I really wanted to like this movie. I have always been a fan of movies with spirits and fantastic elements. The premise of this one sounded really interesting. This was a unique take on the spirit plot, with two spirits whose bodies are simultaneously in a coma being sort of stuck with each other, learning lessons together and also falling in love with each other. Somehow, though, in the execution of the story, something was missing.
One major thing that was wrong with the plot was that the two spirits had way too much control over physical matter, to the point where they might as well have had their bodies still. That's a big cheat, in my opinion. We've seen this inexplicable ability of spirits to manipulate physical objects since the movie Ghost, and it's only gotten worse over the years. I see it as a lazy screenwriter's crutch. In this movie, you actually have the character Gwen, who has the gift to see Charlotte and Daniel, our two disembodied spirits, but she never gets used. Why not have her perform all those tasks that our spirits seem to perform so easily, such as sending out emails, creating flyers and baking cookies? Where the whole thing got over-the-top unbelievable for me was when spirit Daniel started finding $100 bills and his business cards in his spirit suit and started leaving them with random people. Really?
All this might be forgivable, were it not for the heavy-handed way that Daniel transformed from evil, greedy developer to kind, caring person willing to forego all his company's plans and give in to Charlotte's no-development stance. The change was just too abrupt and unbelievable. Plus, they try to portray Daniel as somewhat of a good guy, even in his greedy developer state, but what his company is doing is outright fraud. They are attempting to buy up the town's downtown real estate at bargain basement prices while hiding their insider knowledge of plans to bring a new interstate past the town, which would make those properties' value skyrocket. This is truly evil. But, of course, the whole plot point is stupid. Plans to build a new freeway are made by the government, and are not some secret that is privy to a real estate developer. They are public knowledge.
Also, since both Charlotte and Daniel were supposed to learn something and undergo some change as a condition for returning to their bodies, what was Charlotte's change exactly? Daniel's was obvious, but she didn't change a bit. All that happened was that he came around totally to her way of thinking. Yet more lazy screenwriting on display.
One more nitpick. Nicolette Sheridan was 50 years old when this movie was made. Sorry, but that's way too old to be playing the female lead in a rom-com. Granted, she's a beautiful lady, but it's obvious that she's no spring chicken, and it feels weird pairing her with the significantly younger Bart Johnson.
There was a lot to like about this film. I loved the relationships between Charlotte and her niece, nephew and sister. The romance was handled pretty well too. They seemed to have pretty good interactions with each other and the dialog between them was good. I just wish they had executed better on the plot. The script just seemed way too sloppy and thrown together. Sad, really.
One major thing that was wrong with the plot was that the two spirits had way too much control over physical matter, to the point where they might as well have had their bodies still. That's a big cheat, in my opinion. We've seen this inexplicable ability of spirits to manipulate physical objects since the movie Ghost, and it's only gotten worse over the years. I see it as a lazy screenwriter's crutch. In this movie, you actually have the character Gwen, who has the gift to see Charlotte and Daniel, our two disembodied spirits, but she never gets used. Why not have her perform all those tasks that our spirits seem to perform so easily, such as sending out emails, creating flyers and baking cookies? Where the whole thing got over-the-top unbelievable for me was when spirit Daniel started finding $100 bills and his business cards in his spirit suit and started leaving them with random people. Really?
All this might be forgivable, were it not for the heavy-handed way that Daniel transformed from evil, greedy developer to kind, caring person willing to forego all his company's plans and give in to Charlotte's no-development stance. The change was just too abrupt and unbelievable. Plus, they try to portray Daniel as somewhat of a good guy, even in his greedy developer state, but what his company is doing is outright fraud. They are attempting to buy up the town's downtown real estate at bargain basement prices while hiding their insider knowledge of plans to bring a new interstate past the town, which would make those properties' value skyrocket. This is truly evil. But, of course, the whole plot point is stupid. Plans to build a new freeway are made by the government, and are not some secret that is privy to a real estate developer. They are public knowledge.
Also, since both Charlotte and Daniel were supposed to learn something and undergo some change as a condition for returning to their bodies, what was Charlotte's change exactly? Daniel's was obvious, but she didn't change a bit. All that happened was that he came around totally to her way of thinking. Yet more lazy screenwriting on display.
One more nitpick. Nicolette Sheridan was 50 years old when this movie was made. Sorry, but that's way too old to be playing the female lead in a rom-com. Granted, she's a beautiful lady, but it's obvious that she's no spring chicken, and it feels weird pairing her with the significantly younger Bart Johnson.
There was a lot to like about this film. I loved the relationships between Charlotte and her niece, nephew and sister. The romance was handled pretty well too. They seemed to have pretty good interactions with each other and the dialog between them was good. I just wish they had executed better on the plot. The script just seemed way too sloppy and thrown together. Sad, really.