It’s 1959, and Frank Reilly is rushing towards the hospital with his pregnant wife Eva in the car. Meanwhile, San Francisco city bus driver Hal (David Paymer) is also speeding down the road, with four passengers onboard—Harrison Winslow (Charles Grodin) is an aspiring singer who can never get past his extreme stage fright when he goes for an audition; Penny Washington (Alfre Woodard) is a single mother who loves her three young children, but works nights as a switchboard operator; Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) is a waitress who recently moved to the city, but has been too scared to accept her longtime boyfriend’s proposal, and now it may be too late to tell him how she feels; and Milo Peck (Tom Sizemore) is a smalltime crook who regrets his recent theft from a child and is trying to make it right and go straight. Hal, distracted by the hanky-panky happening in the vehicle next to him, causes the bus to crash, and as the passengers climb out of the wreckage, they are surprised to see they are unscathed. However, they soon discover that they are in fact are already dead, and now find themselves inexplicably tied to newborn Thomas Reilly. The first few years are great, with the ghosts enjoying being invisible friends to young Thomas. But as Thomas gets a little bit older, they see they are causing problems for him, making his parents and others question the boy’s mental status as he talks and interacts with “imaginary” friends. So they decide to disappear, and just watch over Thomas as silent observers.
It’s nearly thirty years later, and the ghosts are still watching over Thomas (Robert Downey Jr.), who’s now a ruthless bankruptcy lawyer working for a bank. Thomas has a loving girlfriend Anne (Elisabeth Shue) who is eager to take their relationship to the next level, but is growing tired of Thomas’ same old routine. It seems like just a regular day for the ghosts, tagging along with Thomas on his latest date, when Hal the bus driver suddenly shows up (bus and all). He informs the foursome that he’s 15-20 years overdue to bring their souls back. The ghosts soon discover that they have been attached to Thomas all this time for a reason—they were supposed to have used him to resolve their lives, to take care of the one thing that would have made their lives complete if not for their untimely deaths. However, the angel that was supposed to explain all of this never showed up, and so Hal reluctantly agrees to give them a short extension. Now the clock is running out for these ghosts to quickly resolve their lives before the bus returns to collect their souls. The ghosts waste no time in reconnecting with Thomas, who is shocked and annoyed to see them, believing they were something he just made up as a kid and spent years trying to forget. At first Thomas is unwilling to help them find closure, but after the ghosts demonstrate their newfound power to enter and control his body, Thomas reluctantly gives in and sets out to help his childhood friends, but doing so leads to some wild, awkward and even dangerous situations. Can he get through this without destroying the career he’s built, or making things worse with Anne?
Heart and Souls is a film that I watched dozens of times on Laserdisc in the mid-90s. However, it had probably been at least a decade since I last watched it before today. The film holds up really well, and was just as fun and enjoyable as I had remembered. The movie does an excellent job of quickly introducing all of these characters, showing what is missing in their lives, and establishing the ghosts’ close connection to young Thomas, before moving on to the present as they make their return to turn Thomas’ world upside-down. The ensemble cast is such a delight. The four souls are not people that would normally meet in real life, but they instantly feel like a family when we first see them together entertaining baby Thomas. This bond continues as they work together as a team, both manipulating Thomas into assisting them as well as supporting one another in their quest for closure. At the same time, they also serve as guardian angels helping Thomas get his adult life back on track, while also getting him into some crazy situations.
Each of the actors is fantastic in their ghostly roles, both making you laugh as well as be emotionally invested in their story/quests. All four of these actors had me laughing out loud at some point—this is still the first film that comes to mind whenever I see Alfre Woodard. Robert Downey Jr. really delivers on the comedic side of his role, effectively playing five roles in one—not only Thomas, but each of the ghosts as well as they take over his body. This leads to some hilarious moments as he channels his co-stars, particularly the boardroom scene where the ghosts first try to convince a reluctant Thomas to help them find their closure as resort to taking over his body one-by-one. The film is as heartwarming as it is humorous. Among the laughs are many moments that will tug at your heartstrings, especially as each of these souls gets close to finding their closure and being ready to move on. The film’s blend of humor and drama makes for a very satisfying experience. I could watch this movie over and over again.
Heart and Souls had previously been released on Blu-ray in 2019 by Universal, but the disc was expensive and included no extras. Mill Creek’s new re-release is a fraction of the cost, plus this disc actually includes bonus material—the film’s trailer as well as over 50 minutes of new featurettes including interviews with the director, co-writer and production designer as well as some behind-the-scenes footage, archival interviews with the cast, and a deleted scene! The disc’s technical presentation is also quite satisfying. The picture looks generally clean, with a pleasant and not overpowering level of film grain. The colors are bright and rich, especially the green of the bus as it comes riding into scenes. The special effects still hold up really well after nearly 30 years, especially as the ghosts enter/exit Thomas, or the ghost bus riding into a scene. The audio track is also well done, providing clear dialogue and showcasing Marc Shaiman’s delightful score. The track provides a solid ambiance troughout. During the opening sequence, the sound of rain and thunder fills the room, as do the intense sounds of the bus crash that kick the events off.
The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, with a Retro VHS slipcover that makes the release look like a classic VHS rental tape. The details on these slipcovers are really fun, and the design even extends to the spine as well, allowing these discs to displayed like a collection of VHS tapes on your shelf. The standard case artwork with the slipcover removed can be seen below:
What’s Included:
Film: (1:43:16)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
- Driven By Destiny: Making Heart and Souls (37:15)
In this brand new video interview, director/producer Ron Underwood discusses his career leading up to this film, including Tremors and City Slickers. Then he talks about the short story the film was based on, a real life tragedy that inspired the way the film looks at death in a lighter way, how the script evolved from its darker origins, adding the comedy, creating the characters and casting the four souls, the costumes, shooting in widescreen for the first time, casting and working with Robert Downey Jr. and David Paymer, filming in San Francisco, filming the takeover effects, using a real bus, utilizing miniatures for the opening title sequence and bus crash, the film’s score, “Walk Like a Man”, competing with The Fugitive at the box office, and more. Includes film clips and promotional photos, archival interviews with Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Downey, Jr. & Tom Sizemore, behind-the scenes footage, and a deleted scene with Ernie Hudson playing an airline mechanic. - Writing Heart and Souls (12:07)
In this brand new audio interview, co-writer S.S. Wilson talks about the award-winning short the film was based on, the darker first draft of the script, the evolution of the story and characters to make things lighter and more positive/inspiring, the challenges of introducing all of the various characters in a timely way before getting to the actual premise of the film, breaking some of the traditional screenplay structure, his favorite comedic moments, the evolution of the B.B. King scene, and more. The interview plays over footage from the movie. - Designing Heart and Souls (2:58)
In this brand new audio interview, production designer John Muto talks about how sets were designed without any comedic mindset, filming in the greenhouse, and staging the bus crash in the streets of San Francisco. The interview plays over footage from the movie. - Trailer (2:18)
Final Thoughts:
Heart and Souls is a delightful movie that will make you laugh out loud one moment and pull at your heart strings the next. I have seen this movie so many times over the years, and it still holds up beautifully nearly 30 years later. The ensemble cast is amazing and work really well together, and Robert Downey Jr. is at the top of his game. Mill Creek’s Blu-ray re-release looks and sounds excellent, and includes over 50 minutes of new bonus material! This release comes highly recommended for any fan of film, and is also an easy recommendation in general for anyone looking for a thoroughly entertaining comedy/drama.
HEART & SOULS RETRO VHS BD
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