¿Estás muerta, cariño?

The stage curtains open ...

I've been catching up on films from the years of my youth that I never got to see. Tonight's viewing was the 1987 comedy, "Hello Again", starring Shelley Long in the starring role. Shelley Long was in her prime and probably at the height of her career during that time, so this movie poster was a fairly common one to see in the video rental stores. It only took me 38 years to see it - and unfortunately, the wait was not worth it.

The story is about Lucy Chadman (Long), the accident prone and clumsy wife of a very successful plastic surgeon, who is having a hard time finding her own identity in a world where she does not belong. She has a sister who is into the occult, and when Lucy chokes on a meatball and dies, her sister brings her back from the dead exactly one year later. She finds the world has changed, her husband has moved on to another marriage, her son has gotten married as well, and she is dealing with the idea that she really was dead, though she can't believe it at first. With the help of another doctor, she finds a way to accept and move forward with her 2nd chance at life.

So yeah ... she is basically resurrected. On the surface, this film is polished and with a solid saxophone featured 80's soundtrack. Shelley Long is her usual charming and inviting self, and the movie had all the earmarks of a comedy. The only problem is that it really isn't that funny. It should've billed as more of a drama, but even on that level, it doesn't score either. Simmering underneath is an uneasy "weird" and "unnatural" feel to it that permeates every scene. She died. This isn't like the film "Chances Are" where he was reincarnated as another person. She comes back as herself, like nothing happened.

I was expecting there to be some sort of morality tale to this, a bittersweet ending where she had to accept the reality of her situation. No ... nothing like that at all. This one just didn't sit well with me. Shelley Long was fun to watch, but as a story, it doesn't work. And the ending was just too cute and tied up for me. I wouldn't recommend this movie. It was just "okay". Not good, not bad ... but not really worth the time spent to watch it either. Highly forgettable.

Lucy Chadman (Shelley Long) is a former-teacher Long Island housewife uncomfortable with the high class parties required by her ambitious Manhattan surgeon Jason (Corbin Bernsen) looking to be chief of plastic surgery at the Knickerbocker. Her gold-digging college friend Kim Lacey (Sela Ward) is three-times-married and looking for a fourth. Her son Danny is a passionate chef. Her sister Zelda (Judith Ivey) is an odd character dabbling in witchcraft. Lucy chokes to death on a South Korean chicken ball from Zelda. Exactly one year later, Zelda uses a spellbook to bring back Lucy. She finds the world has changed. Danny didn't go to Columbia and instead, opened his own restaurant. Jason married Kim and sold the house. She returns to the Knickerbocker ER to talk to Dr. Kevin Scanlon (Gabriel Byrne) who treated her a year ago. Unbeknownst to her, she needs to find true love by the next full moon.

This is not that funny. Shelley Long's pratfalls are awkward and unfunny. The first half of the story is good. The romance takes a long time to start. Gabriel Byrne doesn't show up until the end of the first act and even later for him to fully be a character. The second half of the story is clunky after the world discovers her return from the dead. This is simply not funny enough and I put most of that on writer Susan Isaacs. Director Frank Perry does a workmanlike job but his comedic takes are not laugh worthy either. The romance is fine and I kinda like the wacky sister.

All right, so it's not the great epic of our times, but it's pretty cute. Gabriel Byrne gives a good performance as Kevin Scanlon, the workaholic doctor who falls in love with Lucy Chadman, a nonsensical suburban housewife resurrected a year after her death. Byrne combines wry humour and determination nicely - and is the reason I've seen the movie as many times as I have. Shelley Long bubbles as usual, in the role of Lucy, a woman who must choose between her old life, and her second chance for happiness. It's a cute 80's romantic comedy, and an enjoyable anecdote.

I don't know why so many people have slammed this movie in the comments section. I have seen this film numerous times and find it hilarious and Shelley Long adorable. No, this is not a film that requires a lot of deep thinking and analyzing, but it's not supposed to be. It's a light-hearted, romantic comedy that achieves its goal -- it entertains you, makes you laugh and touches your heart. It need not try to do anymore than that. Shelley Long, Judith Ivey, Gabriel Byrn and Sela Ward all give great performances, as does the rest of the supporting cast.

'Hello again' might not be the best movie ever made in fact you could class it more as a made for TV movie but its not trying to be 'A Street car Named Desire' all its trying to do is bring joy to Shelly Long fans. It made me chuckle. The premise for the movie is very good. A house wife who lives through her husband and has no particular purpose in life suddenly dies but only for her to be brought back to life for her to live her life the way she should of all along. However the film is very patchy in places with no real character development, change in plot confusing, jokes fall flat, random scenes clutter up the film, the list of problems could go on. Shelly Long does the best she can with a dodgy script as do the other actors. Her performance leaves you in no doubts of her comedic talents. But through out its problems it never lose its its tone. Lighthearted fun for all the family especially Shelly Long fans.