"Ghost" (1990)

Hollywood continues to buy ideas in bulk. What else can account for the onslaught of similiarly themed movies all hitting the box office within months of each other? Five years ago, teen science movies were all the rage ("Weird Science," "Real Genius," "My Science Project" and the surprise hit of the bunch, "Back to the Future"). Two years ago, it was the onslaught of the body-switcher movies ("Vice Versa," "Like Father, Like Son," "Dream A Little Dream" and the aptly-named "Big"). And now, in the past few months, we've had ghost stories: Spielberg's "Always," Bo and John Derek's hideous "Ghosts Can't Do It," the aforementioned "Ghost Dad" and this one, with the no-nonsense title "Ghost."

Despite its generic packaging -- and its less-than-promising cast of Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and the generally dreaded Whoopi Goldberg -- "Ghost" works. Director Jerry Zucker's resume of raucous farces like "Airplane!", "Ruthless People" and "The Naked Gun" gives no indication of his being capable of sustaining the movie's many shifts of tone and tempo, but he pulls it off, certainly more successfully than Spielberg did in "Always," which was more saccharine than romantic and was weighed down by overblown comic interludes. But the real crusher of "Always" was its failure to make Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter a believable pair of lovers. In contrast, "Ghost"'s leisurely first hour sets up Swayze and Moore as Sam and Molly, a very credible, likable couple; there's a terrific love scene involving Moore's pottery wheel that establishes their strong erotic bond and that's essential for this kind of material to click. The relationship is interrupted when Sam and Molly are mugged and Sam is murdered by a derelict. His spirit discovers the truth about the killing and finally gets in touch with one person in New York who actually can hear him: Sister Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg), who runs a psychic scam but doesn't believe she actually has the gift. Oda doesn't want to help Sam, but finally gives in after he keeps her up all night singing "99 Bottles of Beer" and "I'm 'Enry the Eighth, I Am." From here on out, "Ghost" becomes a deft blending of comedy and suspense, with some impressive special effects that are incorporated into the film instead of being the center of it.

Swayze has trouble playing agony and shock, but acquits himself nicely in his first decent role since "Dirty Dancing"; after the debacles of "Steel Dawn," "Road House" and "Next of Kin," he may finally have found a picture his female fans will like. Moore has always been an underrated actress and she turns in strong work once again. But it's Goldberg who almost steals the show. After five years of watching her disgrace herself and trash her talents in one sorry vehicle after another, it's hard to believe she could rebound with such a spirited characterization, but she has. As Oda Mae, she's finally found a role that combines the hipness of her standup act with a bit of the serious side she's shown in "The Color Purple" and "Clara's Heart," and she's made the most of it. And if John Travolta could redeem himself in the eyes of moviegoers with just one picture, why not Whoopi?