Elizabeth's spirit and body briefly reconnect, and she awakens. She recognizes her sister but not David. Later, she moves back into her apartment and finds David in a garden he created on the roof. When they touch, her memories of their time together are restored, and they share a kiss.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark Waters
- Writers
- Peter Tolan · screenplay; Leslie Dixon · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Reese Witherspoon · Elizabeth Masterson; Mark Ruffalo · David Abbot
- Genres
- fantasy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- death; romance
- Tone and mood
- romantic; fantasy
- Setting
- San Francisco
- Premise and plot tags
- ghost; supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- If Only It Were True (Et si c'était vrai...) by Marc Levy
- Reception
- Despite mixed reviews from critics, it grossed $102.9 million on a budget of $58 million.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award · winning · win
- Production trivia
- The title is the same as a 1987 song by The Cure.; The film was produced by Parkes/MacDonald Productions.; The film was released on DVD in 2006.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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