Ghost (1990)

The passionate romance between New Yorkers Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) is cut short when Sam, a banker, is murdered. But his ghost learns that Molly, a sculptor, is in danger and tries to warn her with the help of a fake medium (Whoopi Goldberg). 

It’s a strange mixture of romance, drama, thriller, ghost story and comedy. Sometimes those elements seem to jar, but I rather liked the sense of incongruous genres slamming into one another. Also the story seems oddly preoccupied with the practicalities of being a ghost, despite some inconsistent “rules”, perhaps because the filmmakers were keen to show off the “walking through walls” special effects.

The biggest problem is Patrick Swayze’s acting. There are too many lingering shots of him supposedly looking surprised, bewildered or angry, but he doesn’t have the flexibility or emotional range to convey those feelings. A better choice might have been Michael J. Fox, whose natural charm and gifts for physical comedy would have fitted better. 

Despite all the limitations, it’s highly entertaining. And I’m always happy to hear “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Richard Kelly’s deeply enigmatic, fascinating film straddles psychological thriller and horror-tinged mind-bender. Donnie is a troubled teenager who encounters a creature in a rabbit costume. This creature tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. As that countdown progresses, he continues to visit the boy and advise him on his actions, which become increasingly extreme. 

Meditations on the nature of time, reality and identity are set against the backdrop of an American suburb. The film develops several other strands: Patrick Swayze is the too-good-to-be-true motivational speaker Jim Cunningham, who has a polarising effect on the town, while Drew Barrymore is a school teacher too open-minded for the culture of the school. There’s also lots about Donnie’s family, who love him without understanding him. 

The ending can be taken multiple ways and I’m not sure you’re even meant to fully “understand” it. Instead, you are left with a glimpse into a powerful, multilayered world beneath or behind the one we take for granted. 

Jake Gyllenhaal is superb as the main character. His face has to convey menace, fear, amusement and confusion, and does so brilliantly. Katharine Ross is excellent as Donnie’s psychiatrist, Dr. Lillian Thurman. But, as with all great films, there’s not a single performance that could be improved upon.

Dirty Dancing (1987)

I had never seen this before. Almost a third of a century after its release I spent £1 to find out what all the fuss was about. Nineteen eighty-seven is the year of 1980s films. This film is so 1980s that it simply cannot convince you it is set in 1963. Not only does the music lurch between the decades, but also the fashions. Patrick Swayze acts with his sweaty muscles (he’s topless for much of the film), while Jennifer Grey is charming as the wide-eyed daddy’s girl who learns how to dance – and live her life.

Thematically, there’s plenty going on: a thread about class prejudice, the young vs. old generational divide and the sense of a new, more liberated world about to arrive. One flaw is the way that – as per the style of the times – it breaks down into a pop video at certain points, including the narrative climax when you get the big hit ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

Curiously, the mother of the family is almost entirely absent from the narrative. She barely gets to speak. Only the father’s opinion matters regarding their daughter’s behaviour. I hope this was the filmmakers making a point about sexism rather than forgetting to develop an integral character. That said, there’s plenty to enjoy – the period detail of a simpler time, the soundtrack (when it stays in the correct era) and the warm evocation of a long-gone American innocence at a Catskills resort.