High Spirits

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Peter O'Toole is wonderful as are the remainder of the actors. This movie is part of my DVD collection.

It's a screwball comedy about what people will do to try to save their livelihood, marriages, etc. Some of the situations that the characters find themselves in are a bit corny; however, they are still funny. It's also somewhat of a ghostly movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.

If you've ever lived in England, Ireland, or Scotland, the characters in this movie will remind you warmly of those people.

It is a movie that you can sit down with the family and some popcorn and enjoy.

If you can forgive the less-than-ideal acting by some of the other cast, Peter O'Toole once again shows why he's one of the greatest actors in the English speaking world. From the scene where he's trying to hang himself while arguing with his mother, to where he meets his ghost-Dad, O'Toole is hilarious as the bumbling, scheming drunk Irish fool who is desperate to keep the family castle in family hands.

High Spirits (1988) is a movie my daughter and I watched together on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a struggling castle that decides to remarket itself as a haunted castle as one last attempt to be profitable. They get a surge of guests just in time to discover the castle really is haunted. This movie is directed by Neil Jordan (Interview with a Vampire) and stars Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia), Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill), Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy), Tom Hickey (Gothic), Beverly D'Angelo (Christmas Vacation) and Jennifer Tilly (Bride of Chucky). This is a movie I watched on HBO a million times as a kid. The carefree story is fun and unfolds well and I loved the real and fake ghosts sequences. The props and special effects were so fun and the depth and evolution of the characters are well executed. Guttenberg was perfectly cast for this film and the conclusion always made me want a sequel. This is one of those feel good family movies with a high rewatch value. I strongly recommend seeing this at least once, even if you don't watch it as a family movie. I'd score this a solid 7/10.

Peter O'Toole is hysterical in this film, and quite easily, is the glue that holds it together (contrary to popular opinion). While this film suffers its share of problems, (such as a few holes in the plot, a little shoddy acting here and there) it makes me laugh as few other movies have. O'Toole's drunken wisdom and fights with his drunken, ghost-talking mother are great. Steve Guttenberg does fine, Daryl Hannah is okay. The Irish country side is lovelyand haunting (incidentally, the movie was filmed in a castle in Limerick,Ireland, where Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes grew up); the set ofthe castle itself is the stuff that fairy tales are made of. The effort that the staff makes to haunt the cynical guests is great, in particular the Lady Godiva/Broggan Banshee fiasco.

While the whole spouse-swapping aspect of the movie is a little hazy, Beverly D'Angelo and Liam Neeson are grand. The entire plot is somewhat goofy, as are some of the transitions to get from Point A to Point B, but it is the humor that keeps it alive. It received terrible reviews, but it's absolutely worth a viewing if you're ever in the mood for something a little absurd that will make you chuckle.

Maybe I have a warped sense of humour (or just a very British one) but I laugh every time I see this film, and I've seen it well over a 100 times over the years. It is genuinely funny, the script is witty and the actors superb. This is one of my all time favourite rainy day films. No matter how times I watch it there are still little things I'd not noticed or things I'd forgotten happen. I strongly suggest getting this film out next time it's raining and you're stuck indoors, and if anyone from the BBC is reading, please put it on next bank holiday!!