Ghost Dad
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
Elliot Hopper (Bill Cosby) is a workaholic widower who is about to land the deal of a lifetime at work, which he hopes will win him a promotion and a company car. After he forgets his daughter Diane's birthday, he attempts to make it up to her by promising her she can have his car when he secures the deal at work on the coming Thursday. After being persuaded to give the car to his daughter early, Elliot must hail a taxi from work, which is driven by Satanist Curtis Burch (Raynor Scheine), who drives erratically and speeds out of control. Attempting to get the taxi stopped, Elliot announces that he is Satan and commands him to stop the taxi. Shocked to see his "Evil Master", Burch drives off a bridge and into the river.
Elliot emerges from the accident scene, but when he approaches a police officer, he learns that he is a ghost when the officer urinates on his shoes, then when he walks into the road, a speeding bus goes straight through him. When he gets home he discovers that his three children can see him, but only in a totally dark room, and they can't hear him. He struggles to tell them what happened when he is whisked away to London by paranormal researcher Sir Edith (Ian Bannen), who tells him he is a ghost who has yet to enter the afterlife because "they screwed up"; his soul will not cross over until Thursday.
The pressures of work and family life lead to many comedic events, as Elliot attempts to get a life insurance policy and complete his company's merger, so his family will be provided for once he crosses over. One day, he must choose between staying in an important work meeting and helping his son with a magic trick at school. He eventually decides that his family's happiness is more important and walks out on his furious boss, Mr. Collins (Barry Corbin), who later smugly fires him. Dejected, Elliot reveals himself as a ghost to his love interest, Joan (Denise Nicholas), whose initial shock soon turns to sympathy.
Edith arrives from London to announce that Elliot is not dead; his spirit jumped out of his body in fright. They also work out that the only previous known case of this happening was Elliot's father. In the excitement to find Elliot's body to reunite his spirit with it, Diane trips on a pair of skates that her little sister Amanda left on the stairs; she falls and is seriously injured. The family rush her to the hospital where her spirit has also jumped out of her body. As she delightedly flies around, Elliot begs her to re-enter her body; his own has started to "flicker". When he collapses, Diane becomes concerned and races into the intensive-care unit to find her father's body. She helps him into the room and they discover that Burch had swapped wallets with Elliot, meaning Elliot was wrongly identified by the hospital as Burch. Elliot returns to his body and wakes up; Diane does the same and jumps off the operating table to tell the family what has happened.
As the reunited family leave the hospital, Elliot spots a yellow taxi parked outside and Burch behind the wheel. Delighted to see his "Evil Master", Burch returns Elliot's wallet and tells Elliot he will do whatever Elliot commands. Elliot commands Burch to go to hell and sit on red hot coals waiting for him "until it snows". Curtis agrees enthusiastically and drives off while Elliot, Joan, Edith and the family leave the hospital.

Review: After the colossal artistic and commercial triumph of Leonard: Part 6, "The Cos" decided to make his next film a more organic, "Art-House" picture and proves once again that he has the cinematic midas touch.
In a premise that might seem silly in other hands, Cosby and director Sidney Portier deftly weave a tightly knit tapestry of familial melodrama and undead hijinks.
An often overlooked masterpiece in the Cosby canon, Ghost Dad is without a doubt a labour of love from one of the cinemas greatest pioneers..
Bill Cosby unsuccessfully tries to balance work and family, when he suddenly dies in a horrible car crash.
He is then whisked away to HELL, AKA London, England, where a man named Edith trains him in being a ghost.
Now Cosby must raise his kids as a Ghost Dad. The movie is insane.
Cosby flies through walls, Pops out of a phone to strangle his daughter's boyfriend, declares himself Satan, and goes to his female neighbor's house for a little "afternoon delight".
Enjoyable Family Movie.
Sometimes movies are just supposed to be entertaining without having to be analyzed.
This movie is a good one for family viewing.
If one were to hear of a movie concerning the antics of a dead Bill Cosby trying to help his children, the cineast in you would not be stirred to see/rent it.
Every moment of Cosby's acting seems an excuse for a new stupid face to pull, though even these become horrendous.
I don't care what anyone else has said this is a great movie.
I have seen this movie several times and Bill Cosby is funny, A single dad trying to raise 3 children until he has his accident and becomes a ghost.
