User reviews

The imaginative but well-conceived idea of dishing up a romance upon lovers communicating spiritually owing to one of them is dead, was first filmed by Steven Spielberg 8 months before the Ghost's silver screen release. Spielberg's movie Always(1989) had classy use of visuals fulfilling the needs of viewers with mystery-based expectations. Yet, Always lacked the sense of essential romance concept, despite having the same plot and even the same storyline in Ghost. Originally the idea has been created by Chandler Sprague and David Boehm.

However, Ghost accomplished of what "Always" tried and failed to accomplish. Thanks to the great acting trio of Patrick Swayze + Demi Moore + Whoopi Goldberg, for together they registered indelible moments into Ghost. It is scraped in our memory how in time Molly and Sam happen to keep their thoughts off each others' feelings, and that taught us: "Love begins with emotions, ends with thoughts". On this account they never called off their faith on believing that they will keep an enduring love affair. These indelible scenes in Ghost are conceptually cut where the editing was so impressive that instead of trying to make the story more plausible, it empowered the devotion of lovers onto their relation. The scene which Sam's ghost drew upon Oda Mae's body to break the longing with Molly by kissing her is an imperishable cinematic instant.

I was in love with someone, and it was February,2005; we were both watching the Ghost on TV, both talking on the phone. Then that scene came upon(Sam's ghost kissing Molly in Oda Mae's body), I felt lost deep in my heart seeking the girl I'm talking on the phone. I heard she was crying and sobbing, and keep saying to me: "I will never forget the first time you kissed me and I don't need to be alive to recall this" Ghost is one timeless romantic masterpiece that had its moments. For me the kissing scene was the best kiss in movies of all time. MTV had honoured this kiss as well, several years after the release of the movie, as the best kiss in '90s. Superimposing that, the scenes where Oda Mae Brown convinces Molly that Sam's ghost is around her and then Molly reasons with police that Oda Mae knows what nobody is able to know but Sam and herself only, are the scenes that deliver the magic beyond eyes and beyond ears.

To watch Ghost is in the to do list of what to do when you're on a date.

The motion picture concerns upon the starring's killing (Patrick Swayze) who returns from beyond to save his lover (Demi Moore) harassed by a devious killer . He's helped by a likable psychic (Woopy Goldberg) .

In the film there are a wonderful love story , humor , tearjerker , suspense , action and a little bit of horror.

Runtime film is appropriate , isn't slow-moving but adjusted and the movie is very entertaining.

Woopy Goldberg's interpretation is fantastic and humorous , she was Oscar winner to the category for supporting cast , a very well deserved prize .

The lover couple , Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze , are riveting but overblown sweets.

Maurice Jarre musical score is fascinating but principal song is copied from Alex North's theme.

Direction by Jerry Zucker is first class , better than his previous films like ¨Airplane¨ , ¨Top secret¨ or ¨Ruthless people¨.

The movie will appeal to fantasy buffs and love stories fans.

Rating: 6,5/10 . Good and well worth watching.

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

After so many years, every time when I see this movie again, it always makes my eyes water! This is basically a simple story. However, the script writer by Bruce Joel Rubin and the director by Jerry Zucker are intelligent. They made the simple story a touching, interesting one. I think most people cried at the end of the movie. This reminded me another commercial successful movie "Titanic" in the year 1997. The music (composed by Maurice Jarre) was so moving. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore played well, not to mention Whoopi Goldberg. Her performance was amazing!(she also had excellent acting in Spielberg's early masterpiece "The Color Purple") The visual effects by ILM was extraordinary in that time. By and large, this touching movie is not only a huge commercial success, but also a classic!

Murdered businessman in New York City sets out in ghostly form to bring his killers to justice--and to watch out over his live-in girlfriend, who may now be in similar danger. Whoopi Goldberg won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as a not-so-fake medium who becomes Patrick Swayze's conduit to reaching lady-love Demi Moore. Whoopi is, indeed, a treasure, though Swayze is just serviceable here and Moore has to contend with a non-believing character who takes too long to come around. It might be easy for some to write this fantasy-love story off as a bloated, faded hit with a heart of F/X, but there's surprising grace and finesse in Jerry Zucker's direction. Bruce Joel Rubin also won an Oscar for his original screenplay, which has some nice twists and turns. In these hands, "Ghost" is nearly an unqualified success, neatly avoiding treacle and sap simply by combining a sly sense of humor with its romantic spirit--underscored by Maurice Jarre's music and the oldie "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers.

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.

