Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

I really wanted to love this movie. The idea and cast give it the potential to be a hilarious romantic comedy, but sadly, it isn't.

I love Matthew McConaughey in pretty much everything he's ever been in. He's a good actor, but I really didn't buy him as a charmer in this movie. I really couldn't see why the women were falling for him. He wasn't even slightly charming or likable. He was just a jerk. It made me feel like the writers of this movie thought all women were just idiots ready to fall into bed with anyone.

Jennifer Garner is another of my faves in other movies. She wasn't bad in this one, but it wasn't enough to save the movie.

One thing I did like about this movie was Lacey Chabert. She was very believable as the nervous bride to be. She was freaking out about every detail as many brides do and was a wreck. She gave us some comedic moments and was cute as a button.

I'm glad I only rented this movie from Netflix, so I'm only out an hour adn 40 minutes of my life rather than $20. If you really feel the need to see this movie, rent it before buying it.

I love most movies with Matthew M. in and combined with Jennifer Garner it was wonderful! If you're a fan of romantic comedies, whats not to love? I don't know why other people rated it poorly, it's not meant to be a deep and awe-inspiring movie, it's just a funny diversion from the normal christmas versions. I added it to my small pile of must have movies.

Buy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) Now

Charles Dickens gave every lazy script writer and theater company a great gift when he wrote A Christmas Carol. The story of Scrooge being forced to examine his life from his hopeful past to his lonely present to his useless end which gives him the opportunity to make a positive change is such a 20th century story of redemption convincing everyone that for maybe one day Freudian psychology not only works but works fast. There have been so many adaptations and modern retellings (I like Scrooged) that it's hard to say which one is the best.

However, we have this movie to see which one is the worst.

So what's wrong with this movie? Matthew McConaughey. I usually find him a pleasantly agreeable actor but the main character of a Christmas Carol adaptation needs to go through a journey. Even at his best, McConaughey doesn't have the acting chops to portray a man who must realize that his life is terrible and accept that he has the potential to change for the better.

And this is McConaughey at his worst. He spends the movie in that annoying genial stoner act that requires an exasperated Kate Hudson to make audiences accept the premise. With every scene he speaks in the same voice inflection and the same easy breezy stoner talk. It only gets more and more grating. Then just as you think he can't get any worse, he is supposed to emote. Faced with this task, he yells and opens his eyes really wide.

There's also a lot of yelling and running around and Michael Douglas is supposed to be Marley's Ghost and it changes Scrooge from a miser to a philanderer but who cares? The movie is basically the experience of being trapped in a room with a stoner friend when you graduated from college and find the whole pot smoking convention rather sad.

Read Best Reviews of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) Here

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was completely panned when it came out, so I avoided it in the theatres. I caught it on HBO recently, and I must say, I didn't think all the vitriol was well-deserved. It's cast well, and though the basic premise is a bit cringe-worthy, I thought it was executed smoothly.

Here's the skinny: Connor Mead (Matt McConaughey) is an insecure teenager who finds the girl that he loves kissing another boy at a school dance. Humiliated, he vents his frustration to his Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). The consummate ladies' man, Uncle Wayne steps in and teaches Connor all the tricks he needs to get what he wants out of women without ever getting too close. The vestiges of these lessons keep Connor from ever truly connecting to Jenny (Jennifer Garner), the true love of his life.

Years later, when Connor's little brother, Paul (Breckin Meyer), is getting married, Connor travels to the wedding only to be haunted by ghosts of his past girlfriends, who vow to change him for the better.

I thought performances were solid. Though the storyline is trite, the actors did a good job with it. I also thought there was good chemistry between Garner and McConaughey, and Michael Douglas' oily Uncle Wayne gave me some gleeful moments. Go in expecting the standard rom-com, and you won't be disappointed.

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Considering the idea and a good cast, this film is extremely disappointing. The laughs are very few and the romance isn't engaging, so what we are left with is a pretty flat retread of the classic story of Scrooge. This had some potential, but the writers must have been asleep while putting this one together.

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