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.

Shelley Long is very appealing and cute in this harmless movie. Long plays Lucy Chadman, a young woman who chokes to death, then months later is brought back to life by her wacky sister Zelda (Judith Ivey). Chadman's life has changed radically since her death, and she spends her time falling in love all over again.The film has an uncomfortably goofy atmosphere, as if it's spoofing something that isn't really identified; these sequences are interspersed with very romantic scenes in which Chadman is again falling in love. It's definitely a mixed bag, but the ending--which appears to have been tacked on after the writers couldn't come up with a story resolution--is so awkward and unconvincing that it ruins the entire film. In all of my years, I don't think I've ever seen a film with such an unbelievably dumb story resolution. I really felt sorry for the cast when I saw the ending.Long is good and Sela Ward is beautiful, but the goofy feeling the movie conveys irritated me somewhat, and the ending just left me dumbfounded. Proceed if you like Shelley Long, I suppose.

This film has gotten a bad rap, but it is actually a sweet film about second chances. Lucy Chadman (Bubbly Shelly Long)is an embarrassment to her vain husband Jason (Corbin Bernsen), but loved by her quirky sister (Judith Ivey) and her son. One day, she dies (Choking to death on a oriental chicken ball). One year later, thanks to her sister's book of spells, Lucy comes back to life. She soon finds that a lot has changed: her husband has married her friend, Kim(Sela Ward). Lucy then becomes attracted to the doctor that tried to save her the year before (Gabriel Byrne). Soon, her secret is out and Kim, afraid that her new hubby would go back to her, decides to cause trouble for Lucy.Sure the film may sound typical, even formulaic (You pretty much have a feeling how things will work out and who ends up with whom), but it's still a funny, sweet film. Worth checking out.

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.