"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.

This may not be a classic, but it comes close. It has one big attribute of most great movies, a lot of great scenes. The story is about Sam, who has a great life, and this movie is the opposite of CLICK. Unlike that stupid movie, this guy doesn't want to fast forward his life with a beautiful loving wife and great career. But it is taken away from him when he is killed. He becomes a ghost. And that might be one of only two flaws in the story. Why he can project his needs when billions of other dead souls can't. But a great movie like this endears us to the characters and plot enough so that this is a very trivial flaw. He finds he can communicate with a fake spiritualist (Whoopi, in a role few could do as well), which is the second flaw, since we have a feeling we've seen this character in this instance all too often. Hoever, again, if the movie is good enough we can overlook this. Without making spoilers, I can only add that the movie satisfies the viewer. There is romance, humor, logic, adventure, suspense, and great scenes. Among the great scenes that make the movie (I'll only mention some) are the scene where Sam follows his friend to the killer's apartment (actually just about every scene with his friend is classic), the scene where Whoopi goes to the bank, the scene where she leaves the bank, the scene where Sam is a ghost in the office with his friend, the scene where the friend hits on Sam's woman, the first scene with the little dark men, the second scene with the little dark men...I could go on and on. What is lost in all of this is one of the greatest emotional bits of capturing character ever, when Sam realizes what is going to happen to an evil man when the little dark men appear the second time, and he expresses true sorrow and compassion for a man who stole so much from him. This is one of the most poignant and heroic scenes ever in any movie I would find it very hard to believe anyone could not enjoy this movie. Truly a winner. Know what? This is a classic.

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.

I went into Ghost a little apprehensive. I had heard so much about it, and it was supposedly the crowning moment of one of my favorite actresses: Whoopi Goldberg. However, my apprehensions were instantly wiped away. This movie lived up to all of it's praise! It's the story of two young lovers Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore). They have just moved in together. After a night out on the town, Sam is brutally killed by a seemingly random mugger and Molly holds Sam's bloody corpse in her arms- all while Sam's spirit watches. He has been left to wander Earth and desperately try to protect Molly. He gets help from Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) a psychic fraud who has more power than she realized. Together, Sam and Oda Mae begin to piece together the puzzle of Sam's death, and uncover something much more sinister than they ever imagined.

The whole cast does an excellent job here. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore play the roles of grieving lovers perfectly. Ms. Moore is especially affecting. But it's Whoopi Golberg's fantastic performance as Oda Mae Brown that truly steals the show. Her performance is hilarious and endearing throughout, and she takes the film to an entirely new level. She's really is half of what makes it so good.

This, in my opinion, is a great film. It entertains, it thrills you, and it even moves you. The writing is also excellent. The only place the film suffers is the special effects. Even they are fine- accept for the demons. The demons of the film are laughable. That is one major downfall. However, it's not bad enough to ruin a film that is one to be treasured. Good fun all around! 8/10 stars!

Jay Addison

This huge hit that came out of nowhere in 1990 looks pretty silly in retrospect.

Because "Dirty Dancing" was such a big hit, people made the mistake of thinking that Patrick Swayze could actually act and began casting him in roles that required it. His eager attempts at emoting coupled with his ridiculous coif haircut are good for a chuckle or two. Speaking of haircuts, who thought it was a good idea to make Demi Moore look like a little boy? The love scene between Swayze and Moore is both embarrassing and icky, embarrassing because they rub clay all over each other and icky because Moore looks like Pinocchio.

The only person who salvages the movie is Whoopi Goldberg, playing a fake medium who ends up being a real medium after all. Goldberg's crowd-pleasing performance won her an Oscar, and if anything about the film deserved an Oscar, God knows it was her.

And I never want to hear "Unchained Melody" again....

Grade: C

Certain movies will just always be hard to write a review for. You can give your opinion and say what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy but I find myself hesitating in certain aspects just because a classic must be left some space to be a classic. Ghost as far as I'm concerned will forever be a romantic classic. It's sheer brilliance is it's twists, it is incredibly, deeply, romantic and at the same time terrifying, and has an underlying story that is never fully explored. It's got action, mystery, horror, and at the heart is the pure, simplistic romance of it all.

