‹ All movies

The Rewatchables ·

Ghost

year 1990decade 90sdirector Jerry Zuckergenre Fantasygenre Romance
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Amanda Dobbins format 30th anniversary
All 15 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 36:41

Pottery is Amanda’s final choice

The pottery scene is iconic, erotic and now comically explicit. Its collapsing pot is reported as unplanned; a tentatively identified Naked Gun 3 parody and revived Unchained Melody are discussed.

Bill Simmons: Sam’s shooting and his realization he is dead are praised as tense and well performed.

The film

Ghost (1990)

Directed by Jerry Zucker · Fantasy

127 minutes

Find on IMDb Find on JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Patrick Swayze Sam Wheat
Demi Moore Molly Jensen
Whoopi Goldberg Oda Mae Brown
Tony Goldwyn Carl Bruner
Rick Aviles Willie Lopez
Vincent Schiavelli Subway Ghost
Armelia McQueen Clara Brown
Gail Boggs Louise Brown
Phil Leeds Emergency Room Ghost
Stephen Root Police Sergeant

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

35:22

Roger Ebert's review

2.5 stars (scale not stated)
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:22Read transcript
  • The hosts report Ebert gave 2.5 stars and disliked the ending; the rating denominator is unstated. — Bill Simmons
  • They jokingly attribute his reaction to requiring character development and wanting Carl’s backstory. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Roger Ebert's review answers
36:41

Most Rewatchable Scene

Pottery is Amanda’s final choice; Chris especially favors the Rita Miller bank sequence.

Pottery is Amanda’s final choice; Chris especially favors the Rita Miller bank sequence.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:41Read transcript
  • The pottery scene is iconic, erotic and now comically explicit. Its collapsing pot is reported as unplanned; a tentatively identified Naked Gun 3 parody and revived Unchained Melody are discussed.
  • Sam’s shooting and his realization he is dead are praised as tense and well performed. — Bill Simmons
  • Sam foiling Willie’s apartment intrusion, using the cat and learning ghost powers is another choice. — Bill Simmons
  • Otomey first hearing Sam improves a scene that could have sunk the film; her attempted meeting with Molly gets honorable mention.
  • Carl’s attempted seduction and coffee spill are a choice, followed by both Willie and Carl being dragged to hell. — Bill Simmons
  • The farewell is disputed: one host finds it too long with weak effects, while another cannot avoid crying at Molly’s final ditto. — Bill Simmons
  • The possession/dance scene is a favorite; critics’ suggested Whoopi-visible version sparks debate over 1990 tolerance, present representation and preserving the lovers’ reunion.
  • The Rita Miller bank sequence is a favorite for its banter and Goldberg’s performance, alongside Goldwyn’s sweating tension. — Chris Ryan
  • Amanda enjoys the Swayze/Goldberg buddy chemistry but definitively chooses pottery. — Amanda Dobbins
Share this discussion More Most Rewatchable Scene answers
47:28

What’s Aged the Best?

Haircut, physical comedy, apartment, tears, Goldwyn and Soho remain strengths.

Haircut, physical comedy, apartment, tears, Goldwyn and Soho remain strengths.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:28Read transcript
  • Moore reportedly arrived with an unannounced haircut that surprised the director but renewed her screen identity; Swayze’s exaggerated faces and passing-through reactions are enjoyable. — Bill Simmons
  • The high-ceiling loft and newly discovered space are praised, with a reverse-Conjuring comparison; Moore’s crying is another strength. — Bill Simmons
  • A Victoria Jackson/Swayze SNL parody of Molly’s private habits is recommended. — Bill Simmons
  • Goldwyn is so convincingly sweaty and evil that the hosts think it limited his subsequent roles until Scandal; The Pelican Brief is called great and a good-guy lead career imagined. — Bill Simmons
  • The non-spooky ghost with unfinished business is praised as an enduring pop-cultural premise, distinguished from The Conjuring and Harry Potter. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Soho’s streets and emptiness are praised; After Hours is explicitly liked as another use of the area.
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Best? answers
52:23

What’s Aged the Worst?

Credits, effects, computers, cameos and real-life loss change the watch.

Credits, effects, computers, cameos and real-life loss change the watch.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:23Read transcript
  • Opening credits and dated CGI are criticized; a Lucas-style effects touchup is imagined. — Bill Simmons
  • Old green-font account computers seem insecure; the Arsenio Hall cameo and contagious-elevator joke age poorly in the current context. — Bill Simmons
  • Swayze’s early death and reported relationship with Lisa make the farewell painful. Career and illness chronology are speaker reports, not verified biography. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Worst? answers
54:18

Casting What-Ifs

Willis and a long alleged Sam rejection list precede other reported alternatives.

