Touching and hilarious romantic thriller

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2008)

"Ghost" has been riffed as a piece of romantic cheese, but really it is a classic movie incorporating everything from romance, horror and laugh-out-loud comedy.
A well-to-do accountant Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze), shares an uptown apartment with his girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore), a clay potterer, a lady with whom he is very much in love. However, Sam is murdered in an attempted mugging and as he remains on earth in spiritual form he must find a way to protect his girlfriend before the killer strikes again...
Swayze and Moore work well as a couple and you really believe in the connection between them. But you need some eccentricity in this kind of picture, in order to balance out the romantic element. The film gets this in the form of Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). The joke with this character is that she is a fake medium, who learns to her surprise that her powers are in fact real. Goldberg is excellent in this role, her timing is perfect and she is hilarious throughout. Also of note is Vincent Schiavelli as the deranged Subway Ghost, who teaches Sam how to affect the world around him. This a brief but scene-stealing performance.
The villains come in the form of Tony Goldwyn, as Sam's slimy, double-dealing and increasing desperate best friend. Rick Aviles is also well-cast is low-life hit-man Willie Lopez.
Best of all is Patrick Swayze who heads the cast as the title character. Swayze takes a lot of riffing for his performances, but having seen him in three movies (including this one) I don't know why. Sure he's not a great actor, but he's not a bad one. He creates a terrific chemistry between him and Moore, and an even better comic chemistry in his scenes with Whoopi Goldberg. His partnership with the latter really makes the picture. Check the scene where keeps her up all night singing "I'm Henry the Eighth I Am".
The film is wrapped up nicely with a lovely moving theme tune and some good ghostly special effects. Despite some serious moments, in the main the film is very light-hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Definitely one to watch for a good night in.