The story is about an investment banker played by Patrick Swayze and his girlfriend, played by Demi Moore. Sam and Molly are deeply in love, planning for the future and happier in their lives than ever before. Until Sam discovers laundered money in investment accounts. He is robbed and subsequently murdered for his password to the computer in order to empty the laundered money from the accounts. But Sam doesn't go the other side. He is kept on earth in spirit form because of his unfinished business both with Molly and to discover his murderer. He must learn the ropes of being a ghost and nobody else can hear him until he runs into a so called psychic who scams people into believing she can contact their dearly departed. However it turns out, Oda Mae Brown played in her academy award winning role by Whoopie Goldberg can actually hear Sam. Together the unlikely team must help each other uncover the horrible murder plot and save Molly.

Swayze and Moore make an incredible couple..hot on screen. Their careers have perhaps slipped since then one might say but this was them at their best. Swayze was indeed at the top of his game coming out of Dirty Dancing and Roadhouse and Moore was young and a new hot commodity which made them undeniably perfect together. Their roles fit them perfectly. Whoopie Goldberg was hilarious and believable as Oda Mae and her character was such an integral part of the film. Tony Goldwyn plays a great villain as the betrayer of the film. In a short time director Jerry Zucker establishes a best friendship between Goldwyn and Swayze, a deeply loving relationship between Swayze and Moore, and a plot line that goes far beneath the movie. Obviously Goldwyn's character is being used by a much higher up criminal to launder money although we never see him. Is he being blackmailed? Paid off? Something held over his head? Maybe he's not the bad guy but rather forced to commit these acts? It's a big job because we also know Willie Lopez played by Rick Aviles is involved in this as well. And deeper than that we have the theology in the film. The light brings good people to the afterlife and the dark shadowy beings torture the evil.

This film is one of a few that is endlessly watchable meaning you can sit down any time and watch it through over and over and over again which is exactly what makes it a classic. It has it's holes, it has to with a plot like that. And it has it's disturbing moments, a gratituous death scene, a make out scene which although features Swayze and Moore is actually Demi and Whoopi...you have to see it to understand it. Also if Sam Wheat must learn how to physically touch things in his ghost form...how does he sit, walk, etc before he learns that? And his first experience with walking through a door happens days after his death. I'm sure sometime between then and that point he would have had to have walked through something. Perhaps those are minor points but they are things that will come up especially if you have seen it as many times as I have.

The film is a must see and if you haven't seen it, go watch it right now!! Because it's one of those staples of films that everyone must know about. Ghost is amazing!! 9/10

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful Sam...we watched Ghost together last night.

In 1970 we had "Love Story" remember? Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw crying and loving all the way to the bank? 1990 gave us "Ghost" love beyond death and corporate shenanigans. I saw it last night for the first time and surprise, surprise, 15 years later I do understand why people all over the world flocked to see, to devour this soufflé, again and again. Bruce Joel Rubin won an Academy Award for the screenplay, I remember Jodie Foster handing him the statuette with a smile worthy of a British diplomat. But in fact, the screenplay should have propelled the Academy to create a separate category alongside Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. Yes, Smart Ass Screenplay of the year or Most Commercial Screenplay. Jerry Zucker does a masterful job allowing Rubin's stroke of genius to unfold without major interference. Demi Moore is scrumptious and what Maurice Jarre does with her tears deserves an award of its own. Patrick Swayze suffers with a certain amount of dignity, his anger is very virile but his expressions of longing are pure Lana Turner. What makes the whole calculated enterprise worth every bit of its hype is Whoopi Goldberg. She brings the tale where it really belongs. A comedy. A ghostly comedy about enduring love.

Ghost is one of my favorite films. It is romantic and touching. Ghost shows the love that transcends even death. The chemistry between Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze is incredible. The way they look at one another is sexier than any of those very graphic "love scenes". They make a real romantic connection just through their eyes. Ghost not only has wonderful, likeable characters in Sam Wheat, Molly Jensen, and Oda Mae Brown, but it has an engrossing plot that moves right along. Entwined in all this is a beautiful score. The theme song "Ghost", written by Maurice Jarre specifically for the movie, is enchanting, and, of course, an oldie, "Unchained Melody", adds another magical touch to a magical film.

