Ghost (1990)

Directed by: Jerry Zucker | 128 minutes | drama, thriller, romance | Actors: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, Stanley Lawrence, Christopher J. Keene, Susan Breslau, Martina Deignan, Rick Kleber, Macka Foley, Rick Aviles, Phil Leeds, John Hugh, Sam Tsoutsouvas, Sharon Breslau, Vincent Schiavelli, Angelina Estrada, Armelia McQueen, Gail Boggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Thom Curley, Stephen Root, Laura Drake, Augie Blunt, Alma Beltran, Vivian Bonnell, Derek Thompson, J. Christopher Sullivan, Charlotte Zucker, Tom Finnegan, Bruce Jarchow, Sondra Rubin, Faye Brenner, William Cort, Minnie Summers Lindsey, Mabel Lockridge, Said Faraj, Mike Jittlov

Patrick Swayze has the dubious honor of being listed in a list of the most idiotic movie statements with no less than two quotes. Food giant Warburtons conducted a survey among 2000 British cinema-goers a few years ago. swayzes ‘Nobody puts baby in a corner’ from ‘Dirty Dancing’ (1987) finished second, just behind Leonardo DiCaprio’s legendary “I’m the king of the world!” from ‘Titanic’ (1997). On the fourth spot, a dialogue between Swayze and Demi Moore from ‘Ghost’ (1990) appears. When his character Sam is finally ready ‘I love you’ to say to her, she replies with the words ‘ditto’. You could feel less idiotic… Bland or not, the movie ‘Ghost’ has been high on many guilty pleasures’ list for years. Your loved one who stays with you after his death to protect and watch over you – how romantic do you want it?!

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) are doing well. He is a successful banker in Manhattan and she earns a living as an artist. The couple have just moved into a beautifully renovated apartment. Nothing seems to stand in the way of their happiness, but then disaster strikes. During a robbery, Sam is murdered by an addicted criminal (Rick Aviles). However, his mind has no intention of going to heaven, for he still has an important task to fulfill. He discovers that his death is no accident and that his best friend and colleague Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn) is behind it. He needs important information to be able to launder drug money and he will do anything to get there. That’s why Molly is also in danger. Sam desperately tries to protect her, but can’t seem to warn her. Until help shows up from an unexpected source. Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a first-class con artist who turns out to have a heart of gold, turns out to be able to communicate with him in miraculous ways. But try convincing that sober Molly!

‘Ghost’ was directed by Jerry Zucker, who was previously best known for comedy films such as ‘Airplane’ (1980) and the series ‘The Naked Gun’ films, for which he wrote the screenplay. Zucker is now venturing into a film that can’t exactly be pigeonholed. It all starts off very romantic, culminating in a honey-sweet climax with the scene of Molly and Sam at the potter’s wheel, accompanied by The Righteous Brothers’ legendary ‘Unchained Melody’. However, the romance soon gives way to a crime side when the heist takes place that kills Sam. Then the drama kicks in; Molly dealing with her loss and Sam desperately trying to connect with her. Once Whoopi Goldberg makes her appearance, a good dose of humor is added to this bizarre mix of genres and styles. The contact she manages to make with Sam smells strongly of a paranormal thriller. And to top it all off, things are concluded with a perfunctory action scene in which everything still ends up on its feet. And then we haven’t even considered the appalling special effects. Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin went wild and put everything he could think of into the story. As a result, the balance is regularly lost. It’s simply too much of a good thing. It is incomprehensible that Rubin was allowed to receive an Oscar for this mixed bag.

In addition, ‘Ghost’ with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze does not exactly have the strongest actors to carry this top-heavy projectile (for comparison: Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks, among others, were in the running for the lead roles…) Moore especially falls because of her boyish face and tomboy clothes. Her character is superficial and pretty stupid. Swayze is a very mediocre actor who rose to fame in the 1980s for his sex appeal. In ‘Ghost’ he is not convincing and at times he comes across as helpless. The film only really comes alive when the ever flamboyant Whoopi Goldberg makes her appearance. Although she is quite over the top, her humor brings a welcome distraction from the lingering melodrama that surrounds Moore and Swayze. Goldberg won her only Oscar for this supporting role (she was previously nominated for her work in ‘The Color Purple’ from 1985). The supporting roles are well filled anyway, because Tony Goldwyn also shows himself from his best side as the sneaky Carl Bruner. He knows how to give this wolf in sheep’s clothing a hint of sympathy. Also noteworthy is the small role of Vincent Schiavelli as the mysterious ghost who roams the metro system. In the little screen time he gets, this character actor pur sang manages to make an unforgettable impression.

Ghost was nominated for five Oscars and won two. The music, by Maurice Jarre, also deserved a statue. Furthermore, this film is mainly an overrated work full of clichés. ‘Ghost’ takes too much on its fork, wants to cross the boundaries of the genres but crosses the line several times. If Zucker and Rubin had limited themselves to a paranormal romantic thriller, the movie would probably have been much stronger. Now ‘Ghost’ is presented as a tearjerker, where in fact hardly any tears are involved. The focus is not sharp enough for that and too many side roads are taken. In addition, the film can not boast of a strong actor couple in the lead roles. Fortunately, the other cast members manage to save the film from a total failure. For those who saw this film in the cinema with their lover at the time, ‘Ghost’ will undoubtedly always remain a guilty pleasure. If you look beyond those sentiments, you will see that this print is actually quite disappointing.