Ghost Dad (1990)

Right off the bat, I'm admitting that I was never really into Bill Cosby. He just seemed kind of boring and didn't have much identity. I was at least familiar with his awful movie record. Nowadays, everybody wants to distant themselves from him, but I'm not going to judge the movie based on that. I'm just going to treat it like a movie. This film features Bill Cosby apparently becoming a ghost. This movie is just really dumb with the rules it has about the afterlife. It's said that people can see Cosby's clothes but not his face but we clearly see him with clothes on in one scene and nobody notices him! Also, this one guy says he's an authority on the afterlife and has even written a book. Wait, if there's a book written about ghosts, why can't they just tell everyone that he's a ghost? Ghosts have already been said to exist in this world. Better yet, just tell people you're a ghost and get rich and famous proving ghosts exist! This film is very mean spirited with Cosby running into a crazy Satanist who then convinces him that he's Satan. He later chokes a kid through the phone and threatens a little boy. I really do hate it when people make ugly, hateful films for children. *1/2

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was ingenious how they combined the screen writing with the special effects to allow the "live" people" to interact with Bill Cosby (as Elliot Hopper) in his "between" state: They could hear him, but only see him if the lights were turned down low. I found this genuinely interesting, because a low-light situation is one of the best conditions for seeing the human aura. What I liked maybe most about Ghost Dad was the pacing, which was flawless; not a single wasted or empty moment in the movie. Always there was good dialogue. Regardless of what some reviewers have to say, I did not find the movie "corny" at all. It was a perfect combination of sober and hopeful.The ending was beautiful, as Elliot's daughter, Diane (played by Kimberly Russel), has her own near death experience and he has to convince her to go back to her body. The ending is a very happy one, but I will not spoil it for you.Note: Historically, I have been very critical of movies that force us to suspend our disbelief through plots that just don't work (particularly with "invisible" people). Ghost Dad is very believable, and Cosby (and the movie) never lose focus or waste time on goofy gags or cheap dialogue. Very well done, indeed.

Bill Cosby gets lots of flack. His one of a kind humor and his unique personality are lightning rods for people to make fun of him. I've personally always dug his style and decided to re-watch Ghost Dad, one of the most commonly used titles for talking about silly stupid flicks. And I'll tell you what, I'll take ghost flicks like Ghost Dad any day over any of these crappy, cheap-scare infested, long-haired, pale-faced, school-girl Asian ghost flicks. I know Ghost Dad ain't horror, but still, those movies tend to suck.Ghost Dad revolves around Bill being accidentally killed, but still being able to use his new-found ghost body/abilities to continue to help, more or less, his family and himself with their daily struggles. Through trying to save his job, help his son with magic tricks and even taking out the garbage, there are plenty of fun lil gags that will entertain the movie-goer who still possesses that lil kid inside of them.With classic Cosby facial expressions, sound effects and jokes, it's really just a hoot for any fan of the Pudding Man. But if you're not a fan of Cosby, you may not find it as entertaining as someone like myself. Though it's undeniably charming and has a lot more heart and originality than most films out there. Ghost Dad was a cool lil flick that was consistently entertaining and had a surprisingly high amount of heart, though with Sidney Poitier directing that's not truly that surprising. Viva la Ghost Dad!

Ghost Dad is one of those movies that has that sort of corney cheesy feel to it, but is very entertaining and fun. I remember watching this as a kid on TV and the one part that always stuck in my mind was when Elliot (Cosby) is done getting his life insurance physical, and he's walking down the hall and his face and hands are gone, and his sun glasses and hat are floating above is body. That's always been my favorite part in the movie, just because it had freaked me out as a little kid. Well, over 10 years passed, and I finally saw the movie again. Needless to say, that part looked a lot different than I remember it. The part where he goes 'through' the bus, and when he falls though the floor are other parts that I remember pretty well too. Anyway, I definitely recommend this movie. The only part I can see a problem with around younger kids is when he comes through the phone, and chokes the guy, and used the 'b' word a couple times.Buy it, rent it, or watch it on TV. Either way, you'll like it!