Something sweet and fluffy

Have you ever been to a date movie without a date? I went to see

“Just Like Heaven” alone, worried that not having my husband there to

buy my popcorn could douse my enthusiasm for a love story. Without

him, the romantic in me might accept anything this movie dished out.

More on that later. I decided to forget all that and watch this movie

as, well, as a Reel Critic.

Screenwriters Peter Tolan and Leslie Dixon seemed determined not

to make this film a cliche. They damped any comparisons to other

spooky little comedies that have gone before by addressing them head

on, including a funny “Ghostbusters” segment.

The two also deserve points for giving the audience credit for

being smart enough to figure some things out. Trouble is, they went

too far. Many people who were leaving the theater wondered who ended

up dead and who alive. This, of course, was the point.

Reese Witherspoon plays the part of a young doctor who doesn’t

know how to live and becomes a ghost. Mark Ruffalo plays the part of

a man whose grief has robbed him of his ability to live and love.

Still, when audiences come out for movie-lite, they want the

ingredients well mixed and fully baked by time the credits roll.

There is often a problem when too many pastry chefs pile whipped

cream onto the tart. (And this movie is definitely pastry, not stew!)

In this case, two writers -- in spite of their obvious expertise --

may have been too many.

They obviously know it is a cheat to surprise an audience with a

big “Aha!” without foreshadowing along the way. However, they

overcompensated and made some of the plot twists obvious. I can

almost hear them pushing each other not to break this time-honored

rule of storytelling.

So, to say the least, “Heaven” is flawed. Now, back to that

romantic part of me that wanted 95 minutes of creampuff, that part

that occasionally craves cotton candy. That’s the part that is going

to recommend this movie.

In fact, I give it a nine out of 10 for those who are starved for

something -- I don’t know -- fluffy.

The acting is fine, the make-up artist terrific, Witherspoon just

too cute and Ruffalo, even at his most dour, was good to look at.

Some days all we girls need is something sweet.

REEL FACTOID

After a bad take while shooting “Just Like Heaven,” star Mark

Ruffalo jokingly jumped out of a window on the set. He landed on a

catwalk just outside the window, but still scared the crew members.

* CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON is an editor and award-winning author.

Her novel, “This is the Place,” contained plenty of foreshadowing and

still manages to surprise at the end.