The Ghost Whisperer

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2013)

Admittedly, I had a grudge against this movie. But, not until the following year (1991) when the Oscar Nominations were read. This got nominated for Best Picture and not Pretty Woman? And not just that, very few eyes were on, what I considered (and still do) a masterpiece, Pretty Woman and more on Ghost? It would be years until I saw this again.
I was sorry when I finally revisited this in the mid-1990s because, I had to concur: this was a well made film. Great in a lot of areas, even. And I've loved it since.
Not so much a spoiler, thanks to the name of the movie, but Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze, RIP, in yet another masterful performance) dies fairly quickly into the movie and becomesthe title character. He's not transported either up high or down below and must learn the ways of the ghost. Mercifully, with the help of (the fantastic character, and Oscar winning Whoopi Goldberg as) con-artist (?) Oda Mae Brown, Sam can both reconnect with his widowed lover and catch the bad person who put him in this purgatory.
The movie does work in mysterious ways. It's highly hilarious and touching. It's suspenseful and deep. It contains a triple pleasure: a great soundtrack, score and cinematography. And with it's "on the surface" clichéd characters, the actors bring much more to the table. Even though everyone, including the "Subway Ghost," acted their best and made their roles their own, Academy Award winning Whoopi Goldberg shined the brightest in here, despite her blatant racism. I still laughed and loved her throughout her (sadly) short time on screen. I have always been a Whoopi fan, but here, I believe she brought her best out.
This very positive review comes from someone who doesn't even like ghost stories. This one felt many more times different than the others I've seen and I will watch this many more times than the typical modern day and boringly predictable paranormal films.
Side Note: While I did not downgrade the movie because of the following: I have to say, this movie made me thoroughly dislike Tony Goldwyn. Granted, he played his slimy role as he was told or felt his character needed to be seen. But, he's literally like a magnet to my magnet when I see him on screen. He's the one thing I cannot look at when watching this movie and I haven't liked him since. Just a personal preference.