Heart and Souls (1993)

The movie, reminiscent of "Ghost" or "Heaven Can Wait," (but a little different) has a plot that has been done before...but no way as well.

The interaction, alone, between the five main characters is worth seeing. The acting is superb. The comedy ranges from subtle to almost slapstick, and the production addresses your funny bone, your mind, and your heart.

This movie is a classic sleeper. Your whole family should see it!

Fmovies: "Hearts and Souls" is a pleasant and thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that I really didn't expect when I first watched the film years ago.

Robert Downey, Jr. plays a young man whose life is going very well: he's engaged to Elisabeth Shue, he's got a lot of money working as a lawyer or such...until some old friends of his drop in--imaginary friends, that is. Sort of. Dead imaginary friends that only he can see.

Many years ago, some people boarded a bus, including Charles Grodin and Tom Sizemore. The bus flipped over a bridge and everyone died, going to heaven. But then they came back down involuntarily to Downey as a child and stayed with him for a few years. Every time they tried to leave him, they were pulled back to him. Until he was about eight, then they somehow managed to leave because they were influencing his schoolwork and life (I don't remember how they got out of it). Now they're back to haunt him again, because they need him to help get to heaven.

I haven't seen this movie in a few years, so I'm a bit rusty on the plot summary, but I remember that I found it enjoyable and sweet. There aren't any big complexities here, just some good old fashioned fun.

Robert Downey, Jr. is convincing in his role, as is the rest of the cast. I've liked Charles Grodin and Tom Sizemore for quite some time, and they got to show off their talent here. Too bad Grodin left the showbiz scene, because I really did enjoy him in films. He wasn't over the top of crazy: he seemed very normal, and played very normal characters ("Beethoven," "Midnight Run").

I think that this is the perfect example of romantic comedies that have both wit and respect for the audience. In a time of cheap teen flicks and so-called romantic comedies, the rare FUNNY romantic comedy that comes along is usually very good ("When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle," "While You Were Sleeping," "As Good as it Gets," etc.). While "Heart and Souls" isn't a great romantic comedy, it's above average, and definitely recommendable.

3.5/5 Stars

I never even knew this movie existed until they showed it on TV here ... and I'm so glad they did! If they hadn't, I'd have missed out on something great. The story was wonderful, not just a comedy, but a meaningful comedy ... with laughter, tears, ... it says a lot about life. This is one movie which deserves more recognition.

Heart and Souls fmovies. Just call me a sentimental sap, but This one is one of my favorite movies. Robert Downey Jr., Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Charles Grodin, Elisabeth Shue, Tome Sizemore, Dave Paymer where all excellent! What a Great combination! I saw this movie before my youngest son was born and it made such a lasting impression on me that it caused me to make bedtime rituals with him (Prayer, and what he calls his Lu-Lu's (a song We made up)). I've seen this movie maybe a half dozen times and stop and wait any time I see that it's on TV. THis movie made me a Robert Downey Jr. fan, and it made me a little more sympathetic to his personal issues. I'm happy to see that he may have finally turned the corner on his recovery.

In 1959, in San Francisco, the telephone operator Penny Washington (Alfre Woodard) leaves her three children to work in her night shift. The shy singer Harrison Winslow (Charles Grodin) is afraid of the stage and quits his audition. The waitress Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) is proposed by her boyfriend and she does not accept; then she regrets and leaves her job to seek him out. The smalltime thief Milo Peck (Tom Sizemore) tries to retrieve a valuable collection of stamps that he had stolen from a boy. They embark in a bus and the driver Hal (David Paymer) distracts while driving and has a serious accident, and driver and passengers die. Meanwhile, Frank Reilly (Bill Calvert) is driving his pregnant wife Eva Reilly (Lisa Lucas) to the hospital. Frank successfully escapes from the bus but Eva is nervous and delivers her baby in the car. The souls of the four passengers become the guardian angels and the invisible friends of the boy Thomas Reilly. Seven years later, Penny, Julia, Harrison and Milo conclude that they are harming the boy and they decide to become invisible also to him.

Thirty and something years later, Hal returns with his bus to take them four and the quartet learns that they had all those years to resolve the issues of their lives. They ask Hal to stall and give some more time for them to resolve their unfinished lives and they decide to come back to Thomas (Robert Downey Jr.), who is now a tough businessman and indecisive in his relationship with girlfriend Anne (Elisabeth Shue), and ask him to help them to resolve their issues and become free souls. In the end, Thomas also becomes a better man.

"Heart and Souls" is one of the most adorable films of the 90's. The writer uses the central idea of the successful "Ghost" (1990) to make a witty and delightful comedy, with state-of-art special effects in 1993.

Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, Alfre Woodard, Charles Grodin and Robert Downey Jr. show an amazing chemistry and they really seem to have fun while shooting this film. Kyra Sedgwick shows a beautiful smile and Robert Downey Jr. is hilarious. The cameo of B.B. King is a plus that gives the status of cult to this film. The message in the end is very nice and I do not recall how many times I have seen "Heart and Souls" on VHS in the 90's. Yesterday I saw it on DVD for the first time and I only regret that there are no extras, only the film. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Morrendo e Aprendendo" ("Dying and Learning")

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I laughed at its funny bits and cried in the sad bits. Robert Downey Jnr was excellent as the leading character and the bus passengers provided some light relief. Everyone should have friends like these! Marvellous!