Just Like Heaven

Bad romantic comedies make you scoff at their absurdity; good ones make you wish your life was that absurd. “Just Like Heaven” is just smart and likable enough to trigger that wishing. David (Mark Ruffalo, “Collateral”, “You Can Count On Me”) finds an amazing apartment in San Francisco–only to discover it’s haunted by the spirit of the previous tenant, an overachieving doctor named Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon, “Legally Blonde”, “Election”). There’s something not quite right about Elizabeth’s afterlife; against his better judgement, David agrees to help her investigate her life…but finds himself digging into his own as well. The plot takes a twist that some viewers will see coming, but “Just Like Heaven” doesn’t rely on the surprise alone; the revelation takes the story in a new and just as entertaining direction. Witherspoon and Ruffalo are two of the best romantic leads around, but the surprise is how well their contrasting flavors (perky and moody, respectively) mesh, creating a sparky, engaging chemistry. Also featuring Dina Waters (“Freaky Friday”), Donal Logue (“The Tao of Steve”), Ben Shenkman (“Angels in America”), and Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”). Crisply directed by Mark Waters (“Mean Girls”), who carefully keeps the supernatural from getting silly and the romance from getting gooey