Willis and a long alleged Sam rejection list precede other reported alternatives.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:18Read transcript
  • Willis reportedly declined playing a dead lead opposite Moore, later regretted it and accepted the film transcribed six cents partly for that reason. — Bill Simmons
  • Fifteen further names are read as alleged Sam rejections with an explicit half-ass-research caveat; Paul Hogan/Almost an Angel is asserted confidently. Travolta is rejected as a disastrous fit. — Bill Simmons
  • Swayze reportedly won the audition; a garbled Jackie/Jackee Harry identity was reportedly replaced when Whoopi’s schedule opened. The role is misnamed Rita May in the transcript. — Bill Simmons
  • Kidman reportedly auditioned but lacked fame; the hosts cannot imagine replacing Moore. Ken Olin allegedly could not leave thirtysomething, opening Carl to Goldwyn. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Casting What-Ifs answers
56:04

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Vincent Schiavelli, Rick Aviles and Stephen Root receive competing cases.

Vincent Schiavelli, Rick Aviles and Stephen Root receive competing cases.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:04Read transcript
  • Schiavelli qualifies as that guy and is suggested to double with Waiters. — Bill Simmons
  • Another speaker chooses the performer transcribed Ricka Viles/Willie Lopez for being recognized by that character rather than by name; Luis Guzman resemblance is only an analogy. — Bill Simmons
  • Stephen Root’s early detective part is another nomination, described as the birth of that guy. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award answers
57:19

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Swayze

Swayze

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:19Read transcript
  • Swayze’s horrified faces and shifting jaw win the initial selection. — Bill Simmons
  • Schiavelli’s screaming gets a nomination, but responses return to Swayze with affection for his comic reactions.
Share this discussion More The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award answers
58:00

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Schiavelli

Schiavelli

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:00Read transcript
  • Schiavelli is selected for three train-ghost scenes.
  • Whoopi and Swayze are ineligible as leads; a speaker still wants an honorary Swayze mention for making a dead observer compelling. This leads to a tentative most-with-least category idea, compared with Kevin Pollak in A Few Good Men, not a separately adopted award.
Share this discussion More The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance answers
59:04

Brandy Booth Award for Best Performance by a Pet

Molly’s cat receives seven out of ten Chewies.

Molly’s cat receives seven out of ten Chewies.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:04Read transcript
  • The cat, transcribed Holly’s, gets 7/10 chewyes for seeing the afterlife. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Brandy Booth Award for Best Performance by a Pet answers
59:24

Half-Assed Internet Research

Effects, cold breath, home-video sales and hip-hop usage are reported.

Effects, cold breath, home-video sales and hip-hop usage are reported.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:24Read transcript
  • The shadow sounds are reportedly slowed reversed babies crying; a Scooby-Doo comparison is a joke. — Bill Simmons
  • Swayze reportedly chewed ice to avoid visible breath during cold filming. — Bill Simmons
  • March 1991 video/laserdisc release, 646,000 rental videos, 66,000 laserdiscs and 65 million combined rentals/sales are reported, as are 20 ghosts in the film. — Bill Simmons
  • Swayze as slang for departing is discussed, with Biggie credited for popularizing it and its meaning extending beyond the movie. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Half-Assed Internet Research answers
1:01:26

Apex Mountain

Swayze and Zucker qualify; other peaks and an afterlife tangent are debated.

Swayze and Zucker qualify; other peaks and an afterlife tangent are debated.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:26Read transcript
  • Swayze gets agreement; Point Break is called probably his last best film. — Bill Simmons
  • Ghost is proposed as Moore’s peak because it opens a decade including A Few Good Men, the Vanity Fair cover, a reported $20 million for Striptease, Disclosure and G.I. Jane. The cover itself is offered and accepted as an alternate apex. — Bill Simmons
  • Whoopi’s Ghost peak is rejected in favor of Sister Act, with 1992 also including The Player. — Bill Simmons
  • Goldwyn’s peak is placed at Scandal rather than Ghost; Zucker is selected, partly through speculative financial participation. — Bill Simmons
  • Unchained Melody and the shadow-dragging depiction of hell get yes answers. — Bill Simmons
  • A tentative unanswerable question interrupts: what happens to an ordinary person such as Lyle Ferguson, can one negotiate with the light, and is there minor-league heaven? A hospital patient’s immediate departure is contrasted with Sam remaining. Responses suggest only people involved in murder face the demons, while forgery might still allow heaven and good deeds might resolve purgatory. No separate formal category is announced.
Share this discussion More Apex Mountain answers
1:05:35

