“Just like Heaven” is the story of two strangers who fall in love – except one of them doesn’t have a body. Oddly enough, this doesn’t seem to get in their way.

Elizabeth Masterson (Reese Witherspoon) starts out as a hardworking doctor who doesn’t have time to experience her own life – she just saves others’. When she is hit suddenly by a truck, she falls into a precarious coma and is able to do neither.

After a few months, her apartment is rented by reclusive widower David (Mark Ruffalo) who, contrary to Elizabeth, spends too much time alone. Despite their differences, Elizabeth’s spirit materializes in – and only in – David’s presence. After the two sort out, with the help of Darryl (Jon Heder), what exactly is going on, they come within agonizingly close vicinity to two revelations: They’re in love, and Elizabeth’s family has decided to pull her plug.

At this point the action picks up, and David fights to save Elizabeth’s life. The characters’ lives become complete because of one another, and they manage to bridge a physical gap by a stronger emotional bond.

This theme, which has been played out previously in memorable supernatural romances such as “Ghost” and “Heaven Can Wait,” is successful so long as it finds a way to balance out its inevitable cheesiness.

Ruffalo and Witherspoon put up a tough fight, however. Witherspoon gives her usual perky, captivating performance, complemented well by Ruffalo’s mellow ability to hold his own. The pair’s intense romantic chemistry is convincing, and the love story is touching. However, the film’s emphasis on the importance of this is too much. The fates that blow Elizabeth’s apartment ad into David’s possession and allow him to converse with Elizabeth’s spirit are the same forces that drove a truck into Elizabeth’s car. Elizabeth’s spirit, when not floating around next to David, is indistinct. It is the pair’s connection that brings Elizabeth back to physical consciousness, and it seems the entire point of her becoming comatose is so she finds her true love. This idea, albeit romantic, is pretty disconcerting.

That being said, this movie does not have a dull moment. The idea of someone’s spirit being alive even though their body is latent is especially significant in today’s society, with the recent controversy over Terri Schiavo and our public’s persisting euthanasia debate. “Heaven’s” novel storyline and engaging performances keep us entertained, but the overt cheesiness of the plot sours the effect. This film is worth watching eventually, but it doesn’t stand a chance of living up to its name.