Ghost

Ghost is the latest of a dozen or so films that I have come to appreciate much more over time. I had seen it a few times in the '90s and liked it, but not on the level of yesterday's viewing. Every film is a world unto itself, and generally speaking, the more interesting the world, the better the film. I like the world of Ghost. I like the treatment of the supernatural. The denial thereof and other character annoyances can be rationalized away quite satisfactorily. I would, however, prefer a more restrained Whoopi Goldberg, who is a little out of control for the sake of humor. It is something of a comedy after all.

The special effects hold up very well. Maurice Jarre's score hits the mark (no surprise there). Jerry Zucker directs very competently. Bruce Joel Rubin won the Oscar for his marvelous original screenplay. Demi Moore is a must for Molly. Likewise for Patrick Swayze as Sam. His regrettable and untimely death adds to the mystique.

Only a 6.9 on this site, but nothing talks like money with over a half-billion dollars worldwide. If you last saw Ghost many years ago and thought it good, not great, I suggest you rewatch it. It quite touched me, and may do you as well.

If nothing else the popularity of the film Ghost guaranteed a revival of that great love song Unchained Melody. It's always a pleasure when good music is heard on the airways and we have Ghost to thank for this little treasure making a comeback.

Ghost also provided Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore with a couple of career roles as a typical yuppie couple settling in Tribeca when tragedy strikes one of them. But as it turns out, that's only the beginning of the story.

If you were to describe Ghost I guess the best way you could describe it would be a drama/fantasy with some humorous moments, mostly as a result of the casting of Whoopi Goldberg as a fake psychic. But she comes into the story in the middle of the film. Patrick and Demi, those brat pack alumni are now eager young urban professionals, Demi makes and sells her own pottery and Patrick works in a bank, in the high end area of one, he's not just a teller. When we meet them they are starting to fix up their Tribeca loft with one of Swayze's co-workers, Tony Goldwyn.

But one fateful night after seeing a performance of MacBeth, Swayze is killed as a result of a street mugging. But was it just that, a simple robbery? Not by a longshot and Swayze who was killed before his time is angry enough to stay on Earth and find out what really happened.

Of course he needs an ally and that's where Whoopi comes in. Turns out that there might be a little truth in her advertising as a spiritualist and consultant to the dead. Good enough for Whoopi to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the other Oscar Ghost won was for original screenplay.

But you won't forget Patrick and Demi as a pair of literal starcrossed lovers. You also know that the universal fates will reunite them because people who care for each other as much as they did aren't destined to stay apart.

I do so love Unchained Melody. Introduced originally by blues singer Al Hibbler in the Fifties it got a revival a decade later by the Righteous Brothers. Tony Bennett also recorded a fine version and after his death a previously unreleased version of it was put out by Bing Crosby's estate. It's a perfect song for the theme for Swayze and Moore.

One of the best love stories of the last decade of the last century, despite the tragedy that takes place, Ghost is one feel good motion picture.

I must say this film surprised me. Coming in, I knew nothing about it but the famous clay-forming scene... I didn't know I was in for such a strong experience. This film had me from the first few moments of it. I never lost interest. The plot is so interesting and intriguing, you can't help but watch, often at the very edge of your seat. I will say that I found one twist somewhat predictable, but maybe I've just seen too many later movies before watching this. There is a lot of suspense in this film. When I found that it was directed by a Zucker(yup... Airplane and so forth), I was somewhat doubtful as to any other quality in the film than the humor of it... if you're reading this and you're thinking the same, trust me; he pulls it off. Excellently. There are few, if any, flaws in directing. The writing is solid. At times, there seemed to be a little too much humor and some scenes were maybe a tad long, but apart from that, there was not really anything with this film that was flawed. The score is great. The pacing is incredibly good. The acting is really good all-round. Goldberg provides a lot of comic relief, without being obnoxious. Moore and Swayze have magnificent chemistry, you truly believe them as a couple. The special effects are grand, yet they don't take over the movie. This is driven by the emotions, by how the plot affects these characters. I was completely into this movie all the way. The humor is very good and surprisingly tasteful for the theme. Much of it is derived from the situation of Swayze's character and his interaction with environment and other characters. All in all, just a very impressive film. I recommend this to any fan of drama, romance, comedy, thriller or fantasy, as well as anyone interested in seeing a non-parody Zucker film and fans of the actors. 7/10

"Ghost" isn't very subtle, and similar themes have been done elsewhere with more depth, but I say just relax and enjoy. The best reason is of course, Whoopi Goldberg, who is hilarious and as always, very good. As for the story and the characters' reactions not being plausible, you really need to have a little imagination when you watch movies! I give any movie credit for not being bad, since there are so many dreary movies out there, and Ghost is not bad.

When seeing "Ghost" 16 years ago with friends, and family I knew that this film would go down as a classic and it did it's one of the 90's best films. The movie in my opinion is so successful because of the many themes it's associated with it's not only a love story, but also this film has plenty of comedic moments while at the same time the main characters face a web of betrayal. The plot is well written with many turns as Patrick Swayze gives a strong performance as a New York City banker, who is gunned down and killed right in front of his sweetheart(Demi Moore)and all of this is over a dirty investment scandal. "Ghost" then gets very interesting when the Swayze character finds out that the after life does indeed occur! He can see people, but they can't see him! Never fear the only hope is to team with a psychic(Whoopi Goldberg who rightfully wins an Academy-Award for best supporting actress) to uncover the truth behind his murder and to rescue his love(Demi Moore). Overall this movie is a great romance that touches your heart, and makes you appreciate your loved ones especially after their gone. The laughs are also good with Whoopi and it's nice to see the now late Vincent Schiavelli have a small part as a subway ghost, who helps Patrick believe in his supernatural powers. Overall again one of the best movies of the 90's that taught us love, hope, and made us a believer that our past loved ones could be ghost. Also this picture helped make Demi Moore a superstar in the 90's, as she would earn 12 to 15 million a picture during this decade.