Product Description

A love story of a man who is killed and comes back with the help of a spiritual advisor to solve his own murder and protect his lover. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 01/04/2005 Starring: Patrick Swayze Demi Moore Run time: 126 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Jerry Zucker

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5662 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2001-04-24
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 128 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
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. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker
It sounds like a horror movie, but it's a romantic fairy tale. The scariest thing about it is its shamelessness. A young New York bank executive, Sam (Patrick Swayze), is killed, on the street, at a moment in his life when everything seems to be going his way. After his death, Sam sticks around, as a spirit (and Swayze stays onscreen, as a body). He attends his funeral; watches his beautiful girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore), drift grief-stricken through the spectacular loft they had just moved into; and then devotes himself to protecting her from the people who killed him. Through a reluctant psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), he tries to communicate with Molly; later, an experienced ghost (Vincent Schiavelli) teaches him how to move objects and break stuff. In this movie, death is treated as if it were merely a form of disability, one of those handicaps we've seen people struggle bravely with in TV movies-something for the individual to triumph over, with will power, hard work, and love. This creamy-toned fantasy, directed by Jerry Zucker from a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, certainly pushes the audience's emotional buttons. It's a twentysomething hybrid of "It's a Wonderful Life" and some of the goofier, more solemn episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and there's not a trace of wit or irony in it. Its images of death have a soothing banality, like a greeting-card message from the world beyond. Also with Tony Goldwyn and Rick Aviles. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

OSCAR WINNING THRILLER ROMANCE
Ghost (Special Collector's Edition)
Its hard to imagine virile, very-much alive PATRICK SWAYZE as a ghost. But that's what he becomes when he is shot by a mugger while walking home with girl-friend DEMI MOORE. Swayze can't figure why he's been left to roam the earth, but it doesn't take him long to work out that he's there for a purpose and that's to protect DEMI from those who had his killing rigged to look like a casual shoot-and-run affair. This isn't easy ( as DEMI can't see or hear him and he can't move objects ) until he latches on to a PSYCHIC (WHOOPI GOLDBERG) and takes lessons in telekinesis from a sub-way Ghost, VINCENT SCHIAVELLI. Whoopi isn't enthusiastic: Why don't you get some chains and find a house to haunt? she complains. But Swayze makes himself a nuisance enough to force her hand. This film, could have made a first-rate off-beat romantic thriller (and even more money); for the reason it's only effective in patches. Look no further than the running time, far too much is spent in pseudo-erotic moonings. Never mind, enjoy the thriller plot (though the villain isn't difficult to spot), the special effects and WHOOPI GOLDBERG'S lively, ACADEMY AWARD WINNING, performance.

Sadly it sacrifices the romance for a clichéd plot twist...
Somewhere between good and bad lies `Ghost', a film that has enough working for it to offset the elements working against it, but in the end can't really be labeled as a `good' film or a `bad' one. I feel somewhat torn as to my response towards `Ghost' because the film is essentially two films, one of which works far greater than the other. There is a love story and a murder mystery, and the love story (which ends up taking a back seat to the murder mystery) is in all actuality the most impressive and touching part of the story. The murder mystery should have been stripped from the screenplay in my opinion, especially since it is obvious even before Sam is killed who exactly is going to have it done and why.

So, the film centers on Sam and Molly, an attractive couple who are deep in love (even if Sam never says it) and have just moved into an apartment together. One night out on the town they run into a mugger who strikes Molly causing Sam to burst into a furious rage and gets himself shot. Now Molly is all alone with her grief; well sort of. Sam is not gone; his spirit is still allowed on Earth because he has some unfinished business to settle before he can enter heaven. That's when Sam meets Oda Mae Brown, a scam artist posing as a spiritual counselor who can actually hear Sam and thus offers to help Sam reach Molly.

The film tends to fall apart when Oda Mae is not on the screen, namely because without Whoopi's brilliant comedic work the film drifts into cliché after cliché. Instead of focusing on the undying love between Sam and Molly, which is really what this movie was supposed to be about, it focuses on the reason for Sam's murder (which could have easily been left as a senseless act of violence, allowing for the `love story' within this film to shine forward) and this tends to take away from the originality of the film.

When the movie began and Sam and Molly were kissing and falling all over each other during the now infamous clay pot scene I was so touched (that was one of the most erotic scenes I have ever seen in a film) and I really expected the film to draw off of that vibe when placing together the plot. I wanted to see Sam try and embrace Molly when she was alone and feel the chemistry between the two of them as she felt him near her, but that never happened.

Sam was too preoccupied, thus the audience becomes too preoccupied to remember the basis of this film.

The acting was actually pretty good, and in some areas excellent. Whoopi Goldberg, or should I say `Oscar Winner' Whoopi Goldberg, is the best part of this film. Her comedic timing is impeccable and I really can't think of another actress who could have pulled this off as brilliantly as she did. Demi Moore was also wonderful as Molly, her emotional breakdowns wholly believable, as was her love for Sam. I also enjoyed Tony Goldwyn's neurotic portrayal of Carl Bruner, Sam's friend. His acting was a little clichéd but he was entertaining. I have never been one to think of Patrick Swayze as a good actor, and sadly `Ghost' didn't change my mind any either. He was serviceable, but his outbursts seemed forced and contrived.

In the end I can say that `Ghost' works on some levels and should really be seen for Goldberg at least (who is truly amazing). I just wish that the script would have been thought through a little more, for this had the potential of being a beautiful romantic film but instead became your standard murder mystery. I also thought that the depictions of the afterlife were a little `Ghostbusters' but that's may just be me.

Excellent
I cant believe all the people who are slamming this movie for bad acting or miscasting. Its a wonderful movie and demi moore and patrick swayze do great.Whoopi gives her oscar winning performance in force as a psychic who helps the ghostly swayze avenge his murder.I couldnt believe the user who commented that they wish they could go back in time and recast with nicole kidman and jason patric as the leads -WRONG . now that would be moronic recasting esp jason patric ? who the hell is he? some beverly hills 90210 punk and nicole kidman would not pass for the sweatshirt type woman period. great movie ignore the naysayers