Picking Nits

Crime logic, communication and the afterlife rules

Crime logic, communication and the afterlife rules

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:35Read transcript
  • Carl’s street robbery for passwords and conspicuous office fraud are mocked; drug use is an inference explicitly never shown. The mob lawyer’s openness and Sam’s obliviousness compound the implausibility.
  • Willie returning to Molly’s apartment after she saw the killing seems reckless; $80,000 is considered a poor share for the crimes. — Bill Simmons
  • Molly should ask many questions about death, exclusivity and moving on; her lack of curiosity is challenged and partly defended as shock. — Bill Simmons
  • Sam can shove Willie and move objects but cannot touch Molly; an anger-based training explanation is accepted. — Bill Simmons
  • Carl’s hell sentence is questioned because he ordered a robbery rather than a killing; an objection points to greed rather than any benevolent motive. The debate asks about the risk of hell for Sam if he pushes Willie to his death, versus possible immunity while in purgatory, without resolving the rules. — Bill Simmons
  • Heaven Can Wait is praised, with James Mason and Buck Henry recalled as authority figures; Defending Your Life supplies a legal-system comparison. Demotion is questioned, and purgatory in New York is contrasted with fewer opportunities for wrongdoing in the woods. The medium’s message that others are waiting is taken to mean his time is limited and a higher authority decides.
Share this discussion More Picking Nits answers
1:13:21

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Conditional interest despite hoping it does not happen.

Conditional interest despite hoping it does not happen.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:21Read transcript
  • A modern continuation with Molly secretly pregnant and Moore returning is floated, without claiming an existing project. — Bill Simmons
  • A midseason Carl reveal, more people for Sam to visit and expanded or improved shadow-world effects could sustain episodes.
  • A third season with Sam gathering NBA scoops for Woj is a joke. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake answers
1:14:38

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Afterlife proof, clothes and Molly’s future

Afterlife proof, clothes and Molly’s future

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:38Read transcript
  • The hell question is explicitly recalled from earlier discussion. — Bill Simmons
  • The hosts consider private facts a psychic could relay to prove identity; beliefs and spouses’ imagined reactions remain personal hypotheticals.
  • Sam’s permanent death outfit is questioned: his Macbeth-theater maroon shirt is compared with the Hawaiian shirt he wears rescuing the suspended statue, which might make the film funnier or more of a romp. — Chris Ryan
  • How soon Molly dates again prompts a correction from Sam to Carl as the man who kissed her, then a defense of her confused grief and quick rejection of Carl. Her final goodbye is interpreted as healing and readiness to move on, followed by a hypothetical joke about dating an athlete such as Jeff Hostetler.
Share this discussion More Probably Unanswerable Questions answers
1:18:46

Who Won the Movie?

Whoopi (two); Swayze (one)

Whoopi (two); Swayze (one)

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:46Read transcript
  • Two adjacent responses favor Whoopi for her Oscar and indispensable memorable performance; a universal indispensability argument is immediately qualified. — Amanda Dobbins
  • One speaker votes Swayze for defining his era and unique physicality; Bacon and Kline would not make the same movie. Dave is a favorable Kline comparison. — Bill Simmons
  • The final return confirms the split: Swayze, Whoopi, and an agreeing Whoopi. These restate earlier choices, not additional voters. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Whoopi Goldberg
Speaker not identified
Whoopi Goldberg
Share this discussion More Who Won the Movie? answers

