Ghostlight movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Ghostlight

This comedy drama is now playing in theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 55 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a stressed-out construction worker who gets recruited to join a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. The drama starts to mirror his own life.

The film was written by Kelly O’Sullivan, who also co-directed it with Alex Thompson. Already, the film has been nominated for and won awards at several film festivals. Congratulations to the team!

THINGS I LIKED:

This film does an amazing job blending comedy with drama and tragedy.
One of the coolest elements of the movie is that the central family is a family in real life: Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen, and Katherine Mallen.
Speaking of Katherine Mallen, I think she has a bright future in Hollywood. Roles for feisty teens are very popular right now.
At the beginning of the movie, we hear the song “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” being sung from the famous classic Broadway hit Oklahoma. My father used to sing that to us kids to wake us up in the morning. My niece sung it at my father’s funeral last year and there was not a dry eye in the house. Later, we hear other lyrics sung in small clips as we learn they have meaning that correlates with the characters.
Speaking of tears, be prepared to have tissues while you watch this movie. You WILL laugh and you WILL cry.
There were so many moments in the movie when people expressed their rage and impatience with one another, something I have seen more and more in our society. It’s an alarming increase of disrespect people have for others that frightens me about my country. Is it happening where YOU live too?
The movie shows a clip of the Leonardo de Caprio version of Romeo and Juliet. Have you seen that one?
It’s not until 45 minutes into the movie that we learn there has been a death in the family and we finally understand why each member of the family has been acting in certain ways.
The play that the community theater group puts on is “Romeo and Juliet.” The layers of how that story connect with what the characters are experiencing in their lives slowly unfold. I love layers. The movie is very well written and it’s a pleasure to discover the nuggets of wisdom and touching moments in the film.
There is an interesting moment in the film where one of the characters sees an image off stage. It’s a bright light but in the shape of a man’s image, making you wonder if it’s the son who died. I’m assuming that is how the movie gets its title.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

A lot of time is spent on anger and F-bombs before we begin to understand and appreciate what’s really happening to the characters.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including a lot of F-bombs

THEMES:

Grief
Parenting
Redemption
Kindness
Cooperation
Family
People act out violently
Anger management
Acting
The power of theater

FUNNY LINES:

“I don’t think we should trust a woman who uses the word ‘irregardless’ in an educational environment.” – Daisy (Katherine Mallen)
“None of these kids have star quality.” – Daisy (Katherine Mallen)
“This will not happen again! Probably…” – Lanora (Hanna Dworkin)
“Can we send her to one of those military schools?” – Sharon (Tara Mallen)

INTERESTING LINES:

If you aren’t committed, tell me now.” – Dan (Keith Kupferer)
“It seemed like you might want to be someone else for awhile.” – Rita (Dolly De Leon)
“It’s not fair that you get to be the hero when you haven’t done any of the work.” – Sharon (Tara Mallen)