Worth a good try

Rating: 7/10 (10 June 2013)

There are many movies which deal with death and the afterlife. The problem with most of them is that their unwillingness to respect any established boundaries of moral theology ungrounds the entire universe and leaves a product that is unhuman.
"Ghost" does not make that mistake. Although the metaphysics are clearly fantastical, we can suspend disbelief, because it is quite clear throughout that love and good works are the path to salvation, while hatred and evil deeds are the path to damnation. While there is no overt religious iconography, there are still a few satisfying if amorphous suggestive elements that a discerning eye can easily connect to formal religious doctrine.
Whoopi Goldberg's Oda Mae is often written off as just another "Magical Negro" trope. It is true that hers is a black supporting character whose role in the primary plot is to expedite, through (highly) extraordinary means, the resolution of the white protagonists' conflict. However, Oda Mae is a far more interesting character than either Sam or Molly, both in personality and in backstory, and is also, unlike Sam and Molly, dynamic: along the way to getting them out of their glut, she is forced to confront her rotten past as a charlatan and turn her life around. There is a partial inversion of the trope here, for it is the undeveloped, static and almost supernaturally angelic Sam who ends up leading the formerly banally criminal Oda Mae to salvation, and she repays him by helping to save Molly, the woman he loves.
Although, it's not entirely clear that Sam was actually meant to be so bland, and indeed, if you're watching the movie looking for personal inspiration, he and Molly might not be the best in terms of making an emotional connection. It's clear that they love each other very deeply, and for many people that may well be enough to make an emotional connection. I would have liked a little something more, but then, I've never tried to watch this as a date movie. At the least, your girlfriend won't suspect you only wanted to watch it for the incredible special effects, which do not exist. Have fun!