"Chances Are" is one of several romantic-comedies in the late-80s/early-90s starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the romantic/comedic lead. In my opinion, this is one of his best.Along with the under-rated 1993 "Heart & Souls", these two movies bookend one another beautifully. They could almost be confused as the same movie since they look the same, have the same sense of humor and have the same leading man playing essentially the same character with minor differences. It may be why the new "Chances Are" cover has changed from the original 1989 purple and white cover. While "Chances Are" has RDJ being reincarnated to reunite with his long-lost love and her family, "Heart & Souls" has RDJ as the conduit for five ghosts to set things right with THEIR families. I believe "Chances Are" edges out the deserving "Heart & Souls" by a smidgen due to the better romantic theme and simple storyline vs. the more complicated "Heart & Souls" script due to the five ghosts' story lines.As for "Chances Are" by itself, RDJ plays a reincarnated Louie Jeffries who was married in the 1960s to Cybill Shepherd (this was her last "beauty" movie where she looked stunning). Louie dies on his first anniversary and is reincarnated as RDJ. RDJ stumbles across the adorable Mary Stuart Masterson at university and eventually crosses paths with newspaper superstar, Ryan O'Neal, and Cybill, who has kept the candle lit for her dead husband for two decades, all within the first 15 minutes of the movie. Through several twists and comedic turns, RDJ realizes who he was and tries rekindling the flames with someone old enough to be his mother - and everyone else thinks he's either a gold-digger extraordinaire and/or psychotic. The entire story reminds me of the old-time Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant comedies of yesteryear where a little bit of overacting was allowed because it put a smile on your face no matter if the story was credible or not.The movie is light, funny, charming, and just enough romance to make it a perfect date movie. The men will enjoy the humor and women will enjoy the romance. The cast looks to be genuinely enjoying themselves which makes the unlikely story easy to swallow. Robert Downey, Jr. has always been a special physical actor. He embodies the qualities of other actors into his own persona and magic comes out on-screen.This may not be perfection, but it is worth watching as a light-hearted romantic comedy. I enjoy it every time I watch it again. It's in my top-20 rom/coms of all-time not because it's a classic - but because all the pieces fit so well to make a fun movie experience. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. 7 out of 10.

I found this to be a pretty silly movie. In a way I do not really detest romantic comedies, though I do find the silly Hollywood romantic ideals in these movie to be somewhat sickening. Chances Are is no different with everything working out in the end with all of the main characters happy in the end.The plot of this movie is based around a man, Louis Jefferies (Robert Downey Jnr) dying in a road accident and leaving his wife a widow. He gets to heaven, not really knowing where he is, and says that he must get back, so he is given another chance to live. He is given a lot of really nice positions but wants to get back to Washington. He comes back, but isn't treated so he forgets who he was. Twenty three years later he has graduated from Yale and meets a young lady in the library, he helps her out and she thanks him. He them moves to Washington and attempts to get a job at the Washington Post. Though he is refused a job, he meets a nice man, Philip Train (Ryan O'Neal) who invites him around to his friend's house. Through a peculiar twist of fate it lands up to be his ex-wife's house and her daughter is the girl he met at the library. Hollywood really knows how to stretch believability.The movie is supposed to be a confusing mixture of people chasing after each other and others running between bedrooms, but it really is not. Much of the comedy comes out of Louis Jefferies, who is now Alix Finch, realising that he was really Corinne Jefferies (Cybil Shepherd) husband, and then trying to convince her of that. It lands up with a clichéd Finch revealing all of his treasured secrets that only Jefferies would have known.Corinne is a lovely character. Okay, she is jumps into bed with Train the minute they fall in love, but her devotion to her dead husband is beautifully admirable. She is so tied up with her dead husband that she spends a lot of time at the psychiatrist to try and get over her obsession.This movie is also quite predictable: I know what Hollywood is like. I knew Finch could not get back together with Corinne, leaving both Train, and Miranda Jefferies (Mary Stuart Masterson) out in the cold. I know that they all must be satisfied at the end of the movie, the only question was how that was to happen.This movie is based around the theme that Louis Jefferies is back from the dead and everything must work out. There are obstacles that the characters must overcome, but this movie is a fantasy and thus reality needs to be twisted a little. Even though what happened in heaven is false, not only is it a place where good people go, but people can have a second chance at life if they want. Earth is portrayed as a playground for the rich and the poor are really just animals that get in the way.

Nay Sayers of this film are likely bitter from some seriously unrequited love. This is a great film for anyone capable of understanding Johnny Mathis's song, or any song from that era: Bobby Darin's, Beyond the Sea... or Stan Getz's, The Girl From Ipanema, et al...I measure films by how many times I have to watch them before I'm satisfied... Chances Are had me back a few good times.I also watch the synergy between the cast... I thought they worked well together.Open your heart, and let the comedic magic of film transport you.'Alan

The beginning of the movie was good, but as we get more into the movie it becomes absolutely terrible. When Louie died and had his soul put into another body, he and his wife should have overcome this and be together regardless. It's a disaster that Corinne ended up marrying her "dead husband's" best friend in the end. I don't know how any person with a heart could do such a cruel thing. Also, the movie ended in a horrible way. Alex, who is Louie with a different body, should have somehow gotten his original body back. And reunite in a loving way with his wife. After I finished watching this movie I was extremely disappointed. The director did an awful job with this movie. I think anyone would realize this. The ending of the movie killed the entire film. Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor. I can't understand why he even accepted such a role. I would never want to be in a movie like this. This is the worst movie I have ever seen in my whole entire life. Just disastrous, awful, terrible, disgusting.