ALWAYS

SYNOPSIS: A daredevil pilot, Pete (Dreyfus), has a hard time choosing between his love for his job – putting out forest fires – and his love for his dream girl (Hunter). He tries to be the man Dorinda wants him to be, but the thrill of flying is just too strong. Eventually her worst nightmare comes true, leaving her alone with her grief and Pete hovering between heaven and earth. As she moves on with her life and struggles to find the courage to love again, Pete is forced to watch and wonder what might have been. His attempts to stall her new romance from the other side bring unexpected results, finally showing him what true love is all about.

BOTTOM LINE: With Spielberg at the helm ALWAYS is a touch better than the original film from which it is based called A GUY NAMED JOE. Mostly because the effects are better in the flying/firefighting scenes than they were able to create in 1945 (in which they were fighter pilots). Otherwise, it's the same romantically silly fluff, but with different actors. Dreyfuss and Hunter have great chemistry which, along with the flying sequences, makes the beginning of the film quite an enjoyable ride for both sexes. However, once Pete dies the story becomes somewhat clunky while we watch him try to make sense of his new existence and Dorinda's hunky new love (Johnson). While there are some truly touching, clever and funny moments in this section, since no one can see or hear Pete you quickly begin to wish that he'd literally see the light and end his suffering. The lightness and adventure of the first half is totally washed away by the heavy-handedness of the second. The film has almost too much heart, but ultimately Dreyfus and Hunter make the slog through worth the trouble.