Heart and Souls
| Heart and Souls | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ron Underwood |
| Produced by |
Nancy Roberts Sean Daniel[1] |
| Screenplay by |
Brent Maddock S. S. Wilson Gregory Hansen Erik Hansen[1] |
| Story by |
Brent Maddock S. S. Wilson Gregory Hansen Erik Hansen[1] |
| Starring |
Robert Downey, Jr. Charles Grodin Kyra Sedgwick Elisabeth Shue Tom Sizemore David Paymer Alfre Woodard |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Cinematography | Michael W. Watkins |
| Edited by | O. Nicholas Brown[1] |
Production companies |
Alphaville Stampede Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $16,581,714 |
Heart and Souls is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Ron Underwood. The film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Thomas Riley, a businessman recruited by the souls of four deceased people - his guardian angels from childhood - to help them rectify their unfinished lives, as he is the only one who can communicate with them.
Plot
In San Francisco, 1959, four people embark on the same bus. A single mother named Penny Washington leaves her three children at home to work in her night shift as a telephone operator. A singer named Harrison Winslow is afraid of the stage and quits his audition. A waitress named Julia regrets turning down her boyfriend John's marriage proposal and leaves her job to seek him out. A small-time thief named Milo Peck unsuccessfully attempts to retrieve a collection of vintage stamps that he had stolen from a young boy. However, the bus driver, Hal, has a serious accident, killing himself and everyone on board.
Meanwhile, Frank Reilly is driving his pregnant wife Eva to the hospital. Frank successfully swerves to escape the bus, just before it drives off an overpass, but Eva delivers their baby in the car. Hal ascends into the next life, but the souls of the four passengers become the guardian angels of the boy, Thomas Reilly, and can be seen only by him. Seven years later, the boy's parents and teachers begin to worry about his obsession with these "imaginary friends", and discuss submitting him to psychological exams. After realizing their presence is harming Thomas, the quartet decides to become invisible also to him. Unknown to Thomas, they remain by his side as they have since he was born.
Twenty-seven years later, in 1993, Hal returns with his bus and prepares to finally take them to the next life. The quartet learns from Hal that they've been with Thomas all these years because he serves as their corporeal form; they were supposed to ask him for help in resolving the problems they left behind. If he ever refused, one of them should have inhabited his body and made him cooperate. After convincing Hal to buy some more time for them to rectify their unfinished lives, they reappear to Thomas, who is now a ruthless businessman and indecisive in his relationship with girlfriend, Anne.
Thomas reluctantly agrees and, through a series of hilarious mishaps, the lost souls are freed: Milo by returning the stolen stamps, Harrison by facing his fears and singing to a live audience, Penny by discovering the fates of her children and Julia by encouraging Thomas to repair his relationship with Anne, as she was never able to do the same with John. In the end, Thomas becomes a better man and he dances with Anne as four stars twinkle in the night sky, symbolizing that Penny, Julia, Harrison, and Milo are finally at peace.
Cast
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Thomas Reilly[1]
- Eric Lloyd as 7-year-old Thomas Reilly
- Charles Grodin as Harrison Winslow[1]
- Alfre Woodard as Penny Washington[1]
- Kyra Sedgwick as Julia[1]
- Elisabeth Shue as Anne[1]
- Tom Sizemore as Milo Peck[1]
- David Paymer as Hal the Bus Driver[1]
- Bill Calvert as Frank Reilly
- Lisa Lucas as Eva Reilly
- Richard Portnow as Max Marco
- B. B. King as Himself
- Wren T. Brown as Sgt. Wm. Barclay
- Kurtwood Smith (uncredited) as Patterson
- Chloe Webb (uncredited) as Patient in Psychiatric Ward
Production
The film was shot on-location in San Francisco, California.[1]
Reception
Heart and Souls received mixed reviews from critics, as it currently holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews.[3]
Accolades
- Saturn Award (Best Actor in a Leading Role) - Robert Downey Jr.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Janet Maslin (13 August 1993). "Heart and Souls (1993) Reviews/Film; A Yuppie Haunted (Really) By Other People's Problems". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ↑ "HEART AND SOULS (PG)". United International Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. August 25, 1993. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Heart and Souls". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
External links
- Heart and Souls at the Internet Movie Database
- Heart and Souls at Box Office Mojo
- Heart and Souls at Rotten Tomatoes
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