Chances Are
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Actor: Christopher McDonald, Cybill Shepherd, Mary Stuart Masterson, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O'NealBrand: SHEPHERD,CYBILL
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-04-14
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Chances Are
DVD Review: Best film on the topic of reincarnation
Summary: 4 Stars
So few Hollywood films cover the topic of reincarnation, that this one, when it came out in 1989 was a breath of fresh air on the overdone romantic comedy formula. One reviewer was disturbed by this film in what she claimed was "incest" or the promotion of it. That's not the case. Incest is a genetic issue, or one of close familiarity (like two children raised as brother and sister even though they have different parental lineage, yet fall in love and marry after having lived all their lives as "brother and sister"). In this film, for anyone familiar with reincarnation, the relationship roles we have have with one another don't exist after death. When Alex (Robert Downey Jr) meets Miranda (Mary Stuart Masterson) in a college library on the last day of the school year, they are the same age and he didn't have his past life memory recalled yet (not until he sees the Georgetown home and her mother, Corinne, which triggers his past life memory through deja vu). In Alex's previous life, he was Louie Jeffries, who sired Miranda with Corinne but died before she was born...so how is Alex Finch (of different genetic lineage than Miranda's parents, Louie and Corinne Jeffries, and not having been raised in the Jeffries family as her brother) committing incest by getting together with Miranda in the end?
Having studied reincarnation intensely for the past six years, I believe this film is pretty accurate in its portrayal of how past life memory can come to the fore when we least expect it. If we know things we shouldn't know by any logical means, or have an inexplicable attraction to certain people and feel a mutual sense of having known each other for a longer period of time, or we experience intense deja vu connected to a place, those are good indicators of past life connection. This film does a great job unraveling the mysteries surrounding Alex's discovery of a past life and how he tries to convince his former wife, Corinne (played by Cybil Shepherd) that he is her beloved Louie, whom she never got over.
The movie develops the way it should, with Corinne finally getting over her husband's death and realizing that Philip loved her, supported her and waited all those years at her side. She even explains to Alex how people can change over the years and its not a rejection of the love they once shared. The age difference would be a problem, and in the end, Alex gets a chance to know Miranda after being absent from her life as a father (in the body of Louie). It all works out in the end, and the film closes with the beautiful song "After All" by Peter Cetera and Cher.
The only weakness with this film for me is the scene in heaven, thus the reason I subtract a star. The image of heaven in the clouds is uncreative and a cliche. The producers of this film could have done a lot with that scene, but it seemed like pure laziness to just have a heaven with no real form other than clouds and long lines. But I guess, that's what other films are for ("Defending Your Life" is a good one set in heaven), as this was just a tiny portion of an otherwise outstanding movie. Robert Downey Jr deserves a lot of credit for bringing his frantic physical comedy to the role, and my favorite scene (not to mention some of the funniest) occurs at the dinner table when Alex experiences the first rush of deja vu memories, which freaks him out and has him running in and out of the bathroom and committing self abuse.
So, if anyone is interested in reincarnation, I highly recommend this film for your collection. There are no other films that I can recall that cover that topic so well and so humourously, so this remains the standard bearer. Nicole Kidman's recent film "Birth" covers the topic of reincarnation in a very slow placed and darkly lit, somewhat boring manner (though Nicole is remarkable in that film)...so my recommendation is to stick with "Chances Are" and if the topic further intrigues you, there are plenty of books out there that explain how the beautiful and just process of reincarnation works. People who think this film is promoting incest haven't the first clue about reincarnation. The soul is separate from the physical body, and our souls aren't confined to the same relationship roles with people in life after life. As one New Age lady says to Alex in "Chances Are": "you don't know who's lurking in what body. The guy who gets on your nerves could be your mother-in-law" (words to that effect). Its a funny line and a little exaggerated, but students/believers of reincarnation will understand this film at a profoundly deep level. Probably the only people who wouldn't enjoy this type of film are those who aren't open minded enough to consider reincarnation a plausible theory/spiritual worldview...and if you're a strict Biblical literalist, I doubt you're gonna like this film. That's why films like "The Passion" and "Joshua" are made. Now, if only Hollywood would produce more films covering the topic of reincarnation of this calibre. Until then, "Chances Are" will fill that niche pretty well.
Description of Chances Are
A veteran reporter arrives in Washington to start a new job and is flooded with memories of a former life and wife.Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD
Cybill Shepherd plays a pregnant woman whose husband is killed before their baby is born; once he gets to heaven, he begs for a chance to come back to her and his unborn child. The twist is that he returns in the form of Robert Downey Jr., boyfriend to Cybill's daughter (Mary Stuart Masterson). When the daughter brings him home from college, he gets his memory back--and starts coming on to her mom. Sounds like a Jerry Springer show--"Help! My dad has been reincarnated as my boyfriend!"--but this Emile Ardolino film actually has a passable amount of charm and wit, once it gets into gear. It gives you a sense of just how funny and charming Downey can be, given the right material. --Marshall Fine
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