HEART AND SOULS
A film review by Sally Smith
Copyright 1993 Sally Smith
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Elisabeth Shue, Tom Sizemore, David Paymer, Alfre Woodard Directed by Ron Underwood Screenplay by Gregory Hansen, Erik Hansen, Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson Director of Photography Michael Watkins, ASC Rated PG-13 (apparently just for occasional language, not content)
I write this review under much the same conditions as my last: not being overly familiar with the work of anyone working on it except for the cinematographer--but that was enough reason for me to attend.
Thomas Reilly (Downey) is born at the same time a bus crashes, and the souls of the passengers--single working mom Woodard, nebbish opera singer wannabe Grodin, small-time hood (Sizemore) and sweet waitress (Sedgwick)--become attached to him (literally--they can only travel a few yards away). Little Thomas grows up having a wonderful time with his constant companions who are invisible to anyone but him. Unfortunately, by the time he's seven, his family is so worried about the behavior his "imaginary" friends are leading him into that the spirits decide he'd be better off without him, and make themselves completely invisible.
Flash forward about 25 years. Thomas is now a greedy superficial San Francisco yuppie specializing in corporate bankruptcies. The ghosts aren't happy with the way he's running his life (although they do approve of his latest girlfriend, Shue), but stay invisible until they're informed that there was a mixup "upstairs" and that they shouldn't have been here all these years. They were supposed to use Thomas to fulfill the dreams they didn't get to accomplish, and now they only have a few days to do it. Thomas, naturally, is less than thrilled about their reappearance, but is eventually persuaded (humorously) to help them out--hopefully helping himself in the process.
Downey shows off his gift for physical comedy and mimicry in a number of very funny scenes; Grodin is less annoying in this film than in anything else in recent memory; Woodard is the very definition of Mom; Sedgewick, Shue, Sizemore, and Paymer acquit themselves nicely in somewhat under-written roles. The actors playing the ghosts do develop a rapport that reflects the reluctant affection that develops between four total strangers forced to live together for decades.
Special effects range from cheesy to quite attractive, including some infrequent and correctly-used (hallelujah!) morph shots, Mic Rodgers' stunt work is very well-done, the production design for both the Fifties and Nineties is dead on, as is (the always-excellent) Jean-Pierre Dorleac's costume design. The photography again did not disappoint me--it's stylish, lovely, fluid, imaginative (especially in some of the subjective camera shots), and incorporates the many special effects quite naturally and matter-of-factly. However, it does all this without overwhelming the quiet, intimate nature of what is basically a small story about some ordinary people.
HEART AND SOULS is an overwhelmingly charming, sweet, heart-warming, and old-fashioned movie. Cynics should avoid it at all costs. People who want several good laughs, a lot of smiles, and a couple of poignant moments should rush to see it. It's probably the best date movie of the summer. I liked it a lot, I'll see it again, I recommend it.
-- Sally Smith (510)790-0608 sallylb@netcom.com (I was sally@tardis.tymnet.com) .
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