A charming movie that falls apart in the last 15 minutes...

I saw this awhile back and had little memory of it...maybe I repressed it. I love movies about death and the afterlife, like Defending Your Life. This one feels a little closer to Ghost, though. I was with it until those last 15 minutes, which lost me completely.

This movie would have been so romantic if Louie and Corinne were "soul mates" and meant to be. There are a lot of instances where you have to suspend your disbelief (such as Corinne "saving herself" for 23 years and the fact that they would let a homeless man live in their home so easily), but the fact that Philip never made a move in all that time is completely insane. I mean, I know the story posits that Corinne had to "move on" before she could accept someone else into her life, but come on. Louie/Alex came back just so he could be with her. That IS the whole story. And I'm sorry, I just can't get over the fact that Louie's soul gets together with his daughter from another life in the end. This movie becomes less romantic for me, and more sad and tragic.

I also hated the deus ex machina insertion of the whole Judge Fenwick subplot. It comes out of nowhere and makes no sense (it also happens in the last 15 minutes). This movie starts out so great, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (despite that emotional song that plays during the end credits). Also, the part about the "angel" inserting him with that serum at the end was just too far-fetched. I realize this is a fantasy-comedy, but it's so convenient and ridiculous by that point.

Oh well. Maybe in another 10 years or so I'll decide to revisit it and re-evaluate my feelings and maybe I'll feel differently about it. But probably not.