Blithe Spirit

I didn't laugh even once. It wasn't even a dark comedy. There simply weren't any jokes in it. Like, none. The production value is top notch and the acting is pretty good but that's about all there is to it. The story is quite boring actually. Nothing original. Judy Dench is great of course.

If you liked the stage play then I would imagine you would have a few issues with this film, however if you are not aware of the play or the 1945 film based upon the play then you will probably like this version. I never really liked the original film so not that emotional about comparing the two but many prefer the first attempt.

Does this capture Noel Cowards wit, not really but that maybe no bad thing.

Enjoy it for what it is, a simple story with a lacklustre ending to while away some time.

So much more could have been done with this. Some characters were poorly cast. It was underwhelming. The concept is good but it missed the mark in my opinion.

Any time we see a movie, we have to suspend disbelief in order to get into the fictional world of a film (that's not a documentary). The huge problem with Blithe Spirit is that much of it was so unbelievable as to make it almost impossible to suspend disbelief and therefore impossible to watch.

Basically, the main theme of this version of Noel Coward's play, is that after the main male character's deceased ex-wife is summoned forth from a medium who's supposed to be a fraud (Judi Dench), said deceased ex-wife sets out to get between her former husband and his now (living) wife. For me, the big problem here was that the husband, a crime-writer, acts in such a stupid and irrational way that the whole film just seems ridiculous. Plus, the former wife, played to the hilt by Leslie Mann, was a stereotype of the vengeful scorned wife, even though anyone who is rational would recognize that that's not what she really was.

Specifically, once he has "seen" the ghost of his former wife and realizes others don't see her, he should have altered his behavior accordingly. Instead he keeps repeating the same moronic behavior over and over which just served to make me angry. Did the director and/or scriptwriter really think an audience would go for this?

Despite this major flaw, the film was visually engaging and busy enough to keep me watching despite my annoyance.

I find this comedy funny and delightful. The characters are fun and lovely. The colours are vibrant, and the tone is light. I really enjoyed it.