Out-of-body experiences in the Movies

Ever get that “Why does it feel like I’m watching my life play out on a giant movie screen in my head” feeling? You’re not alone. Check out these movie characters who know what it means to just be along for the ride!

When a group of medical students set out to explore what lies beyond death, they quickly discover that some doors are best left unopened. Led by an all-star cast featuring Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Oliver Platt, 'Flatliners' was very much alive with out-of-body experiences.

Nobody knows how to get their party on quite like The Dude (Jeff Bridges). That’s probably why nobody else has out-of-body experiences that feature Viking queens and dancing bowling pins. Why is the star of 'The Big Lebowski' susceptible to matters of the mind? Because The Dude abides.

Love is grand. And when it isn’t, you can just have it erased from your mind just like Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) did in 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' As his memories are erased, Joel finds himself on the outside looking in, revisiting the highlights of his love lost.

Daniel (Albert Brooks) finds himself in purgatory, where his time on Earth is judged to see if he’s worthy of going on to a higher phase of existence. Watching the replay of his life of bad decisions and mishaps humorously unfold, Daniel is (literally) beside himself with embarrassment, and audiences were beside themselves with laughter.

Set in the neon-lit nightclub environments of Tokyo, this French drama follows Oscar (Nathaniel Brown), a down-and-out drug dealer who gets shot by the police but continues to watch succeeding events during an out-of-body experience. The film is shot from a first-person viewpoint, which often floats above the city streets, and occasionally features Oscar staring over his own shoulder as he recalls moments from his past.

Sure, 'Ghost' will always be one of the greatest chick flicks of all time, but its also one of the best out-of-body experiences captured on film. Patrick Swayze plays a ghost -- a butt-kicking, Whoopi Goldberg-channeling, Demi Moore-kissing ghost. He even made pottery look cool.

Think you’re having a bad day? In the psychological thriller 'Awake,' Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is in the middle of heart transplant surgery when he gets anesthesia awareness and starts to feel every move the doctors are making on his body. The intense pain causes Clay to have a clairvoyant experience where he quickly learns that the surgery is the least of his problems.

We always knew Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) had a way of connecting to animals, but it wasn’t until this comedy sequel that we learned he could connect to the supernatural. Unable to crack a case, Ace uses his powers of astral projection to consult the Grand Abbot. The result? An out-of-body experience that is just b-e-a-u-tiful!

As Frank Cross, Bill Murray plays a Scrooge-like network TV exec in this retelling of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol,' forced to watch a replay of his life unfold in truly funny ways. 

George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) reminds us that it doesn’t take money in the bank to realize that you’re the richest man in town -- it takes an out-of-body experience where you're visited by an angel who shows you what life would be like had you not been born!

Does it count as an out-of-body experience if you don’t know that it’s happening? If you’ve seen 'The Sixth Sense' then you know the answer is absolutely YES. As Dr. Crowe, Bruce Willis doesn’t believe his patient when he claims to see dead people. He should though, considering Crowe is one of those very ghosts!