SNMR 6.17: "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past"

Since I've been doing this weekly column, I rarely, if ever, have reviewed a movie that was still running in the theaters, much less a movie that opened a mere eight days ago. But this week I went to see this movie and didn't want to wait to review it until after it came out on DVD.

So, tonight's SNMR feature is "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (2009, PG-13, 100 minutes), starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert, Robert Forster and Anne Archer. The film was directed by Mark Waters.

PLOT SUMMARY: Connor Meade (McConaughey) is a successful photographer and notorious womanizer. Love 'em and leave 'em is his motto. When Connor is summoned back to Rhode Island for his brother's wedding, he runs into the one woman who he has always loved, his childhood friend, Jenny Perotti (Garner) and the ghost of his dead Uncle Wayne (Douglas), who is the legendary womanizing influence in Connor's life. Uncle Wayne tells Connor that he's to be visited by three ghosts, representing his girlfriends of the past, present and future. He says that Connor better listen and change his ways or else...

MY OPINION: I've wanted to see this film since I saw the previews for it a few months ago because I've been a fan of Jennifer Garner's for several years and I generally like the romantic comedies Matthew McConaughey inevitably stars in. But there's another reason, which I'll mention in a bit.

Do you think Charles Dickens would be pleased if he knew how many spin offs there have been using the premise of his story "A Christmas Carol" over the years? Obviously this movie continues in that tradition, but in a different and new way.

The story is good and so is the acting. Michael Douglas has long been one of my favorite actors. He's so cool in virtually every role he's been in. McConaughey has a charm and likability in the characters he plays, even though some will say he plays the same type of character in every movie he's in. At 100 minutes, the run time is just about right. Not too long and not too short.

It will be interesting to see what kind of special features will be included when this movie comes to DVD, probably sometime in September. I can see myself easily adding this movie to my DVD collection when that time comes.

***½ out of *****

What was the other reason I wanted to see this movie? Well, for one it was filmed entirely in Massachusetts, which I like and this scene was filmed at the Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury, MA, on the grounds of the Longfellow Wayside Inn - where I was married, way back in 1994.