Issue Date: 5/11/09
'Ghosts' recycles tired formula
By Kelley Foyt
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"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, brings a "new" twist to the recurring approach while managing to keep the audience laughing.
The premise of the movie is based around the foundation of Connor Meade's (McConaughey) realization that being a player may not be the optimal lifestyle. The plot plays out as ghosts of Connor's past relationships haunt him at his younger brother's wedding (a concept as old as Dickens himself).
Connor is set up as a character who lives his life by a "whoever cares the least is in control" motto, and absolutely never stays at the girl's house the morning after to cuddle, or worse: spoon. (Imagine the horror).
At his brother's wedding rehearsal, a ghost from his romantic past visits him in an Ebenezer Scrooge-like moment. The ghost, who is the girl that he lost his virginity to, takes him on an humorous journey through his past relationships.
Connor is quickly able to realize that his childhood best friend Jenny Perotti, played by Garner, is the girl for him (which will hardly come as a big surprise).
It's then up to Connor to untangle his feelings and fix his mistakes in order to get the girl.
While not a new idea, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" is a witty and entertaining movie.
The script plays out Connor as the protagonist, so the movie is told through a guy's perspective, keeping the typical "gushiness" of a romantic comedy to a minimal. Girls can drag their boyfriends to the theater confident that their man won't be squirming in his seat and counting down the minutes to the end of the film.
While the main attraction of "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" is the humor, there is another pleasing aspect of the movie that makes it worthwhile.
Surprisingly, the chemistry between McConaughey and Garner is both believable and likable. Sparks fly every time that the smart, sassy and attention-to-detail Jenny is in the room with the overconfident and egotistical Connor. The two have a romance similar to a tango dance, with strong counterweights and a powerful tenacity on each character's side.
While Garner has a tendency to pick roles with diversity (she's taken a page from her Alias character Sydney Bristow's book), McConaughey seems to be lacking in that department. (Haven't we seen that same laid-back charm in "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days?") McConaughey seems to be having difficulty finding the distinguishing line between the characters that he plays and his real-life roles.
"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" has some serious flaws, which are mainly reflected in Hollywood's inability to produce a one-of-a-kind movie, but it offers enough entertainment to be described as "pretty cute."
With summer just around the corner, the movie offers an escape from the heat and a quick form of entertainment that will keep it from becoming a box office flop.
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