Categorized: Reviews » Movie Reviews »

Movie Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

COMMENTS

Considering what it is, it isn't all that bad

Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Photo: New Line Cinema

No, Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past is not a masterpiece and to think it is anything more than a clichéd romantic comedy with a silly premise is ridiculous. It is what it is and it isn't trying to be anything more. Matthew McConaughey has become a punch line for his shirtless performances, but as folks make fun of him he is laughing his way to the bank as there is obviously an audience for his films and let's face it, he isn't half-bad considering what we are talking about.

Grade This Movie
User Grade: B- (9 Ratings)
Your Grade:

"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" is a Warner Bros. release, directed by Mark Waters and is rated PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.

The cast includes Jennifer Garner, Matthew McConaughey, Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert, Anne Archer, Emma Stone, Michael Douglas, Robert Forster and Devin Brochu.

For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.

More About This Movie
In his latest outing his conquest is deemed to be Jennifer Garner as Matt plays Connor Mead, a playboy professional photographer who is best known for lovin' 'em and leavin' 'em — Garner's character obviously being one of those ladies that has been "left." To kick start the story his brother (Breckin Meyer) has asked his philophobic brother to be the best man at his wedding, a societal ritual Connor is obviously against. Once in attendance he begins to express his dissatisfaction with matrimony to the point you wouldn't even invite this guy to pick up your garbage.

To teach him a lesson, the ghost of his lady-bedding mentor, Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas), shows up to tell him he will be visited by three ghosts, which will in turn teach him the error of his ways leading everyone to live happily ever after. What else did you expect?

McConaughey is his usual charming self, all smiles and accompanied by his perfect hair and Texas accent. Jennifer Garner adds very little to the film and is slowly proving she adds very little to any film making me think initially type-casting her as the new female action star is something she should have stuck with. As for the rest of the cast, the most startling element is just how small Breckin Meyer and Lacey Chabert are as a couple compared to everyone else in the cast. Seriously, these two look like garden gnomes when standing next to McConaughey and Garner and, suffice to say, it is a bit distracting.

As director, Mark Waters proves he can manage these fluff pieces after turning both Freaky Friday and Mean Girls into successes. He may have stumbled with Just Like Heaven, but this one should end up a winner for New Line as he directs this film consciously aware of its stupidity, and even at one point a character foreshadows the coming of a montage accompanied by Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," which certainly allows for a larger appreciation.

While Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past fails in any attempt to be anything more than a cliché Christmas Carol inspired romantic comedy, it succeeds in achieving a consistent amount of laughs at the expense of its misogynistic lead. Any hope for an improved state of romantic comedies will not be aided using this film as an example, but it is sure to satisfy the crowd it was made for and should manage to amuse the gentlemen they bring with them.

GRADE: C+
Click for related content: Movie Reviews :
  • SHARE
  1. Look up formula, apply formula, film formula. Such is the state of modern comedy with the possible exception of Woody Allen. I recently watched "Lone Star" and Matthew McConaughey was very good in his limited role. Edgy and layered. What the 'el happened? No one would think edgy and layered much less very good in reference to McConaughey today, despite "Tropic Thunder." And gotta say, your snark about Breckin Meyer's height was not what I expect from you. Breckin is another disappointment over the years, but it lies more in his choices than his talent. I usually find him the best of whatever he is in. No one cites Dustin Hoffman's or Tom Cruise's height in their performances. Tsk. Tsk.

  2. I'm angry at this review and I'm not even reading it. Not all that bad? It's the worst concept I've ever heard of, and with chick flicks, all that can be original is the concept. The story arch certainly isn't going to be original. And this concept is kaka, as Socrates would have said. Turning the concept of A Christmas Carol into a chick flick? They must have thrown a dart in a middle school library and decided to use the concept from whichever book it hit.

  3. ^ Brad gave this horrendous film the same rating as 'Wolverine'. First time ever that i didn't agree with his reviews. And even 'Righteous Kill' had the same grade.

  4. The last Rambo was longlisted as one of the ten best of 2008 here. But I guess you can't agree with a critic all the time.

    BTW, this is the third McConaughey flick you just need to see the trailer of. I mean, they showed the entire bloody "story" in it. The first was "How to Loose a Guy in 100 Days" and the other was "Sahara". They came with beginning, middle and the end.

  5. ^… lol…even critics can be Rambo fanboys, no matter how bad the films are. Ah well…

    My point was not that Wolverine is a good film…it was a bad one for sure, but certainly not as bad as this one or the other Matthew McConaughey films of late.

  6. Well im just saying that it might been fine for you, but i dont see how people would enjoy watching that movie.

~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.

Leave Your Feedback

 
 
Featured Video
Tron Legacy ~ Trailer
Latest Movie Stills