Chances Are

I'm wrapping up the love week with the great romantic fantasy, 1989's Chances Are.

It's 1964, and Louie Jeffries, Christopher McDonald, a young DA, gets hit by a car on his way to meet his wife Corinne, Cybil Shepard, for dinner. Once in heaven, Louie demands to be sent back. After throwing a scene, some angels find a baby that is about to be born and put him in that body. The angels were in such a rush though that they forgot to give him a shot that will clear his memory of his previous life.

Jump ahead 23 years later. Corinne still carries a torch for her husband and has had a hard time moving on. Louie has ended up in the body of Alex, Robert Downey, Jr., a Yale student who is about to graduate and plans on moving to Washington, DC to be a reporter. On his last day at Yale, he meets Miranda, Mary Stuart Masterson, and the two immediately have a spark. Little does he know that Miranda is his daughter. Corinne was pregnant at the time of Louie's death and was planning on surprising him with the news the night he died.

Alex heads to DC in hopes of getting a job at the Washington Post, but is rejected. Reporter Phillip Train, Ryan O'Neal, witnesses this and immediately takes a liking to him and invites him to dinner. Phillip just happens to be Louie's best friend and the dinner also happens to be at Corrine's. Phillip has always had a crush on Corinne, but has never made a move. Alex accepts the invite. Miranda just happens to be at home from school for break as well. Alex and Miranda start to get closer until he begins to experience heavy deja vu and realizes that he is Louie reincarnated. He breaks the news to Corinne, who at first thinks he is crazy. But Alex doesn't give up trying to prove it to her, even though everyone thinks he has lost it.

I know it might sound a bit taboo, but Chances Are is actually a sweet lttle film that is handled just right. The whole cast is great, especially Downey who shows a real gift for slapstick comedy.

This is a great movie that seems to have been forgotting over the years.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.