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 Connor, played by Matthew McConaughey, is happy to receive the attentions of many women in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. |
The story of one ghoul dude and a few of his old haunts
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST
Directed by Mark Waters
Certificate 12a
IT’S an idea with legs, but sadly they are attached to the dollybirds that litter this flick rather than the plot. Connor (Matthew McConaughey), a successful photographer, is a bed-hopping Lothario who loves nothing more than a bit of loving ’em and leaving ’em. Still, somehow, poor chiselled-chin Connor thinks his life lacks a certain something and can’t work out what it is.
Then, the night before his brother’s wedding, he is visited by three ghostly apparitions à la A Christmas Carol. Three girlfriends come forward to point his snout in the right direction, to help him recover from his lustful thirst for different women and open his eyes to the joys of settling down. The question is, as it was with Ebeneezer Scrooge, is what will he learn from their visits and will he act to change his life?
Will he realise that his true love, his childhood sweetheart Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner) who happens to be maid of honour at the wedding, is really the one for him?
This is the premise of a rom-com that pushes buttons in the right places but is essentially pallid. Perhaps the most enjoyable moments are the banter between Connor and Jenny. Their caustic relationship and sour grapes comments provide much of the light relief.
Other characters who pop up include Uncle Wayne – played by Michael Douglas, who is clearly enjoying himself. Smoothie-slick Uncle Wayne has taught the unfortunate Connor all he knows about women. This seems to amount to treat ’em mean, and who cares if they are keen?
The premise that you can only be happy if you are ensconced in a heterosexual relationship and pumping out sprogs is a common and somewhat lazy theme that runs through Hollywood rom-coms.
It still peddles this ridiculous idea that marriage is really the be-all and end-all of human endeavour, and, as this underpins this film, you can see why it wobbles in places like a Star Trek set.
And, sadly, the essential fact is Connor is such a charmless mug that it’s very hard to root for him – and therefore hard to invest the time required to make this anything more than another run-of-the-mill film about white-teethy couples pitching for a perfect life. |
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