Ghost
1990
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
Genre: Romantic Fantasy Thriller
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $217 million
Plot: After a man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic
'Supernatural Chick Flick That Surprisingly Offers More Than Just Romance For Non-Romantic Movie audiences'
Banker Sam Wheat and artist Molly Jensen, the love of his life are moving into their new Manhattan complex, wherein she can house her sculptures and Sam relaxes in his brand new comfy armchair. Just as they were about to settle in and life was going smooth, Sam gets killed in a mugging that takes place in an alleyway on their way from an evening play. Molly is both mortified and distraught that he was taken away from her. But for Sam's spirit which lives on as he comes back as a ghost; he isn't about to say goodbye & let go of Molly so adamantly, and so quickly. When he learns that he was murdered in a premeditated attack orchestrated by someone he knows, he sets out to avenge his death & solve his own murder, whilst protecting Molly from a money-laundering scheme and connects with a spiritual advisor and con artist, Odesa Mae Brown for human communication. She is the only person who can communicate with the dead, and Odesa is distressed to learn that Sam can read her thoughts and to communicate and speak for him to Molly.
Oddly, this was marketed as a romantic comedy-drama and chick-flick, and though despite the heavy morality influences of good and evil, it doesn't become preachy and overly religious and story-wise, it has so much more to offer which will entice general film audiences. Ghost works as a competent picture and in contrast to 1990's other American big box office romantic movie, smash, Pretty Woman, in the U.K at least, Ghost outperformed the Julia Roberts effort, bringing over £22 million - over £10 million more and compared to that film, Ghost also offers so much more substance and depth that one could possibly imagine. The supernatural theme helps elevate Ghost to another level as a romantic movie as it transcends into a murder-mystery, fantasy drama with a hint of comedy and light-hearted amusement to make it less macabre and dark to endure. For decades I was a sceptic with regards to Ghost; the title didn't allude to anything particularly shocking or scary; I was avoiding screenings and viewings of this film since it seemed like it could be too overly sappy and cheesy for my tastes. I am not big of romantic movies in general and believed that there wasn't much that wasn't romantic that could pique my interest. This was the first time I ever watched Ghost...4 decades later since its original release... and admittedly, I quite enjoyed this one in doses.
Performances-wise, each actor was genuinely good and very convincing as their characters; Whoopi Goldberg has never been better than here, Demi Moore did okay; filmmakers also had Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner, Debra Winger, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan and Madonna in mind for the part of Molly, and whilst Patrick Swayze doesn't sell every scene he is in, he brings some urgency and passion his character requires. As it progresses, we realise that Sam is more interested in protecting Molly than seek outright revenge.
Ghost manages to capture and convey aspects of different genres whilst the story (despite the slow-moving first act) is well-written and constructed without being mushy and cheesy and coming across as fake. One of the interesting things is how Zucker is able to insert and interweave Sam in scenes, even though he is physically & actively not present and allowing the other characters room to establish and maneuver themselves and not overshadowing the film. The special effects are good for its era. It is a film that gets better with age and being older, I have developed an understanding and newfound admiration of what director, Jerry Zucker, Demi Moore, the late Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg and writer, Bruce Joel Rubin were trying to achieve with Ghost.
Final Verdict:
A send-off to the 1980s, Ghost is an almost mythological take on the afterlife, set in the modern-day and what might possibly happen when a loved one dies and comes back as a spirit. Philadelphia Enquirer's Carrie Rickey quoted: ''given its obviously commercial aims, Ghost is remarkably appealing on a personal level. It is about how you deal with death in the context of a love story.''
The ending feels a little cheesy, but nonetheless, this is far from the schmaltzy chick flick fest it is lauded as Ghost is Always with a plot, it has plenty of non-romantic scenes and moments that makes it less of a rom-com and whilst this is not the best 1990s movie, in my view that is, seeing this finally in 2022, I do get why it connected strongly with cinema-goers and many die-hard Patrick Swayze fanatics. It helped redefine the notion of the Hollywood blockbuster and became the 1990 box office topper ahead of Pretty Woman, Total Recall, Die Hard and Back to the Future Part III.
Ghost is the anomaly of your traditional, standard rom-com: for non-rom-com fans and lovers, it's unlike anything Hollywood and the Romantic comedy genre has rolled out, before and after Ghost. & it's a good thing.
Long may that continue...
Overall:
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