Ghost

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.

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!

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.

"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.

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.