The adventures that Cosby goes through in this movie while he is a ghost are interesting.
It is a great film for children of all ages.
So, see this movie if you haven't already and I think you will be very surprised at the adventures of Cosby and the other Characters in this film..
OK so let's be honest here "Ghost Dad" is not any place near to being a great movie or the best movie you will ever watch.
for one thing it is Bill Cosby back in his time as one of the best comedians and entertainers, in his prime.
So that alone means that there is going to be some really funny entertainment value in this movie.
The movie can be a little darker than most things you would expect out of Bill Cosby but in a way that made it a little more special.
I don't want to give away too much of the story for you people but near the beginning Cosby is in a horrible car accident with a crazy devil-worshipping cab driver and comes back as a ghost, trying to get back to his family and learning what's really important in his life..
Ghost Dad, the movie you live to watch, and watch to live!.
Ghost Dad is one of those movies that has that sort of corney cheesy feel to it, but is very entertaining and fun.
I remember watching this as a kid on TV and the one part that always stuck in my mind was when Elliot (Cosby) is done getting his life insurance physical, and he's walking down the hall and his face and hands are gone, and his sun glasses and hat are floating above is body.
That's always been my favorite part in the movie, just because it had freaked me out as a little kid.
The only part I can see a problem with around younger kids is when he comes through the phone, and chokes the guy, and used the 'b' word a couple times.Buy it, rent it, or watch it on TV.
I loved Bill Cosby in this role and the premise of the whole movie was, while a bit of a stretch, quite fun in itself.
This was a good family movie and both me and my brother had a lot of fun.
Good 'ole Bill Cosby..
Bill Cosby gets lots of flack.
I've personally always dug his style and decided to re-watch Ghost Dad, one of the most commonly used titles for talking about silly stupid flicks.
And I'll tell you what, I'll take ghost flicks like Ghost Dad any day over any of these crappy, cheap-scare infested, long-haired, pale-faced, school-girl Asian ghost flicks.
I know Ghost Dad ain't horror, but still, those movies tend to suck.Ghost Dad revolves around Bill being accidentally killed, but still being able to use his new-found ghost body/abilities to continue to help, more or less, his family and himself with their daily struggles.
Through trying to save his job, help his son with magic tricks and even taking out the garbage, there are plenty of fun lil gags that will entertain the movie-goer who still possesses that lil kid inside of them.With classic Cosby facial expressions, sound effects and jokes, it's really just a hoot for any fan of the Pudding Man. But if you're not a fan of Cosby, you may not find it as entertaining as someone like myself.
Ghost Dad was a cool lil flick that was consistently entertaining and had a surprisingly high amount of heart, though with Sidney Poitier directing that's not truly that surprising.
I happened to really like this film.
Bill Cosby did a good job acting (as always).
I really got into the movie and felt for the characters.
So, if you want to see a movie that has heart and will make you feel good about life, rent "Ghost Dad" (or you can catch it on tv every once in a while)..
This movie is probably the worst I have ever seen, and I saw both of the Problem Child disasters.
Bill Cosby, a normally competent TV actor fails here as does the rest of the cast--most of whom have a serious lack of acting skills (especially the daughter in the hospital scenes.)  The writing is childish, nose-wrinklingly weak and so boring I found myself wondering who put up the money to actually produce this monstrosity.
Bill will always be Bill.So unsurprisingly Ghost Dad breaks no new grounds for Bill Cosby or that haven't been tread before in other similar entries.
It's what it was meant to be - a harmless film for the whole family.
Bill Cosby is the caring husband and father trying to keep his daughters content and maintain the family's happy existence.
Hence, Ghost Dad.So being the good father he is - his protective side takes over as he tries to protect his daughters from the woes of life - all the while trying to 'stay alive'.
Cosby is fun and though the movie is predictable it shouldn't hurt you to take in a viewing.
I have not studied writing, acting or directing, nor have I watched many so called "classic" films.
However, I still feel that I am qualified to say that Ghost Dad is the pinnacle of achievement in the realm of motion pictures.
Bill Cosby is a genius, and offers a finely tuned performance which recalls the "ghost" of all of his viewers' "dads." Wonderfully cast, superbly directed, touchingly photographed, and ably written, this film will no doubt stand the test of time to supplant "Citizen Kane" at the top of the cinematic hierarchy..
