Plot: What’s it about?
Elliot Hopper (Bill Cosby) has a lot on his mind, to say the least. After his wife died, Elliot has been working harder than ever to make his business deals work, so he can provide an upstanding life for his three children. It seems as though all of his work is about to pay off, when Elliot is on the verge of completing the biggest and most important business deal of his career. If he can close this deal, Elliot will be able to take more time for his children, which is something he wants badly to be able to do. On his way to finish up this business deal, Elliot’s cab gets into an accident and the car ends up at the bottom of the river. While rescue workers manage to free Elliot from the wreckage before he passes away, he is mired in a coma, which he stays in with no signs of recovery. But then, Elliot wakes up, or at least his spirit does, which enables him to journey beyond his natural body. Of course, he goes right to his children and tries to find a way to speak to them and be seen, but that’s no easy task for an inexperienced ghost.
This movie gets bashed so much and I have no idea why someone would want to trash this film. If you’re going to badmouth a movie, go after a blockbuster that lacks substance or a film that seems to have a message, don’t turn your wrath toward a movie like this one. I mean this movie doesn’t masquerade as a complex film by any means, it just offers a chance to laugh and have a good time. This is a family film, so while some touchy topics are featured, they’re just glazed over to ensure the tone remains light. This seems to irk some folks, who claim the movie should be more somber or realistic. These guys bash this movie for having a ghostly father who watches over his family, but then praise an uptight, equally paper thin film like The Sixth Sense. Maybe the visuals and special effects aren’t as impressive, but the movie is much more fun to watch, and doesn’t rely on a gimmick twist ending. This is light comedy that the entire family can enjoy, and these days those kind of movies are few and far between. I recommend a rental for first timers, but I know I’m adding this to my collection right now!
This film was directed by Sidney Poitier, who has more than his fair share of hits, both in front of and behind the camera. While he isn’t best known for his work in the comedy field, he directed several of them in his career. While not all them struck a chord with me like this one, they are worth looking up if you enjoy this film. Poitier made his living by acting and directing in dramatic films for the most part, but he can handle a light comedy very well also. Other Poitier comedies include Let’s Do It Again, A Piece Of The Action, and Uptown Saturday Night, all of which featured Bill Cosby, the lead in this movie. That’s right, Mr. Jello Pudding Pops himself, William “Bill” Cosby is the main man in this movie. I think Cosby is hilarious, especially his early works which most people haven’t seen. Cosby (The Devil & Max Devlin, The Meteor Man) turns in a solid comedic effort in this film, and just for the record, I think Leonard Part Six is a cult classic, thanks. The rest of cast is also good and includes Omar Gooding (Tv’s Wild & Crazy Kids, Tv’s Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper), Denise Nicholas (Capricorn One, Blacula), Ian Bannen (Braveheart), and Kimberly Russell (The Game, Hangin’ With The Homeboys).
Video: How does it look?
Ghost Dad is presented in a 1.33:1, or full frame transfer. While I always prefer a widescreen version, this cropped image shows little physical pan and scan. I do hope that someday, a 2.35:1 version of this movie will be released, but until then this is all we have. The main complaint I have with this transfer aside from the aspect ratio is the compression errors, which surface on more than one occasion. Aside from that, this is one of Goodtimes’ better looking visual presentations. The colors seem bright and natural, while flesh tones remain normal and consistent as well. The contrast has some hiccups here and there, but overall the shadows look detailed and nothing is lost in the darker areas.
Audio: How does it sound?
I was pleased with the overall experience the included 2.0 surround track offered. While this isn’t an overpowering track, it does allow the terrific musical score to come to life well, and the effects sound much richer than a stereo track would offer. The elements remain distinct also, so no muddiness is evident with this mix. Since this is a comedy, dialogue is the real focus and this track offers clean and clear vocals all the way through.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains no bonus features.
