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GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PASTMovie Reviews
Romantic comedy about a committed bachelor who is visited by ghosts of his former jilted girlfriends, who take him on an odyssey through his failed relationships. Cast:Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone, Anne ArcherDirector:Mark S. WatersRelease Date:May 1, 2009DVD Release:September 22, 2009From:New LineRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 40 min
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael Sragow wrote in the Baltimore Sun, "...displays nary a wisp of life, let alone an afterlife." • And Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a racy raunchfest or a sentimental celebration of soul mates. So it ends up being a sappy, sleazy hybrid." More Reviews Below...
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "The movie is cheesy, tacky, and gimmicky. But as directed by Mark Waters ('Mean Girls'), it's also prankish and inventive enough to be kind of fun."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 05/01/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: POOR(cg) "...it's never particularly funny because it takes such an insultingly limited and cliched view of what constitutes female sexual independence."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 04/30/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Despite the film's far-fetched premise, the dialogue is sharp, and McConaughey and Garner spar brilliantly (in one scene, they fight about spooning!)."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 04/30/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a racy raunchfest or a sentimental celebration of soul mates. So it ends up being a sappy, sleazy hybrid."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 05/01/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...a junky-looking romantic comedy that's neither remotely romantic nor passably comic.... a one-man show, a vehicle for Mr. McConaughey's diminishing returns."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 05/01/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "There are also Present and Future ghosts, but the only apparition who makes any impression is Michael Douglas, playing Connor's recently-deceased Uncle Wayne."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 05/01/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "The potential is here... [but] a lot of Connor's dialogue is just plain sadistic and qualifies him as that part of an ass it shares with a doughnut."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 04/30/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...an amusingly sentimental whiff of a romantic comedy, a modern-day morality tale that is a little 'It's Not Such a Wonderful Life' and a lot 'A Very Un-Christmas Carol.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 05/01/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I'm almost embarrassed to admit I found 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' the season's first genuine guilty pleasure.... Cheestastic!"(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 05/01/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "All I can say is, despite my McConaughey resistance I got more guilty chuckles from 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' than 'Failure to Launch' or 'Four Christmases.' "(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 05/01/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "Director Mark Waters barely tries to liven up the dull script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, but his main problem may be the lighting and makeup teams."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 05/01/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...isn't just ordinarily lame, it easily exceeds any normal requirements for witless sleaze.... The bad-taste meter just keeps on rising."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 05/01/09
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Mark Waters, who directed the excellent Lindsay Lohan vehicles 'Freaky Friday' and 'Mean Girls,' helms this like a wedding video shot by a drunk cousin."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 04/29/09
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "McConaughey lacks chemistry with Garner, who is decent in a movie that demands less. Director Mark Waters constantly goes for cheap laughs yet fails..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 135 words, 04/30/09
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Jan Stuart, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "The relentless vulgarities would be almost tolerable if they were amusing, but Mark Waters's direction is so tentative that the film's single laugh happens over an hour in."(See all of Jan Stuart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 05/01/09
Elizabeth Defee, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: FAIR(cg) "This film might have had the potential to be hilarious and enjoyable, but Dickens himself probably wouldn't have been able to salvage the script."(See all of Elizabeth Defee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 05/01/09
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: POOR(cg) "The whole thing just makes you want to cringe.... because everyone in the movie is stranded on the same sinking ship, it's all pretty thankless."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 05/01/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...has some laughs - more than a few thanks to Michael Douglas as a dead swinger - and some moments of tenderness, too."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 05/01/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As a romcom, it's average, but as a Matthew McConaughey romcom, it's above average. If you're a low-expectations moviegoer, this one might surprise you."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 05/01/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...better-than-average McConaughey swill, but not by much.... The dialogue is bright and shallow, the pacing brisk, and Rolfe Kent's score tells you exactly what to feel..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 775 words, 05/01/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...there's no subtlety... Instead of making Connor a carefree playboy, or a fabulous rat like Bill Murray's character in 'Scrooged,' he's simply an egocentric jerkwad."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 05/01/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "How's this for faint praise? Despite being foolish in most respects, 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' keeps you on its wacky rom-com narrative train all the way to the end."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 05/01/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "Despite inducing some guilty grins, McConaughey's character is unforgivably shallow. The likable Garner has little to do except wait for his inevitable breakthrough."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 311 words, 05/01/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: FAIR(cg) "Mark Waters' movie almost seems like a documentary.... It's not the best or worst of times -- sorry, Charlie D. -- to be spent in a theater, but it'll be better on DVD."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 04/30/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The ghosts aren't all that, but 'Ghosts' finishes well, and the familiar McConaughey heel-grows-a-heart story arc is engaging."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 05/01/09
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Mark Waters, who directed the excellent Lindsay Lohan vehicles 'Freaky Friday' and 'Mean Girls,' helms this like a wedding video shot by a drunk cousin."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 04/29/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: POOR(cg) "...never comes as close as spitting distance to a laugh.... McConaughey sold out his 'Dazed and Confused' promise years ago. Garner needs a career intervention..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 303 words, 05/01/09
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...a labored reworking of 'A Christmas Carol,' where Dickens gets bent over by the ghost of Matthew McConaughey's once-promising career."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 04/30/09
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "McConaughey lacks chemistry with Garner, who is decent in a movie that demands less. Director Mark Waters constantly goes for cheap laughs yet fails..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 135 words, 04/30/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...a junky-looking romantic comedy that's neither remotely romantic nor passably comic.... a one-man show, a vehicle for Mr. McConaughey's diminishing returns."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 05/01/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...bizarre... Jennifer Garner brings a sweet simplicity to the role of Connor's childhood sweetheart, though who knows what she's doing in junk like this."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 05/01/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...an amusingly sentimental whiff of a romantic comedy, a modern-day morality tale that is a little 'It's Not Such a Wonderful Life' and a lot 'A Very Un-Christmas Carol.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 05/01/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: FAIR "...a second-rate sex farce that ponders the weighty question of why a rich, flashy, good-looking New York fashion photographer might prefer not to get hitched."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 892 words, 04/27/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "As written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and directed by Mark Waters, the movie clumps through one witless if not wince-evoking sequence after another..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 04/27/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...an amusingly sentimental whiff of a romantic comedy, a modern-day morality tale that is a little 'It's Not Such a Wonderful Life' and a lot 'A Very Un-Christmas Carol.' "(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 05/01/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...a junky-looking romantic comedy that's neither remotely romantic nor passably comic.... a one-man show, a vehicle for Mr. McConaughey's diminishing returns."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 05/01/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...bizarre... Jennifer Garner brings a sweet simplicity to the role of Connor's childhood sweetheart, though who knows what she's doing in junk like this."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 05/01/09
23.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past's reviews are separated by an average 23.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Ghosts of Girlfriends Past's reviews cover 71.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,552 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 460 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Coverage, Volume & Length (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9.6 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past's reviews on average broke 9.6 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Ghosts of Girlfriends Past's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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