A very poorly aged "Ghost"

Rating: 4/10 (2 January 2010)

What we have here is another "modern classic" which looked much better when it came out, but failed to stand the test of time. Or probably it depends on the age of the audience, who knows...
Anyway, "Ghost" is a rather long and predictable story about supernatural love and vengeance from the grave. However the best part of the movie is what was probably meant as comedy relief, to build up the tension for the romantic moments.
It's not a good sign when the secondary plot takes the cake, relegating the core of the story to a role of pretty-but-shallow dressing.
Furthermore, the "mysterious killer" story was so predictable it ruined whatever interest it might have had.
And the love story, sorry, but I just couldn't find a good reason to care about Sam & Molly... Who are they? Why were they in love to the point of getting involved in a threesome with a potter-wheel?
"Ghost", as a love story, falls short in terms of characters' development. As a murder story is too predictable. So it's at its best as a comedy. Not totally intentional I suppose.
Whoopi Goldberg as the charlatan-medium is really funny, and she manages to give some depth to an otherwise stereotypical "fat black woman". And Oda Mae is the best character of the movie, by a mile, just to underline how poor the effort in character creation was.
The production is fine, and the script paved the way to a plethora of "romantic dramas" and "romantic comedies" in the following decades.
To this day, "Ghost" enjoys a vast popularity, despite its obvious shortcomings. A tribute to the smart people behind the movie, or to the gullibility of the public, always ready to reach for a Kleenex at the first hint of a troubled. yet formulaic, love story?
Either way, "Ghost" looks good but tastes worse at every further screening.