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Life for Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) couldn’t be much better. They’ve just moved into a fabulous loft that they’ve fixed up together, and it seems like they have their whole lives ahead of them—until one night, when Sam is killed in a mugging gone wrong.
Molly finds it impossible to adjust to Sam’s death—and so does Sam, whose ghost stays behind, refusing to leave the woman he loves. One afternoon, while Molly is out, Sam’s killer breaks into the loft—obviously looking for something. It becomes clear to Sam that his death wasn’t really an accident after all—and he fears that may be Molly in danger, too. He doesn’t know how to help her, though, until he meets Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a spiritualist who earns a living by pretending to talk to ghosts. Though she’s reluctant to help him, Sam finally persuades Oda Mae to contact Molly. Through Oda Mae, he can speak to Molly while he’s trying to solve his own murder.
Directed by the same guy who did such beautiful romances as…well, okay, no romances. But Jerry Zucker did direct Airplane! and Top Secret!—so it’s no surprise that Hollywood was a little bit skeptical about Ghost. Serious actors turned down the part of Sam—because they thought the movie would be too silly—but Zucker proved them all wrong. Ghost went on to become one of the most memorable romances of recent years. It earned Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar. It gave the Righteous Brothers a big comeback. It skyrocketed Demi Moore’s career. And I believe it may have single-handedly caused both sales of Kleenex and registrations for pottery classes to quadruple in 1990.
Seventeen years later, the effects used in Ghost might be showing their age a bit, but the story is as captivating as it ever was. The Oscar-winning screenplay may not have the most unpredictable of twists, but it was beautifully written and (for the most part) skillfully performed. Moore is wonderful as Molly—and her on-screen chemistry with Swayze is undeniable. And Goldberg shines as the reluctant psychic in the middle.
Ghost may be memorable mostly for its classic love scene, but it’s a film that defies categorization. Sure, it’s both dramatic and tear-jerkingly romantic. But it’s also a supernatural thriller. And a mystery. And Goldberg’s presence ensures that there’s plenty of comic relief. That makes it a movie that all types of movie lovers can agree on. It’s perfect both for date night and for girls’ night.
DVD Review:
The new Special Collector’s Edition of Ghost offers a few new extras. In addition to the commentary with director Jerry Zucker and writer Bruce Joel Rubin and the standard photo gallery, there are also two interesting making-of features—one about the making of the movie itself and one that focuses on the now-infamous love scene. Also included are a feature on the paranormal—which interviews known psychics who talk about how realistic Ghost is—and an American Film Institute feature on a number of cinema’s greatest romances (of which Ghost, of course, is one). The making-of features are worth checking out, so if you don’t already own a copy of Ghost pick this one up. But if there’s already an older edition in your DVD collection, there’s really no need to run out and pick up a new one—unless you’re a Special Collector.
