Chances Are (1989)

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 Amazon.com

Good transfer to DVD

As romanatic comedies go--this is one of the best. I don't normally care for this genre, but I'll make an exception for "Chances Are". The film is well paced and the casting is perfect--in particular for Robert Downey Jr.--you can't imagine anyone else playing his role.

I almost did not purchase the DVD, thinking the transfer to DVD would be a grainy, letter-boxed, disappointing mess--not true! The transfer to DVD of this 1989 movie is quite good--anamorphic widescreen (and enhanced for 16x9 large screen TVs--so that the picture fills the entire screen--no annoying little letterbox!) with vivid colors and good sound. Although the plot involves rather serious events (death and reincarnation), the movie is quite funny--and clean--good for the entire family. This is one you will watch again and again. Highly recommended! June 30, 2008

Excellent Movie Choice

Chances Are is a Cybil Sheppard and Robert Downet,Jr. movie it is one of the best movies,I think,if you like a love story with a twist! You can watch this movie with the whole family,its funny,moving,and best of all entertaining!If you want to feel good about a movie watch this one,its different! June 22, 2008

Sweet movie

Chances Are is adorable. The cast is wonderful and the idea is sweet. It all starts with on the first anniversary of a wealthy, DC couple who are crazy in love and just find out they're pregnant. On the same night, the husband is killed in a car crash. He goes to heaven where he is reincarnated in the form of Robert Downey Jr. By the time Downey's character is 23, he has no recollection of anything, until he meets the couple's daughter, who is also 23. He's beginning to fall for her, but then his memory begins to return and he realizes who he used to be. Long story short, he makes a play for the mother, who never got over her husband's death and wants to believe he's still alive.

I won't tell you how everything ends, but you may be kind of "icked out" by the fact that the daughter is, in essence, attracted to her father. I watched this movie when I was younger and it never really bothered me, but as I got older and really understood it, it kinda wigged me out. Having said that, it's a very sweet movie that wil make you feel all warn and fuzzy in the end. February 11, 2008

Funny and Sad love story

All the stars in this movie are great actors. Not their best work but very watchable. I really enjoyed this movie very much. Cybil Sheppard is a joy to watch on the screen. November 13, 2007

Cheesy...and wonderful!

A fun, mostly well-acted movie that is worth watching once a year or so. It's a charming, cleverly-written exploration of reincarnation and a lot of laughs. Buy it, watch it, enjoy it! :D November 3, 2007

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