For a film called Ghost Dad, this was pretty hallow.
The Simpsons championed The Cosby Show and it looked like Bill Cosby was washed up, and this film proves it.
Surely after Leonard Part 6, Cosby would've learned from his mistakes and stayed away from starring, writing, or directing movies.
I am sorry Cosby fans but the man CAN'T ACT.
The reason he could play Dr. Huxtable on the Cosby show is because that role was based on him.
With Ghost Dad, it's completely different.
Basically, it is a cross between Ghost and Full House.Bottom Line: It is not as bad as Leonard Part 6, but stay away from this movie..
This is a fun family movie, but the plot isn't solid.
This movie left me with a lot of questions.
Also when the company comes over to visit, it's day time, and some minutes later, when Stuart calls, Elliot went to his house and the sun was already down long ago.
Though plagued by errors, this makes for a good family film and is better than Home Alone 4..
Until you sit through something as terrible as 'Ghost Dad', of course.Dear oh dear, what WERE his agent and him thinking when they flicked through THIS script and decided it would be worth making?
Not a great loss, in my view.To start with, his character in the movie is HORRIBLE.
He spends all his time at work (to the extent where he reads bedtime stories for his youngest on cassette, forgets all their birthdays and can't even remember each child's name...) so we instantly hate him off the bat.
Bill Cosby hasn't had much luck in his movie career, which may explain this (not unsuccessful) attempt to carry his familiar middle-class-family-man TV image over to the big screen.
In the film he plays a single, somewhat neglectful father of three children who learns a few belated lessons in parenthood after a fatal taxi ride turns him into a reluctant ghost.
Of course he can only be seen in darkened rooms, which leads to a lot of ectoplasmic slapstick and some predictable puns ("over my dead body!") The film is strictly sit-com material, but at the same time is too undemanding to warrant any real criticism, and under Sidney Poitier's slick, superficial direction it moves quickly to a happy ending, with the help of a few clever (if economical) special effects.
It might, however, have an unexpected side effect on a younger audience: having a dead dad is made to seem such fun that some kids might begin to want one themselves..
It was ingenious how they combined the screen writing with the special effects to allow the "live" people" to interact with Bill Cosby (as Elliot Hopper) in his "between" state: They could hear him, but only see him if the lights were turned down low.
What I liked maybe most about Ghost Dad was the pacing, which was flawless; not a single wasted or empty moment in the movie.
Regardless of what some reviewers have to say, I did not find the movie "corny" at all.
It was a perfect combination of sober and hopeful.The ending was beautiful, as Elliot's daughter, Diane (played by Kimberly Russel), has her own near death experience and he has to convince her to go back to her body.
The ending is a very happy one, but I will not spoil it for you.Note: Historically, I have been very critical of movies that force us to suspend our disbelief through plots that just don't work (particularly with "invisible" people).
Ghost Dad is very believable, and Cosby (and the movie) never lose focus or waste time on goofy gags or cheap dialogue.
Some utterly hilarious moments highlight this overlooked Bill Cosby comedy.
Here the beloved comic is widower Elliot Hopper, who returns home to his children as an invisible ghost after perishing in a car accident.
This sets the stage for laugh-out-loud scenes such as The Coz booting his daughter's grubby boyfriend from a car and making a boy next door believe the aliens have landed.
GHOST DAD gradually departs from its comedic potential, however, before becoming a bit heavy-handed in its conclusion.
I have to admit that I don't know Bill Cosby's work too well, but "Ghost Dad" is pretty funny.
Cosby plays Elliot Hopper, who gets in a car wreck and is rendered a spirit who only shows up in the darkness.
Much of the movie involves Elliot getting in and out of goofy situations; the telephone scene was neat.True, this movie doesn't really have much artistic value, but it's an OK way to pass time.
Having seen Ian Bannen in "Waking Ned Devine", I never would have imagined him also starring in a movie like this (despite the fact that this one was released several years earlier).
The sixty-second worst thing Cosby ever did.
I'm just going to treat it like a movie.
This film features Bill Cosby apparently becoming a ghost.
This movie is just really dumb with the rules it has about the afterlife.
It's said that people can see Cosby's clothes but not his face but we clearly see him with clothes on in one scene and nobody notices him!
This film is very mean spirited with Cosby running into a crazy Satanist who then convinces him that he's Satan.
I really do hate it when people make ugly, hateful films for children.
this is a good movie for kid and all ages pretty much for the most part the writing is OK the dialogue is good and the pilot is good and everything else is good I don't get why people hate its this movie just their opinion if you like this movie good for you but if you don't that's OK too..
Elliot Hopper (Bill Cosby) is a recently widowed father of three who has nearly bankrupted the family in attempts to save his lingering wife.
Elliot is working on a business deal to get the family out of debt when he climbs into the taxicab of a maniacal Satanist.So, IMDb has this at 4.3 and allegedly it was on many critics' "worst of" lists, with Roger Ebert really taking a dislike.
Whether we like the film, or not, one has to recognize the greatest achievement, perhaps, of the creative talent of the people working in the movie industry.
Basically this is a ninety minute episode of the explosive family comedy/drama "The Cosby show".
I remember this movie coming out, the ad with wild bill ghosting through a bus, and making his face disappear.
The time this came out Cosby's family show was hotter then hell, and as this movie will prove even Death can't keep a good dad down.
I used to enjoy this movie a lot because I enjoyed Bill Cosby, the doctor who helps out Bill Cosby's character, and the satanic cab driver Curtis Burch.
The way he caused the cab to fall over because he reached over to grab Bill Cosby's character's wallet.
This film used to have a certain aura that made it corny, but a great movie to watch if you were bored and needed something to pass the time and get you ready to go to bed.
But I have just grown to hate this movie because it was so weak in its plot.
SPOILERSSidney Poitier was a big star in the sixties and played in some really important and good movies of that time like "In the Heat of the Night" and "The Defiant Ones"."Ghost Dad" is to date his last direction and it is clear why.This movie is as empty as the head of George W.
Bush.It can be forgiven because it is a fantasy comedy made for all ages but even then it isn't any good.Bill Cosby tries hard to save it but he doesn't manage.Both Cosby and Poitier were important black persons in showbizz in their time,Poitier in the sixties and Cosby in the 80's with his legendary sitcom "The Cosby Show" about a "white" black family.All these political and social problems are thrown overboard in this film and that's a shame cause both Cosby and Poitier are highly respected in Hollywood,maybe they could make a difference.Anyway about the film there's not much to say except that it is your typical fantasy story about a neglecting dad who comes to his senses as the movie goes on and of course it all ends well.Pretty mediocre entertainment when you expect nothing and when you don't want to think during the picture,otherwise:don't watch it.
Another Cosby-Poitier Triumph!.
I don't read reviews before I see a movie, as I don't wish to cloud my own response and my own judgments with what other critics may think or not think.
I thought the movie an almost perfect spoof of such films as Danny Kaye's "Wonder Man" (1945), brilliantly updating the events to a contemporary setting and changing its comic thrust to big business rather than organized crime.
Director Sidney Poitier not only coaxed perfect performances from his large cast of interesting players, including Raynor Scheine as the cab driver – a real weirdo if ever there was one – and Ian Bannen as the paranormal expert, plus Kimberly Russell as Cosby's wife, but he was able to marshal a huge team of experts in Hollywood wizardry to help him produce an amusingly relevant and super-fascinating movie that is not only a joy to watch and fun to listen to, but reasonably believable once you accept and get caught up in its initial premise..
A Spirited Movie with Bill Cosby.
If you are looking for a pretty good family movie then watch Ghost Dad. Ghost Dad stars Bill Cosby.
You probably will remember him from The Cosby Show.
This movie came out in 1990 so it even has the tagline "America's Favorite Dad in a Spirited Comedy." You really think Bill Cosby is going to make people want to see this movie?
That movie is in the bottom #100 of movies.Ghost dad is about this widowed father who is raising 3 kids.
He asks the scientist to send him back so he can finish this business deal and make sure his kids are well taken care of.Parts of this movie are really funny.
Things like Bill Cosby's head popping out of a telephone receiver.
I wasn't sure if this movie could be good.
In the beginning of the movie the father could have died on a runaway elevator.
Is that suppose to add something to the movie?
Yeah, let's only show people who are well off in this movie.