"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" Review

“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” stars Matthew McConaughey (“Failure to Launch”) and Jennifer Garner (“Elektra” and “Alias”) in a modern day, romantic comedy take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

McConaughey plays charismatic playboy/womanizer and scrooge, Connor Mead, who is a professional photographer capturing photos of scantily-clad models, pop divas, and basically whoever he wants for his magazines (dream job, right?). This is all evidenced in the first scene with beautiful ladies in lingerie scampering around Mead’s photo shoot galleria, while pop superstar, Christina Milian, is stripped down to her lingerie for the magazine cover. The magazine cover is achieved as an apple is placed on Milian’s head by Connor for an Olympic archer to shoot off. Ridiculousness ensues when Connor shows his true colors as he’s seducing Christina Milian, when he breaks up with three of his girlfriends via conference call because they had fallen in love with him (jacked up, much?).

The movie mainly takes place at Uncle Wayne Mead’s mansion (Michael Douglas) during Paul (Breckin Meyer), Connor’s brother, and Sandra’s (Lacey Chabert) wedding where Connor is the best man and Jenny Perotti (Garner) is the maid of honor (this is perfect alignment, no?). Connor is completely opposed to love and marriage and thinks it’s “comfort food for the weak”, and he slowly begins to tear everything apart with a little alcohol mixed in. Jenny plays anti-Connor because she’s the wedding coordinator, but she can only do so much.

During Connor’s trip to the restroom, Uncle Wayne, who is no longer with the Mead family, visits Connor as a ghost foreshadowing that three ghosts from Connor’s past, present, and future will visit to show him what went wrong in his life (this is hypocritical, considering Uncle Wayne’s lifestyle). It’s somewhat strange seeing Douglas as a playboy, Hugh Hefner-type with designer shades warning Connor about the playboy lifestyle leading to a lonely, bitter end. Connor is taken aback because of all the alcohol he previously consumed.

What follows is a roller coaster ride through Connor’s past, present, and future with each respective ghost. We discover that Jenny broke Connor’s heart at a middle school dance by dancing with an older boy, so Connor never wants to feel heartbreak again. Uncle Wayne takes him under his wing as he shapes young Connor into a playboy douche bag. The present shows Jenny still loves Connor, but she doesn’t want to fall for him again. Connor begins his turn from douche bag into the good guy he used to be, but what pushes him over the edge is his funeral brought to you by the future (it’s a very lonely site to say the least). At least Connor realizes his fate because it’s never too late to change.

“Ghosts” is a cute, “date” movie with its laughing moments and a character turn, but the ending was predictable at best. It was a happy ending with its ups and downs with Connor ruining the day, and then saving the day and ending with the girl that he always loved (surprise, surprise).

Grade: C-