With a 54% Rotten Tomatoes score, Reese Witherspoon’s 2005 rom-com Just Like Heaven stands as a spiritual remake of one of Cary Grant’s early screwball films. Grant and Constance Bennett star in 1937’s Topper as the ghostly Kerby couple who spend their afterlife trying to cheer up their strung-up boss Cosmo Topper. The film’s quick dialogue and sharp jokes are signature aspects of the screwball genre, and Just Like Heaven employs these techniques with a modern twist. Although not entirely identical from a plot standpoint, these two films share similar themes, characters, and ghost-centric comedy.

These films also fall quite low on Witherspoon’s and Grant’s respective career totem poles. Just Like Heaven was eventually revived to cult classic status, especially as a relic of early 2000s rom-coms. Likewise, Topper remains relatively unknown when compared to Grant’s more popular screwball work like Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and The Philadelphia Story. Connecting these two films also emphasizes the stylistic and narrative lineage drawn between screwball and rom-coms, and highlights how recent film technology has helped advance certain storytelling techniques. Without Cary Grant’s underrated ghost movie, Reese Witherspoon’s divisive rom-com Just Like Heaven might not exist.

Reese Witherspoon's Just Like Heaven Puts A Modern Twist On Cary Grant's Topper

Renewing The Ghost Romance For Modern Audiences

Both Just Like Heaven and Topper center on ghost characters as they interact with real-life people. Most of the humor relies on the outlandish absurdity of speaking to someone who is not visible to strangers. However, the latter’s dedication to pulling off the visual trickery often detracts from the overall story, stalling the film’s pacing and limiting the proposed scope of the movie world. With newer filmmaking technology at hand, Just Like Heaven can integrate the ghost elements more cohesively. It feels more relevant to the story and serves a higher thematic purpose.

While Topper settles on a flippantly absurdist view of life, Reese Witherspoon’s rom-com resorts to Snow White-inspired narrative endings where a kiss from Prince Charming can save the Princess. Just Like Heaven is steeped in romanticism, heavily suggesting that true love is destined to fate and cosmic alignment. Though the film adheres to a more traditional depiction of gender roles in relation to work and marriage, it carries a more purposeful outlook on life and death driven by a compelling story and strong character arcs.

The director of Just Like Heaven, Mark Waters, also directed Mean Girls and Freaky Friday.

Topper Is One Of Cary Grant's Most Underrated Screwball Comedy Movies

Comparing Topper To Cary Grant’s Acting Legacy

Before embarking on a multi-film collaboration with director Howard Hawks, actor Cary Grant starred in several mid-level comedies adjacent to the characters he would end up playing in his more popular films. Combining a clumsy goofiness with a charming warmth, the Oscar-nominated actor helped popularize the screwball genre while working with some of the best Hollywood directors like George Cukor, Alfred Hitchcock, and Hawks.

Despite having limited screen time, the famed actor flexes his leading man qualities throughout Topper. Grant’s George Kerby is uplifted as the life of the party, a rich man barreling down a carefree lifestyle. Even after death, Kerby retains his lively pep, but Grant’s acting range goes beyond jest and joke. Upon assuming his wife’s infidelity, Kerby cowers into insecurity and tepid rage. Cary Grant’s performance in Topper is certainly one of his most underrated because he can express a range of emotions without speaking a single word, delivering something that is both dramatically memorable and comedically entertaining.