Ghost (1990)
by Jerry Zucker
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Stanley Lawrence, Tony Goldwyn, Whoopi GoldbergDirector: Jerry Zucker
Cinematographer: Adam Greenberg
Editor: Walter Murch
Producer: Steven-Charles Jaffe
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Running Time: 127 minutes
Release Date: 2001-02-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Studio: Paramount Pictures
VHS Movie Reviews of Ghost (1990)
Movie Review: Sadly it sacrifices the romance for a clich?d plot twist...
Summary: 3 Stars
Somewhere between good and bad lies `Ghost', a film that has enough working for it to offset the elements working against it, but in the end can't really be labeled as a `good' film or a `bad' one. I feel somewhat torn as to my response towards `Ghost' because the film is essentially two films, one of which works far greater than the other. There is a love story and a murder mystery, and the love story (which ends up taking a back seat to the murder mystery) is in all actuality the most impressive and touching part of the story. The murder mystery should have been stripped from the screenplay in my opinion, especially since it is obvious even before Sam is killed who exactly is going to have it done and why.
So, the film centers on Sam and Molly, an attractive couple who are deep in love (even if Sam never says it) and have just moved into an apartment together. One night out on the town they run into a mugger who strikes Molly causing Sam to burst into a furious rage and gets himself shot. Now Molly is all alone with her grief; well sort of. Sam is not gone; his spirit is still allowed on Earth because he has some unfinished business to settle before he can enter heaven. That's when Sam meets Oda Mae Brown, a scam artist posing as a spiritual counselor who can actually hear Sam and thus offers to help Sam reach Molly.
The film tends to fall apart when Oda Mae is not on the screen, namely because without Whoopi's brilliant comedic work the film drifts into clich? after clich?. Instead of focusing on the undying love between Sam and Molly, which is really what this movie was supposed to be about, it focuses on the reason for Sam's murder (which could have easily been left as a senseless act of violence, allowing for the `love story' within this film to shine forward) and this tends to take away from the originality of the film.
When the movie began and Sam and Molly were kissing and falling all over each other during the now infamous clay pot scene I was so touched (that was one of the most erotic scenes I have ever seen in a film) and I really expected the film to draw off of that vibe when placing together the plot. I wanted to see Sam try and embrace Molly when she was alone and feel the chemistry between the two of them as she felt him near her, but that never happened.
Sam was too preoccupied, thus the audience becomes too preoccupied to remember the basis of this film.
The acting was actually pretty good, and in some areas excellent. Whoopi Goldberg, or should I say `Oscar Winner' Whoopi Goldberg, is the best part of this film. Her comedic timing is impeccable and I really can't think of another actress who could have pulled this off as brilliantly as she did. Demi Moore was also wonderful as Molly, her emotional breakdowns wholly believable, as was her love for Sam. I also enjoyed Tony Goldwyn's neurotic portrayal of Carl Bruner, Sam's friend. His acting was a little clich?d but he was entertaining. I have never been one to think of Patrick Swayze as a good actor, and sadly `Ghost' didn't change my mind any either. He was serviceable, but his outbursts seemed forced and contrived.
In the end I can say that `Ghost' works on some levels and should really be seen for Goldberg at least (who is truly amazing). I just wish that the script would have been thought through a little more, for this had the potential of being a beautiful romantic film but instead became your standard murder mystery. I also thought that the depictions of the afterlife were a little `Ghostbusters' but that's may just be me.
Summary of Ghost (1990)
Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are the passionate lovers whose romance is undone when the latter is murdered during a bungled hit arranged by a rival. The clever concept by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (director of My Life) extends outward into comedy (Swayze's character communicates through a sassy medium played by Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for this role), horror (the afterlife is populated by hell-bound demons and the like), and romantic complications (a handsome suitor, played by Tony Goldwyn, comes on to Moore while Swayze's spirit is still hanging around). Directed by Jerry Zucker, previously best known for codirecting Airplane! and similar broad comedies, Ghost is a careful balancing act of strong commercial elements, but at heart it is a timeless Hollywood tearjerker that easily gets under one's skin. --Tom KeoghDrama VHS Video
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