I waited a LONG time to finally see this. I was expecting a schmaltzy love story - and got it BUT got a good deal more too. Just about everyone knows the story of Sam and Molly. I also knew I would have to sit through the pottery scene - fortunately it was early on. I also knew Whoopi Goldberg was in it and won her Oscar. Let's start with her. She deserved it. She was very funny, energetic, and breathed comedic life into some pretty pedestrian material at times. She is gorgeous too! The film is definitely a love story, a story of love conquering all, and love transcending death. It is also a story of redemption, good and evil, a murder mystery of sorts, and a comedy of situation at times as well. Add in some not-so-great special effects and we get spirits being asked to rise. Dark spirits whisking people to Hell. A variety of ghosts who seem content to sit around and be funny. At the core of the film, however; is a triangle of acting chemistry. No doubt at all that Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore have it. Their love looks real. Whoopi and Demi have some chemistry as well, but I think the chemistry between Whoopi and Patrick is what really carries the film. They have great timing together. They are funny together. The best parts of the film for me are the scenes where they are together. Swayze has this innocent naivete about him that really is convincing. The writing is wonderful and the direction crisp. The final scene is a tear-jerker that even I could not fail to succumb to in the end. I recommend Ghost heartily.

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.

Ahh, Ghost. What an authentic romance classic, a film that puts a big old grin on your face whether you want it to or not, a sloppy, smile that's just wide enough to catch the tears that fall as a result of the sadness which accompanies the sweet, two essential ingredients in any love story that hopes to affect us in either direction. Balance is key, and Ghost employs both the giddy, heart-skipping joy of romance and the looming possibility of threat and tragedy in equal measures, never getting too dark or to soppy, at least for me. Demi has never been more adorable, in one of her career highlights. Her and Patrick 'Roadhouse' Swayze play star-crossed young lovers, in the beginning stages of building their lives together, a time that should be unconditionally happy for both, and is, until one fateful event rips them apart and plunges the narrative into effect. They encounter a thief in an alley one night, and Swayze is killed. Only, his spirit remains behind, for more reasons than he at first realizes. He keeps a protective, loving eye on Moore, and is driven to the notion that his death was no accident, his lingering presence meant for the purpose of both truth, love and retribution. He is aided and assisted by a sassy psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) who acts as his conduit between both realms. There's supernatural intrigue and conspiracy afoot, but as exciting as that stuff is, it's the love story between Patrick and Demi that has kept generations rooted to the story. A romance film is nothing without two leads who share both chemistry and a great script, which this one supplies generously. They are a show stopping pair in their scenes together, and if their predicament doesn't draw forth both smiles and cries from you as a viewer, well, you're wading through the wrong genre, my friend. The two of them make this one an honest to goodness winner with their performances, supported by narrative elements that only raise the stakes of their relationship. A film which will never not be a classic, and everyone should have in their collection. Ditto.

GHOST, in my opinion, is an excellent romance about true love that lasts eternally. When Sam (Patrick Swayze) got mugged, I got really scared. You'll have to see the movie if you want to know why. If you ask me, Maurice Jarre's score is absolutely beautiful. To me, Carl (Tony Goldwyn) was a very creepy guy. Also, Willie (Rick Aviles) was just as scary as he was. I was amazed at the way Sam could step through anything in his ghostly state. All in all, everyone involved in this film did an outstanding job. In conclusion, if you like Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore, this is definitely a movie to see. You will really be touched by it.

Wonderful. Very exceptional romance flick with a flare of comedy. A man (Patrick Swayze)is accidentally shot and killed during a mugging. His spirit does not go to the 'here after', but remains on earth in the form of a ghost to protect his girlfriend(Demi Moore). The eye contact between these two speak the language of love. The atmosphere is enhanced with bits and pieces of the song "Unchained Melody". And when it comes time and you first hear the sounds of the Righteous Brothers singing one of their trademark hits...there is not a dry eye in the house. To this day, every time I here this beautiful classic I think of GHOST and the power of love.

I am not a fan of Whoopi Goldberg, but have to say she was great as the spiritualist Oda Mae Brown. Also in the cast are Tony Goldwyn and Susan Breslau. Highly recommended as a first date movie. Bring plenty of hankies. Be prepared to fall back in love with love.

It sure has that feeling of an American 90's movie and it's a bit fun seeing Swayze, Moore and Goldberg, but the movie isn't very good.

The best thing about "Ghost" is the pleasant and enjoyable score by Maurice Jarre.

Today, it is hard to believe the success of this movie. It grossed over $505.7 million at the box office on a budget of $22 million and it was the highest-grossing film of 1990. Adjusted for inflation, as of 2015, "Ghost" was the 93rd-highest-grossing film of all time domestically in the US. Furthermore, the film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won the awards for Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay. Swayze and Moore both received Golden Globe Award nominations for their performances, while Goldberg won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Saturn Awards in addition to the Oscar.

While the acting certainly isn't bad, it's not impressive either. What's really strange is the Academy Award for the screenplay, because it really isn't a strong one. I think it's safe to say this movie has aged quite badly.