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Arts & Culture

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Matthew McConnaughey is seeing ghosts but Jennifer Garner is the real thing in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
New Line Cinema
Matthew McConnaughey is seeing ghosts but Jennifer Garner is the real thing in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Teen critic gives thumbs up to Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (opening May 1 throughout San Diego) is about Connor Mead (Matthew McConnaughey), a guy that is a total ladies' man and doesn't believe in love and marriage. When Connor was little his parents passed away and he was then raised by his uncle (Michael Douglas) who also believed that love didn't exist and that sleeping around with anyone and everyone was the right way to go. The uncle raised Connor to think the same way. Connor had a best friend named Jenny (Jennifer Garner) that he loved dearly when they were kids. But when she gave her first kiss to some other guy, Connor was heartbroken and never wanted to feel that pain again. So from that moment on he never became attached to any single person again.

Now Connor's younger brother is getting married and he's the best man. Not only is he the best man but his old best friend Jenny is there making him feel horrible every step of the way. Because he doesn't believe in love he basically makes the rehearsal miserable for everyone and decides he would rather get drunk then deal with the fact that everyone is happy. That night he sees the ghost of his dead uncle who tells him that he is going to see three ghosts that night to basically explain where he has gone wrong. The first ghost shows Connor his past relationship with Jenny and how that fell apart. Then he's shown all of the past girlfriends he had in one giant group at the same time. Next his assistant shows up as a spirit rather than a ghost and shows him what he is missing in the present. She shows him all the heart ache he has caused and he then starts to realize what a pain to everyone he has become. In the end he learns a life lesson.

I loved this movie. It was funny and it holds a lot of meaning. Guys that casually throw women and love around are never really happy even though they play it off as if they were. But in the end they will always be alone. I also think the cast was just perfect. They all fit their parts wonderfully and I don't think they could have done a better job. My favorite part was the sequence with the first ghost. She is the crazy first girlfriend Connor had ever been with and believe me she is crazy! The outfit was ridiculous but outside of that she has these extreme changes in behavior and she's quirky, energetic and overall hilarious. I also think that Michael Douglas fit perfectly as the uncle. I loved the things he said; they were just so perverted and wrong and yet they worked for him.

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I have nothing negative to say about "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference). I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Movies like this don't come around very often. Usually there are little things that I find annoying or dry spots, and then I can't wait for it to end. Or I think that the actors just didn't fit as well as I expected. But this film was just awesome. It is a classic movie about a guy that really just doesn't understand what he is missing and then he realizes and goes after the girl, the one for him; it's truly magical. I say this is a must-see movie. If you don't make it to the theater often I think you should pick this one above all others.

--Janeane White is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She enjoys movies and spends all her time at the theater. She is also interested in special effects makeup done in the movies. She is an honors student and is currently working towards early graduation. Some of her favorite movies include "Queen of the Damned," "Hellboy," "The Descent," the "Underworld" series, and the "Saw" series.