Drawn to the soul of a newly born baby, four acquaintances in limbo who died in a bus crash gradually realise their true purpose in this quirky and unusual blend of comedy and fantasy elements. The film takes a long time to warm up with seventeen minutes elapsing before the crash; the movie also turns a tad too sentimental for its own good towards the end. The vast majority of 'Heart and Souls' though is highly captivating stuff with the film achieving much comedic mileage from the newborn's shenanigans when primary school aged and when, as an adult, the foursome discover that they can possess his body. While a funnier film could have easily been carved from the dear departed possessing his body as a child, Robert Downey Jr. admittedly hits the nail on the head, perfectly capturing the characteristics of all four when they at various points possess him. Tom Sizemore additionally brings large doses of comedy as the loudest and most outspoken dear departed soul, constantly dragged along the ground as the foursome find themselves unable to stay more than a few metres away from the newborn. Some have questioned the theological aspects of the film with the notion of being able stall or procrastinate their souls passing on certainly coming off as awkward at best, but this is a highly enjoyable film if one does not think about it too much. Particularly appealing is the camaraderie that develops between the highly diverse characters who in their everyday lives would have probably never ever spoken to one another.
Review of Heart and Souls
