Chances Are Review
This bubbly update of afterlife fantasies such as Death Takes a Holiday, Carousel, and especially Heaven_Can_Wait finds the ideal stars in Cybill_Shepherd and Robert_Downey_Jr. With the razor-sharp comic timing she honed on TV's Moonlighting and the wacky zeal he exhibits in basically all of his roles, Shepherd and Downey invest Chances Are with just enough tongue-in-cheek self-consciousness to sell the material to modern audiences. The screenplay, by Perry and Randy_Howze, has lots of fun adding a bit of bawdy sex appeal to this traditionally prim-and-proper genre, while Dirty_Dancing director Emile_Ardolino keeps things moving quickly enough that the seams don't show. Forced to play it straight, Mary_Stuart_Masterson and Ryan O'Neal don't get to have as much fun as the leads, but a fine supporting cast -- including L.A. Law veteran Susan_Ruttan and old pro Fran_Ryan -- generates plenty of chuckles. A sweet fable about honoring love's memory while getting on with one's life, Chances Are didn't earn the box-office returns that its stars and director might have expected. Still, it's dated much better than many '80s comedies and remains a charming rental or cable choice. Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
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