This movie demonstrates why Bill Cosby doesn’t have a big screen career.
In “Ghost Dad,” Elliot, played by Bill Cosby (TV’s The Cosby Show), is a widower with three children who is the victim of a car accident and spends some days in a coma; however, his spirit leaves his body during that time and he turns into a ghost who roams around his family and his work, only materializing in the dark…for some unexplained reason.
I thought it was amusing to see Cosby be the most annoying when he was trying to be funny. When he was being serious, he was sort of gripping.
The exchange between Cosby, the dad, and the oldest daughter actually had me glued to the moment, but when it was about the laughs, there were none.
This movie defines the high concept comedy. It could only have gotten higher if Elliot high jacked a bus loaded with rabid penguins heading for the state capital to lobby against birth control.
This was the ninth and final movie directed by Academy Award® winning actor Sydney Poitier and it was obvious why. Some director just can’t do anything with high concept material except to shoot it and cash the paycheck, much like Poitier did with “Ghost Dad.”
Overall, the picture is not funny and not worth anything. I’m glad Cosby’s film credits are limited and he no longer does them. I like his candor and stand up style, but his shtick simply doesn’t translate to the big screen.
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