PRODUCED IN: 1989
RELEASED IN: 1989
TYPE: Feature film
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
CERTIFICATE: PG
RUNNING TIME: 108 minutes
FILMING LOCATION: California, USA
LANGUAGE: English (U.S.)
DIRECTED BY: Emile Ardolino
PRODUCED BY: Mike Lobell
WRITTEN BY: Perry Howze, Randy Howze
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Tri-Star pictures
CINEMATOGRAPHY: William A. Fraker
EDITING: Harry Keramidas
MUSIC BY: Maurice Jarre
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Downey Jr.
BUDGET: $16,000,000
BOX OFFICE: $16,250,000
THEMES: Love, secrets, trust, betrayal, memory, death
NARRATIVE:
The story is told in a linear structure, however, where jumps in time take place, these are shown using title cards such as ‘One year later’ or ‘23 years later’. These appear rather often within this film as there are several changes in time.
Likewise, the film is divided into naturalistic and non naturalistic parts with the use of a fade to/from white which create dream/fantasy like sequences appropriate to the idea of the afterlife.
Furthermore, due to the first ten minutes being completely different to the whole rest of the film , which is completely unexpected, one could comment that this was an interesting use of narrative, as by introducing the audience to the characters just enough, SPOILER then killing one of, and then flashing forward 20 years, it confuses the audience and makes them want to know more and understand what else could possibly happen within this story.
Likewise, within this film two actors represent the same character which is unusual for most films. It also includes many elements of fantasy without losing the real depth of the romance or making it seem unrealistic.
KEY SCENES:
- The wedding
- The death scene
- The reincarnation scene
- When Alex/Louie and Corinne first meet
- When Alex/Louie tells Corinne who he is
- When Alex/Louie breaks up with Miranda
- When Corinne finally believes him
- When they go out together
- When Philip catches them
- When Phillip and Corinne sleep together
- When Alex/Louie gets hospitalised again
- When Alex/Louie finally gets the injection to clear his memory
- The final wedding scene
COMPARABLES:
In some ways this film could be compared to the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven (2005) starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, as that film too is about someone hospitalised after a car crash and includes fantasy elements through which the ghost and the love interest all in love, just like in Chances Are where it is the reincarnation and the protagonist who fall in love.
Likewise, Heart and Souls (1993) is another romantic comedy fantasy starring Robert Downey Jr. which is about misplaced souls, though this time the souls are stuck with him after a traffic accident at the time of his birth.
OTHER:
Actor Robert Downey Jr. and actress Mary Stuart Masterson both later appeared in the documentary The Last Party (1993) around four years after this movie was made and released.
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