Ghost (1990)

After being killed during a botched mugging, a man's love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost.

Director:

Jerry Zucker

Writer:

Bruce Joel Rubin

Stars:

Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn

Won 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Swayze	...	Sam Wheat
Demi Moore	...	Molly Jensen
Tony Goldwyn	...	Carl Bruner
Stanley Lawrence	...	Elevator Man
Christopher J. Keene	...	Elevator Man
Susan Breslau	...	Susan
Martina Deignan	...	Rose (as Martina Degnan)
Rick Kleber	...	Mover (as Richard Kleber)
Macka Foley	...	Mover
Rick Aviles	...	Willie Lopez
Phil Leeds	...	Emergency Room Ghost
John Hugh	...	Surgeon
Sam Tsoutsouvas	...	Minister
Sharon Breslau	...	Cemetery Ghost (as Sharon Breslau Cornell)
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Subway Ghost

Storyline

Sam and Molly are a very happy couple and deeply in love. Walking back to their new apartment after a night out at the theatre, they encounter a thief in a dark alley, and Sam is murdered. He finds himself trapped as a ghost and realises that his death was no accident. He must warn Molly about the danger that she is in. But as a ghost he can not be seen or heard by the living, and so he tries to communicate with Molly through Oda Mae Brown, a psychic who didn't even realise that her powers were real.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | bank | love | death | escape | 

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Taglines:

Before Sam was murdered he told Molly he'd love and protect her forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duh

Filming Locations:

Spring Street Towers - 650 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$217,631,306 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlotte Zucker:  Director Jerry Zucker's mother (who has appeared in many of the Zucker brothers' movies) plays the bank officer.

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Goofs

When Sam is on the train, he is pushed violently through the rails, cabin doors, but hits his head on the last cart.

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Quotes

Oda Mae Brown: Four-million dollars?
Lyle Furgeson: Yes. Four-million dollars. And, um, how would you like that, Mrs. Miller?
Oda Mae Brown: Tens and twenties?
Sam Wheat: No, a cashier's check!
Oda Mae Brown: Actually... I think better a cashier's check.
Lyle Furgeson: Right...

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are half transparent like a ghost.

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Connections

Referenced in Bless the Child (2000)

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Soundtracks

"NO HIDING PLACE"
Arranged by Evelyn Starks and Dorothy Love Coates
Performed by Dorothy Love Coates and The Original Gospel Harmonettes
Courtesy of Specialty Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Beautiful, touching and moving... a tale of a love so strong it defies death itself

I must say this film surprised me. Coming in, I knew nothing about it but the famous clay-forming scene... I didn't know I was in for such a strong experience. This film had me from the first few moments of it. I never lost interest. The plot is so interesting and intriguing, you can't help but watch, often at the very edge of your seat. I will say that I found one twist somewhat predictable, but maybe I've just seen too many later movies before watching this. There is a lot of suspense in this film. When I found that it was directed by a Zucker(yup... Airplane and so forth), I was somewhat doubtful as to any other quality in the film than the humor of it... if you're reading this and you're thinking the same, trust me; he pulls it off. Excellently. There are few, if any, flaws in directing. The writing is solid. At times, there seemed to be a little too much humor and some scenes were maybe a tad long, but apart from that, there was not really anything with this film that was flawed. The score is great. The pacing is incredibly good. The acting is really good all-round. Goldberg provides a lot of comic relief, without being obnoxious. Moore and Swayze have magnificent chemistry, you truly believe them as a couple. The special effects are grand, yet they don't take over the movie. This is driven by the emotions, by how the plot affects these characters. I was completely into this movie all the way. The humor is very good and surprisingly tasteful for the theme. Much of it is derived from the situation of Swayze's character and his interaction with environment and other characters. All in all, just a very impressive film. I recommend this to any fan of drama, romance, comedy, thriller or fantasy, as well as anyone interested in seeing a non-parody Zucker film and fans of the actors. 7/10