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Ghost (1990) DVD Review
Ghost (1990) DVD Credits:
Ghost (1990) Directed by:
Jerry Zucker
Ghost (1990) Written by:
Bruce Joel Rubin
Ghost (1990) Cast:
Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
Ghost (1990) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Ghost (1990) DVD Release Date:
12th March 2007
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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Ghost (1990) Synopsis:

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are the passionate lovers whose romance is undone when the latter is murdered during a bungled hit arranged by a rival. The clever concept by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (director of My Life) extends outward into comedy (Swayze's character communicates through a sassy medium played by Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for this role), horror (the afterlife is populated by hell-bound demons and the like), and romantic complications (a handsome suitor, played by Tony Goldwyn, comes on to Moore while Swayze's spirit is still hanging around). Directed by Jerry Zucker, previously best known for codirecting Airplane! and similar broad comedies, Ghost is a careful balancing act of strong commercial elements, but at heart it is a timeless Hollywood tearjerker that easily gets under one's skin.

Ghost (1990) DVD Review:

It might be one of the sappiest romance films to come out in decades, right alongside Titanic, but there is a more to Ghost than I remembered. It’s the Road House of romance films, and even after death Patrick Swayze is still fighting and protecting his woman. There is as much suspense as there are moments of weepy melodrama, and that is what makes Ghost an interesting film. You might not see a large male audience bragging that it is their favorite film, but there are enough genres mixed into the film that it seems entertaining for nearly any crowd.

The classic love story isn’t unique because one of the lovers dies, but because it happens less than a quarter of the way into the movie. Patrick Swayze is remarkably unconvincing in a suit, but he plays Sam, a successful accountant who has a girlfriend he has just moved in with. Sam and Molly (Demi Moore) couldn’t be happier, which is never a good sign at the beginning of a film. Sure enough when Sam and Molly are mugged on the way home from the theater, Sam is killed. Instead of going to heaven Sam stays on earth, only to find that Molly may still be in danger. The further Sam digs he discovers that his death may not have been an accident after all. Unable to communicate with Molly Sam has to communicate through a psychic who didn’t realize she could actually hear ghosts, played by Whoopi Goldberg in an Oscar winning role.

The film also won an Academy Award for the screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, which may not hold up as well today as when it was awarded, but the film is cherished and even as the film is dated it must be excused if only for nostalgia sake. Whoopi’s outfits are lingering in the 80s and Swayze just seems like he lives in that decade, despite the fact that the film was made in 1990. It is a near-1980s classic two handkerchief weepy, but a fan favorite deserving of a special edition.

Along with the usual making of featurette, there are also a few other featurettes fitting the film. There is one featurette about the paranormal, which is stretching it as far as special features go, but a far more popular two featurettes are the ones which focus on the romance in the film. There is “Alchemy of a Love Scene”, and I don’t think many would need a hint as to what scene is featured in the featurette. There is also a featurette on cinema’s great romance films, including Ghost, of course. There is also a commentary track by director Jerry Zucker and the award-winning writer Bruce Joel Rubin.

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Ghost (1990) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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