This film was released in 1990 and secured a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Whoopi Goldberg. It concerns a banker who, after finding unusual amounts of money in some accounts in the institution where he works, is killed in a mugging. However, his spirit, in the form of a ghost, refuses to leave, and turns up evidence that he was murdered to cover up a money laundering racket being run by one of his closest friends at the bank. In the course of trying to expose the crime, he enlists the aid of a con-artist psychic, played by Goldberg, to help him protect his lover. This is a beautifully done movie with excellent performances by all concerned. Patrick Swayze portrays the distraught and totally confused ghost to perfection, Demi Moore is heartbreaking as his grief-stricken girlfriend, and Tony Goldwyn is dispicable as the friend-turned-murderer. There is also a superb job by Vincent Schiavelli as a hostile ghost stuck on the subway. The musical score is done by Maurice Jarre and features the 1965 song "Unchained Melody," performed by The Righteous Brothers, which was pushed to the top of the musical charts after the movie was released. This one will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and come away with a true sense of hope for the afterlife.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not too many movies (or, really, ANY movie I can think of) manage to successfully combine broad comedy, melodrama, romance, thriller, and paranormal themes, but Ghost does it and does it extremely well. Whoopi Goldberg makes the movie, but Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Tony Goldwyn are excellent too. Did anyone ever cry more prettily than Demi does all through this movie?

Despite its theme of love transcending death, this isn't a deep movie by any means, and the special effects are almost laughable. But the movie does what Hollywood can do so well when it puts its mind to it - make you laugh, make you cry, and transport you to another world for a couple of hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ghost (1990) is a romantic thriller starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.

The film begins right off of the bat by introducing the audience to Swayze('Sam') and Moore('Molly') as two young lovers that are navigating a notable step in their relationship: moving in together.
We are given approximately 25 to 30 minutes total of viewing time (enough to make us optimistic about this romance) amd then we are struck in the gut as we must bear witness to Sam being murdered in what could at first be mistaken as simply a petty robbery-gone-wrong.

While cutting to the chase isn't always the bets idea, it's almost necessary in this particular film. Sam's murder becomes the catalyst for presenting the story the director really needs us to absorb; shortly after being murdered, Sam becomes a ghost and he immediately starts looking for answers to why he was killed (and, it's to be expected, so no need to force empathy out of the audience); the suspense is deepened by finding out that his murderer was hired, although it remains unknown for a significant period of time what the motivation was behind Sam being killed.

Sam's spirit is assisted by a would-be psychic namdd Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg). Their relationship throughout the film is presented in a way that is plausible given the scenario; more-over, Swayze and Goldberg have a certain amount of chemistry that lends authenticity to their roles. Their characters spend a large amount of time on screen together (so, the audience can see them standing next to each other), but you are convinced that Oda seriously can't see Sam in any capacity. It's fair to say that this is just remarkably good acting and the performances in this film are dang-near unmatched.

The plot of this film is well developed in that the big reveal about who hired the murderer (and their motovation) is simultaneously a surprise and completely obvious all at the same time; because of this, the story moves at a pace that makes waiting for the final resolution bearable. The audience can guess that the ending will ultimately work in Sam and Molly's favor, but it isn't clear how that resolution will come to pass.

At the core this movie is a love story - but it becomes something much more than that when it is all said and done.

This movie is as entertaining as it is digestible; I would recommend!