Customer Reviews

Ghost Dad [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Ghost Dad stars Bill Cosby as a workaholic father who is never at home and leaves all of his reponsibilities to his oldest daughter. His oldest daughter begins to resent him when he forgets her birthday. That day also changes Bill's character life forever when a crazed taxi driver picks him up and runs off the bridge causing him to become a ghost. Bill is forced to be at the mercy of his children who help him darken his office at work, so he can be seen. As the movie progresses, Bill's character becomes closer to his children and learns that he needs to make more time for them. This movie has a lot of Bill Cosby's humor, which is really funny at times. One of the funniest scenes is with Bill and a guy in England who calls himself "Ed-ith", instead of "E-dith." Definitely see this movie if you like Bill Cosby.

This movie is so bad that it almost makes it worth watching just to laugh at its stupidity. I loved this movie growing up but I have no idea why. I heard it was considered the worst movie of 1990 and at the time, some said it was the worst movie ever. I believe it.

Bill Cosby is as fine a comedian as he is an activist, who also made some of the greatest shows on television. Sidney Poitier is a well-respected actor, who broke racial barriers with his stellar performances in the late-60s movies. Together (with Poitier in the director seat), they couldn't make a ghost comedy work. I wonder if this was just bad timing that "Ghost Dad" was released in the same year as when that ironic Patrick Swayze tearjerker came out (a zillion-times better movie, I might add). If this movie had been pushed back a year or so later, it probably would've been well received by the audience, but if that's the case, than the same could be said for "Over Her Dead Body". Alright, "Ghost Dad" isn't worse than that Longoria ectoplasm, but it didn't make me spirited away in good terms.

Part of the reason for my lack of enthusiasm is the way the film used the premise. Cosby's character was killed when a satan-worshipping taxi driver crazily drove themselves off the bridge, which was quirky in a way, but there was a series of gags before it where he avoided very elaborate death traps; since this circumstance is also an elaborate death trap, it was disappointingly predictable. Once he became a ghost, that's when the film is full of rotten Jello pudding. According to the film, when Cosby introduced his ghost self to his kids, he can only be seen if there aren't any lights around him AND he can only talk through telepathy. The movie is largely inconsistent on the whole seen-by-darkness aspect, since there are many scenes when he's surrounded by sunlight or even active lamps and he can still be visible to the living; as for the telepathy, while I'm not a pro on the subject, he doesn't really need to use his mouth to form audible speeches to the family who knew he's dead, and I doubt he can juggle telepathic speaking with physical action without flubbing it up. And then there's the reveal that he can just jump back into his old body whenever he likes, which is probably the most contrived and implausible plot device just so the movie can have a happy ending.

But there are other things about the film that bugs me besides just how loose the movie's concept of a ghost is described. Bill Cosby's character is established as an uncaring, overworking soon-to-learn-his-lesson-by-laws-of-probability father, who often yells at his character for distracting him or disregard their special days in the most asinine ways (a hat with shaving cream on top as a birthday cake...really?). Trouble is, Cosby isn't convincing at playing such a character. He has that SAME speaking HABIT of the EMPHASIZING of words and the PAUSES and the WEIRD shifting tone of his, and the faces he makes made him incapable to see him as an assertive, unruly father. And then there's the children of the film, who seem way too humble about the fact that their daddy is dead, and soon they'll have to fend for themselves. There's no sense of love or care in their interactions, they're incredible whiny and selfish for a good majority of the film, like the father's death isn't really a big deal. All played for laughs, I suppose, but that's the issue I had with this movie: it's mocks the very subject of death.

There's a sense of neglect and false wholesomeness surrounding "Ghost Dad". When I think about the circumstances that happened within the film, it's actually very morbid. The movie made it seem like it had a happy conclusion, but certain events preceding it meant the family is actually worse off in the end than they were in the beginning; without spoiling it, let's just say they'll be begging for food stamps. You can't make a happy ending out of those grim prospects.

First I will start by saying that I love this movie. I was excited to get it on DVD. The thing that left me perplexed was how scenes were deleted from the DVD. I was disappointed by that. They added a few scenes, but I felt the gap when a part I knew well was skipped. I'm not sure what I feel about that.

He's a dad. He's a ghost (but is he really?) This film works on so many levels. Family drama (single parent struggling to raise his 3 kids), Tale of supernatural, Broad comedy.... You will laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously! The cast is excellent- the late, great Ian Bannen (Waking Ned Divine, Braveheart) is wonderful as a kooky ectoplasm expert with an unusual name. And the character of Curtis Burch- the typical satanist, Manson-family taxi driver- is dead on. Will Cosby be able to save his job AND help his son put on a good magic show while struggling with being dead? I won't tell. See for yourself- you won't regret it!

The movie was a little out of character for Bill Cosby. He is a great actor as usual but they often took Jesus's name in vain which was offensive.

My kids and I really enjoy watching this one over and over. It is funny and clean. I recommend this movie to anyone old and young that likes to laugh.

Ghost Dad is a hilarious movie. Even better, the whole family can watch it. I'd recommend it.

Unsophisticated but well made and entertaining. It is a very-good silly comedy for the whole family. It is what you would typically expect of Bill Cosby, who carries most of the movie on his shoulders.

This film was on the television and I saw part of it with my kids and wife and everyone was laughing. So I order the DVD so we can see entire film and it is a family favorite. We watch many times and always laugh. Dr. Cosby makes funny faces and the story is crazy. I thought Ghost movie would be scary for the kids, but this one is just funny. And story is about family-so has good message. Not violence. The kids laugh at the silly parts and adults like the story and the dialogue so it works on different level. This is family classic!