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Mark Ruffalo has been gaining more and more critical acclaim as he morphs from one type of role to another, in such films as You Can Count On Me, Collateral, We Don't Live Here Anymore, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Can he succeed as "the guy" in a romantic comedy, opposite a big name star?

Apparently so. Ruffalo, opposite Reese Witherspoon, conquered the box office this week with Just Like Heaven, the latest film from Mark Waters (director of Mean Girls).

Witherspoon plays Elizabeth, a doctor who can't get herself out of a coma. While her body lies in the hospital, her spirit hangs out at her apartment, pestering the landscape architect (Ruffalo) who has moved in. When Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder turns up as a psychic, the proceedings may remind you of Ghost, and you won't be the first to make that connection. Several mainstream critics mention the beloved Demi Moore/Patrick Swayze romance in their reviews of Just Like Heaven, even though they're not too fond of the results.

Christian film critics, on the other hand, seem quite pleased with these romantic, old-fashioned antics.

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) raves, "Just Like Heaven is the first Hollywood film since Return to Me that I would put in the same league as that earlier film, and that's saying something."

Bob Smithouser (Plugged In) writes, "The talented Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon share an everyman chemistry that works nicely in Just Like Heaven. They lift otherwise drippy, saccharine moments to a more tolerable level, making this often sweet supernatural feature one that could appeal to fans of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and, more recently, Ghost." He does, however, point out a few "forgivable inconsistencies."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) notes "a somewhat formulaic setup and an uncertain start." But he adds, "Waters applies just the appropriate gossamer touch to this film which is more romantic than outright funny, and the extremely appealing leads play with great delicacy. … There's an overarching message throughout of fidelity to one's true love. … As far as supernatural bonbons like this go, Just Like Heaven stands head and shoulders above Bewitched earlier this season. There's a minimum of objectionable material—a rarity these days—and, best of all, the film has heart."

Christian Hamaker (Crosswalk) begs to differ. "Reese Witherspoon's magnetic star-power in the new romantic comedy, Just Like Heaven, can't overcome the movie's fundamental, fatal flaw: a basic lack of chemistry between the film's two lead performers. Although mildly entertaining—even uproariously funny in two scenes—the film takes far too long to generate the expected romantic sparks."

Adam Tillman Young (Relevant) says, "As a romantic comedy, Just Like Heaven skims merrily along the surface of the genre's waters without ever bothering to dive deeper. … As long as you understand that it's not an edifying or thought-provoking exploration of the afterlife, you'll enjoy the movie."

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