Heart and Souls

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, David Paymer, Elisabeth Shue
Directed by: Ron Underwood
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Four people (Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore) who die at the same time and are permanently connected to a young boy born at the same minute they died. They serve as his "imaginary" friends during childhood, but decide they need to leave him alone to live his own life. They disappear from his sight, but never leave his side. Years later, he's grown up to be a successful businessman (Robert Downey Jr.) and they reappear, causing chaos in his life.

Review:

Tim: This is one of those films that I perhaps shouldn't have enjoyed, but actually did. The film can be considered silly, ridiculous, and easily dismissed. However, I thought there was some real heart to the movie. It had a good, uplifting message, regardless of the package in which it comes. I enjoyed this film, even though parts of my brain told me not to.

The story is at least interesting and somewhat unique. It was fun to watch the craziness taking place, and it was all in good fun. The movie does have a nice message, and is pretty harmless all around.

The cast is the big reason to watch this film. Robert Downey Jr. is very, very good. It's easy to overlook what a strong performance he gives, especially when he takes on the qualities of the spirits surrounding him. He acts one way, and then immediately mimics the mannerisms of his spirit friends. He makes it all seem believable, which was not easy to do. This is a testament to his performance. Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick and Tom Sizemore are all good as his ghostly guardian angels, and it's fun watching them cause havoc in his life. I liked these four different actors, and it was enjoyable seeing them interacting with each other. You really got the feeling that they had spent years and years together. This movie even has David Paymer and Elisabeth Shue. The cast is really quite excellent.

One of the reasons I liked this film is that it has a pretty good message. The reason the spirits come back in Downey's life is because they need the opportunity to right the major wrong of their life, before they can move to the other side. Downey is a selfish, egotistical person at this point, and along the way, he learns something about family, friendship, and life. This is all packaged in a comedy, but can be powerful if you're willing to dig a little deeper to uncover the real message of the film.

I watch movies for many different reasons, but once in a while it is nice to see a film that at least tries to touch the heart. This is a film about redemption, forgiveness, friendship, and love- those are all such crucial pieces of the human experience, and it is important to be reminded of them from time to time. Heart and Souls manages to do that at least on some level. It's a funny, entertaining little movie. While this theme has been done before (and done better), this is still an enjoyable movie.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: It's a Wonderful Life, Ghost, The Frighteners