Chances Are | | Cast : | Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O'Neal, Mary Stuart Masterson | | Director : | Emile Ardolino | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 10, 1989 | | DVD Released Date : | June 07, 2005 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | January 26, 2005 | | Summary | A Beautiful Love Story | Content
 | This is one of my favorite movies in my DVD collection. Four actors you wouldn't expect to go very well together, wind up giving a wonderful group performance. Not only are Robert Downey, Jr. and Mary Stuart Masterson fantastic, but I was surprised that Ryan O'Neal was so entertaining. Of all the characters Cybill Shepherd had the least far to go with her portrayal of a ditzy blonde.
This movie is wonderful because it tells a sweet love story. It speaks of the possibilities beyond this earth. As far as the reincarnation theme the movie touches on some basic themes, but "What Dreams May Come" is more realistic in exploring the spiritual reasons for reincarnation. This is a movie to watch if you want a feel good love story to soothe the soul. It's not a movie I'd recommend to people who's right-wing preacher has convinced them throwing people into a lake with a boulder tied to them is the correct way to deal with those you suspect of being witches. Robert Downey, Jr. looks nothing like the man who plays Corinne's original husband so it's a bit of a stretch for anyone to bemoan underlying inferences. Watch this movie when you want to bathe yourself in the possibilities of true love. It will leave you with a smile on your face and a fuzzy warm feeling inside. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 02, 2004 | | Summary | Best film on the topic of reincarnation | Content
| 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. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 14, 2004 | | Summary | Almost Perfect | Content
| I love Robert Downey Jr. and there is no doubt that he brings such a strong presence to any movie. In Chances Are he played his character well, and the rest of the cast were pretty good too. But I was still disapointed in the end results. When you first sit down to watch it you easily adapt to the characters, and you can't wait to find out what Robert's character Louie will discover next. He dies, comes back as a new soul, but accidently is left with his former life's memories. The story is great until the end! It kind of ruined it for me. But Robert is halarious, and his chemistry with Sybill Shepherd is perfect. Go rent it and find out for yourself. Either way it goes, it's an unique story and a ton of laughs, so it's still worth the watch! |
| Rating | | | Date | September 28, 2003 | | Summary | Most disturbing movie I have ever seen | Content
| This is the most disturbing movie I have ever seen.
It is even more disturbing that it is meant/produced as a very light comedy.
It is the story to be disturbing. A man dies. In heaven there is a memory-wash and souls are routinely reincarnated memory-less.
A husband is reincarnated in a baby. When he grows up to be a boy of about 20, he goes and look for his wife. Finally, after tons of difficulties, he manages to convince his wife-widow that it is truly him, the deceased husband. At that point, in heaven they figure out that they made a mistake and forgot to memory-wash him; so they just give him a last minute memory-wash. Result: he marries his own daughter. The wife says "oh well, I'll just marry someone else" and everybody lives happily ever after.
I find this very, very offensive. Basically, in this movie there is
1. Incest. Even if the guy has been memory-washed by the time he marries his own daughter (so he does not know that he is her father); still he remembered to be her father up to 5 minutes before. It still disturbs me. People trained in Philosophy, will recognize the question "but is he really her father, now that he has lost his memory?". The movie has NONE of this subtlety, it just assumes it is not anymore and does on
2. Life is treated as worthless. In heaven, they do whatever they want. If they have to rectify a mistake 20 years later, they just squash all the emotions and life-story that happened in those 20 years. All emotions, aspirations, joy and sorrow of the husband for his wife are deleted without afterthought - just an annoyance that mistakes happen.
3. The wife-widow is the most appalling character. She is finally convinced that the boy is indeed her deceased husband in reincarnated form. Nonetheless, when his memory is "miraculously" washed (and he forgets to be his husband from the previous life), she gets over it extremely quickly, and does not ask herself too many questions at all. She marries in all speed a friend of her husband she had an eye on for long, and has no qualms about the fact that the boy now marries her daughter.
Now, most of the movie is spent in scenes with the husband trying to convince the wife it is really him. If I were the wife, and I were convinced (after so much effort) he is truly my husband, and then "miraculously" he does not recall that at all anymore, (and even assuming that I could get over it pretty quickly - which I would not) I would still have HUGE qualms with him marrying my daughter.All this is meant and is treated as the lightest of Hollywood comedies. It definitely qualifies as the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 11, 2003 | | Summary | "Chances Are" You'll love this movie | Content
| I love this movie, I would definately reccomend this movie to any Robert Downey Jr. Fan. Robert Downey Jr.'s character is overtaken by the spirit of Sybil Shepards husban that died before their daughter was born. Robert Downey Jr. is involved with the daughter and is visiting her home when he is visited by her fathers spirit which does not leave until the end of the movie. This is a great, cute movie. |
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