Movie Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Ever wonder what A Christmas Carol may be like if it wasn’t taking place at Christmas? Well probably not but here is one answer. Released in 2009 this romantic comedy takes the Charles Dickens tale and not only modernizes it, but twists it into a non-Christmas story. I know the critics were not a fan, but it still did not stop this movie from making a lot of money. Spoiler alert as always. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Photographer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey, with Devin Brochu and Logan Miller as the younger versions) not only takes great pictures, but is a notorious womanizer; let me put it this way while hooking up with the woman he was doing a magazine spread for he dumped three other woman via Skype at the same time. He travels up to his childhood home to attend the wedding of his brother Paul (Breckin Meyer) to longtime girlfriend Sandra (Lacey Chabert), despite not really believing in love. Connor as well reunites with childhood friend Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner with Kasey Russell and Christa B. Allen as the younger versions), the only woman to ever capture his heart (and clearly still has strong feelings for). Connor makes a drunken speech about love being a myth (and worrying an already freaking out Sandra) and when he goes to the bathroom runs into the ghost of the man who taught him his womanizing ways: his uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). Telling Connor he is going to die just like him (alone) Wayne tells Connor he will be visited by three ghosts tonight in order to change his ways. Connor at first dismisses it, until he meets the first ghost: the Ghosts of Girlfriends past in the form of Allison Vandermeersh (Emma Stone) who happens to be the first woman Connor slept with in high school who takes him back through his past relationships (which took a LONG time) including him falling for Jenny and then leaving her out of fear of breaking his heart. The Ghosts of Girlfriends Present takes form in Connor’s assistant, and the only constant female figure in his life, Melanie (Noureen DeWulf) showing what people actually think of Connor, including Jenny who is clearly still in love with him but might move on in another man Brad (Daniel Sunjata) much to Connor’s chagrin. When Connor might have screwed up things for his brother he meets the Ghost of Girlfriends Future (Olga Maliouk) which shows a future where Jenny is marring Brad and Connor becomes upset. I know I probably gave a lot away, but considering the material probably not hard to figure out.

A really nice movie perfect for wither a girls night or in need of a little romance. Matthew McConaughey is fantastic as Connor, a womanizer but actually has a heart underneath everything. Jennifer Garner is so good as Jenny, the only woman Connor seems to have loved. Their chemistry is off the charts adorable, I kinda wish these two did more movies together. I liked the rest of the cast, but I have to give a special shout out to Michael Douglas as Uncle Wayne; he was so good. While I would not call Ghost of Girlfriends Past a must see, it is still a very cute movie and if you can find it on TV I would at least DVR it for a later time. Hey you can even watch it on Christmas just to stay true to the original material.

TV Series Review: Revenge

The title does not lie, this show was about Revenge and it was actually pretty good to watch. Based on the famous novel The Count of Monte Cristo, but with plenty of twists, Revenge was a popular show among the people, nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and nominated for several People and Teen Choice Awards. It aired for four seasons (2009 until 2015) and thankfully despite it being canceled out of the blue it did not end on a cliff hanger. If you like a good mystery and soap opera drama than Revenge is perfect. I’m not going to go over season by season, but just in case spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

A beautiful young woman named Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) moves to the Hamptons and rents the beach house next to the gorgeous Grayson Manor. She meets the Graysons at the latest party they are throwing. The Grayson family consists of Victoria (Madeleine Stowe), Daniel (Josh Bowman), Charlotte (Christa B. Allen) and Conrad (Henry Czerny). Daniel and Charlotte welcome Emily with open arms, and Daniel to his bed, while Conrad and Victoria are a little hesitant. They have every right to be, because Emily Thorne is not who she is. Years ago a young girl named Amanda Clarke witnessed Victoria having an affair with her father David and then along with Conrad betrayed Conrad setting him up for treason. David would be convicted, sent and died in prison. Amanda dedicated her life to revenge going after the Grayson’s. She originally wanted to do it alone, but soon reality is she is not alone. Among her allies are her father’s old friend Nolan (Gabriel Mann) and her childhood sweetheart Jack (Nick Wechsler) who has his own problems with the Graysons. However despite Emily’s attempts to prevent it, her emotions as she carries out her plans tend to get in the way and soon secrets come forward that either fuel or hurt her. Meanwhile the Graysons, specifically Victoria, will do just about anything to protect the family from bad press and much more.

While you won’t catch me watching soap operas like Young & The Restless, Revenge was pretty good. VanCamp is spectacular as Emily, Stowe is so evil you both hate and love her, Bowman is great, Allen you want to feel sorry for and also slap her face when she does something stupid and Czerny you don’t feel bad for one second. Mann and Wechsler are two of my favorite characters from the show stealing the scene almost every time they are on screen. Once again if soap opera mysteries are your thing than Revenge is perfect for you. If not the show is still amazing and I would highly recommend it. I know it was on Netflix streaming, and it may be depending on your area. Other than that try the ABC app or Hulu. Revenge is not always a dish best served cold; sometimes you have to heat things up, just like this show.