Ghost: Special Edition (DVD)

Ghost is one of those sappy-looking romantic blockbusters I avoided seeing until years after it was out  — The English Patient is another — and then was pleasantly surprised. It could be because I had such low expectations to begin with, but having re-watched the movie for the purpose of reviewing it here, I have to say it actually is a good movie.

Ghost was one of the first movies in quite some time to view the plot from the departed’s point of view (golden oldies, like Topper, touched on the concept). When we first meet Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) he’s not dead yet; he’s a banker living in upscale New York City. He works with his good friend Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn) and lives with his beautiful sculptor girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore).

Life is great, until he gets mugged and is shot and killed. Ignoring the beckoning white light that leads into the sky, Sam stays on the earthly plane and tries to make sense of his senseless death. As it turns out, he’s dead by design: Someone wanted him gone. Desperate to communicate this important information to Molly, Sam seeks out a local medium named Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) and gets the reluctant psychic to do his bidding by singing “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” to her over and over again.

Perhaps best-known for it’s use of the song “Unchained Melody” (The Righteous Brothers), the rest of music and the look and feel of Ghost isn’t terribly memorable or remarkable. It’s all presented in a visually utilitarian way, but the important thing is that the story doesn’t feel dated — and the special effects hold up well, too.

Some curmudgeons might pick Ghost apart for its rather major plot holes (to recount them would be to reveal spoilers), and take it to task for its rather heavy-handed concepts of Heaven and Hell; but if you just want to watch a fun, entertaining movie with a good romantic through-line you can’t go wrong with Ghost.

Ghost is one of the few cross-genre movies that works on every level. It’s a truly engrossing mystery (although the reason is revealed early on); it’s a very funny comedy; has truly spooky horror moments; and is a believable romance.

DVD Features:

Commentary by: Director Jerry Zucker, writer Bruce Rubin

"Ghost Stories: The Making of a Classic" featurette

"Inside the Paranormal" featurette

"Alchemy of a Love Scene" featurette

"Cinema's Great Romances"

Photo gallery

Theatrical Trailer

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson