Ghost Review

Most people don't have the time, money, or energy to watch a lot of movies, so when you do get a chance to watch something, you want it to be good. That's why Rotten Tomatoes exists: to give a snapshot of whether a movie is worth your time. But does it always work? I'll be watching all of Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh movies from this Wikipedia list starting in the year 1990, the decade I was born, and we'll see if these movies are really worth the hype.

Movie 10 of 1990:

Ghost, directed by Jerry Zucker, was a pretty fun, mostly light-hearted ride. This movie has something for everyone, and it makes sense why this was the highest-grossing film of 1990. Many moments would generate strong word of mouth. As someone who hadn't seen this movie before, there were still multiple elements that became ingrained in our culture, such as the pottery scene and Whoopi Goldberg's Oscar-winning performance as Oda Mae Brown. 

This movie also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, which is understandable because this is a very unique story. I had always assumed this movie was about a woman falling in love with a ghost, but there was actually a much more complex mystery going on. I appreciated that Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly’s (Demi Moore) relationship was already established, and the audience was able to get an idea of how the two interacted with each other before the events of the film.

By far the most entertaining character was Oda Mae Brown. Goldberg brought so much light and energy to the story. The entire concept of this being the first time she could hear a ghost as a scammy psychic was actually quite funny. She was able to simultaneously be the funniest part of this movie, which felt like the intention of the character, and bring an incredible amount of emotional depth.

While something like this was never going to win Best Picture, though it was nominated, it's still a really good time. There is some really interesting lore with the ghosts baked into the story. I honestly wouldn't have minded if that aspect had gone a bit deeper. It was quite fun watching Sam learn the mechanics of being a ghost, so delving more into that would have been interesting.

This is, at its core, a crowd pleaser. There is something there for everyone. If you like comedy, drama, romance, or even a little horror, there is something about this that you could find enjoyable. I had never given this movie a shot before because I thought I knew what it would be, and I was way off. I definitely understand why this was a must-see in 1990, and I would argue that it still is today.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

Is it worth the hype?:

100%! Few people will take nothing away from this movie because it is such a fun ride with many different elements that all work together well. Whoopi Goldberg is phenomenal and brings so much joy and heart to the movie. Give this a watch if you've never seen it before because it should definitely be experienced at least once.