Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers (WGA):

Jon Lucas (written by) &
Scott Moore (written by)

Release Date:

1 May 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

You can't always run from your past

Plot:

A bachelor is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends at his younger brother's wedding. |

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Ghost | Copped Feel | Womanizer | Chick Flick

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Matthew McConaughey	...	Connor Mead
Jennifer Garner	...	Jenny Perotti
Michael Douglas	...	Uncle Wayne
Emma Stone	...	Allison Vandermeersh
Breckin Meyer	...	Paul
Lacey Chabert	...	Sandra
Robert Forster	...	Sergeant Volkom
Anne Archer	...	Vonda Volkom
Daniel Sunjata	...	Brad
Noureen DeWulf	...	Melanie
Rachel Boston	...	Deena the Bridesmaid
Camille Guaty	...	Donna the Bridesmaid
Amanda Walsh	...	Denice the Bridesmaid
Emily Foxler	...	Nadja
Catherine Haena Kim	...	Charlece

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44969) | Ireland:15A | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | Germany:12 | Netherlands:6 | Sweden:Btl | Iceland:7 | Mexico:B | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Originally set up at Walt Disney Pictures with Ben Affleck attached to play the lead character. Production was to begin in the fall of 2003, but budgetary concerns and the failure of Gigli (2003) forced the studio to cancel the film one month prior to shooting.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Conner crashes his uncle's Cadillac, it is seen going in to the lake. Later in the scene, it is seen parked in front of the lake.

Quotes:

Melanie: There's apple, bubble gum and Tandoori. I know it sounds gross, but have two of them and you won't feel your face.

Movie Connections:

References "M*A*S*H" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Nothin' But a Good Time

Nont quite rom-com

For a rom-com, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is as dramatic as it could be, more Dickens than Apatow. Matthew McConaughey as womanizer Connor Mead is type cast as a rake waiting to be changed into a loving human being, The plot with returning dead lovers to teach him a lesson about having feelings is not quite as exotic as it sounds, for it is a device mainly to show him as a callow youth squiring and losing the love of his life, Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner). The drama is the disaster he makes of his brother's wedding and the tears he witnesses from the women he has seduced and left.

Since we all know enjoying casual sex is a no-no for descendants of Puritans, the outcome of the ghostly apparitions' lessons is secure in cliché land. Following the party line about scoundrels getting what they deserve is ghost of Uncle Wayne, a sort of Gordon Gekko gone good, an oily ex-Lothario played with relish by another spot-on bit of casting, Michael Douglas. His flowing hair and Hollywood-tinted big glasses call to mind producer Robert Evans (The Kid Stays in the Picture). Although Uncle Wayne is a recovered womanizer, at least for now, his speeches about loneliness and broken hearts ring true only for the moment, but long enough to affect the hero.

It's an enjoyable film with a smart cast, a preposterous story but a serious message about true love and selflessness. Not quite a romantic comedy, but very close indeed.