More from the conversation

Bill introduces Chris Ryan and special guest Amanda Dobbins. Amanda cried twice at the ending; Chris recalls his first date at a screening. Romantic tragedy, comedy and heist/action make a broad date movie. The hosts report the film led 1990 box office with over 500 million worldwide; numbers are source reports.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:02Read transcript
The opening get-off-my-train line prompts a joking Unstoppable comparison.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:02Read transcript
The first-date screening memory is contrasted with spectacle-driven theater experiences such as Armageddon and Jaws. The romantic atmosphere and Unchained Melody are credited with repeat attendance, jokingly compared with buying the same Hootie and the Blowfish record repeatedly.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:54Read transcript
Bill remembers college movie dates and the July 13–15 opening, explicitly tied to the 30th anniversary this month. Four-month theatrical staying power contrasts with opening-weekend emphasis. Back to the Future and Titanic are comparison cases. Amanda received Ghost and Dirty Dancing on VHS; Bill names a three-film dorm-room staple set.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:30Read transcript
The box-office recollection reports a July 13–15 opening, roughly $12 million, $12 million, $11 million and $10 million weekly receipts early in the run, and another $5 million around Columbus Day. These illustrate four months in theaters, not independently verified revenue history.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:57Read transcript
Swayze’s 1987–91 five-film run is praised without declaring it definitively best. Athleticism and sensitivity support romance and action; Costner is another friend-and-partner star example. The Outsiders/Red Dawn precede Dirty Dancing. A claimed decline after To Wong Foo and aging explanation remain opinion; Amanda instead emphasizes fewer genre-blending vehicles. Dirty Dancing’s age gap and abortion subplot are described as dated.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:49Read transcript
Swayze is described as having the most charisma among the young actors in The Outsiders; this is an explicit comparative opinion, not a measured ranking.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:18Read transcript
Swayze’s effortless movement is compared with Gene Kelly. His swing toward the suspended object is imagined as spontaneous, contrasted with a joking picture of Tom Cruise studying the move for five weeks.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:34Read transcript
Modern Swayze comparisons are Channing Tatum and producer Craig’s Gosling; Jason Statham is immediately identified as a joke. This is spontaneous comparison, not a formally announced recasting category.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:07Read transcript
The hosts celebrate the movie press and original star vehicles around 1990, running through grosses and further favorites. Ghost and Pretty Woman illustrate romance drawing broad audiences after When Harry Met Sally; Ghost and Titanic add tragedy and repeat-viewing investment. Reported movie-year membership remains unverified, not corrected to release history.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:41Read transcript
The moviegoing recollection includes Premiere magazine, William Goldman’s New York magazine columns and uncertainty about Entertainment Weekly’s timing; these support the remembered excitement around movie stars and original films.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:41Read transcript
The Exorcist III is explicitly called Chris’s favorite.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:31Read transcript
Demi Moore’s earlier cold streak includes Wisdom, The Seventh Sign (explicitly liked by two responses) and We’re No Angels. Marriage publicity, her Vanity Fair cover and St. Elmo’s Fire performance contextualize her rise. The short haircut and controlled tears are praised; the ability to cry from each eye separately is reported research without formal category cue.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:55Read transcript
The Vanity Fair cover’s cultural importance is contrasted jokingly with a Sports Illustrated Lakers cover featuring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Moore’s recognizable haircut and crying are treated as signature strengths, with a Mariano Rivera cutter analogy for her command of tears.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:49Read transcript
Crying and screaming are called undervalued skills. McConaughey in A Time to Kill and Interstellar supplies examples. Moore’s limited reactive role works through tears. A three-haircut set expands to matching Paltrow/Pitt hair, followed by a celebrity lookalike relationship theory.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:51Read transcript
The anecdotal celebrity-lookalike theory is credited to the wife of the speaker’s best man, prompted by matching Paltrow/Pitt hair. Responses suggest long-term couples also converge in appearance and dress, with shared 1990s fashion another explanation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:36Read transcript
Bill requests a social-media clip from first-name Craig and argues Ghost best represents his imagined heaven/hell. Chris challenges this, asks for Flatliners, and recalls the prior Conjuring conversation; no supernatural claim is treated as verified fact.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:52Read transcript
The podcast reports screenplay and supporting-actress Oscar wins plus nominations for picture, score and editing. Zucker’s comedy background makes the romantic project seem risky; Moore is quoted as seeing potential for either disaster or something special.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:46Read transcript
Bruce Joel Rubin’s Hamlet inspiration is quoted; Jerry Zucker’s comic background is contrasted with this romance. An Abrams name is uncertain in the transcript; no silent director-credit repair. Two Oscar wins and three other nominations are reported.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:46Read transcript
Whoopi’s late entrance transforms the movie without becoming a comedy sketch; Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting is a comparison. A Dion Waiters eligibility aside excludes her as too substantial, not an independent award selection. The five supporting-actress nominees are discussed; comedy winning is welcomed. An Oda Mae spinoff is imagined by analogy with The Fugitive/U.S. Marshals, then the movie’s self-contained length is defended.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:05Read transcript
Whoopi’s arrival is compared with the 2004 Rasheed Wallace midseason trade transforming a team, rather than a brief Dion Waiters bench performance. Her substantial screen time makes her ineligible for the latter award.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:59Read transcript
Best-picture and actor slates are discussed. The Field and Jeremy Irons’s performance are praised; De Niro’s nomination doubted. Amanda values Swayze’s charisma without insisting on an Oscar nomination. What Dreams May Come and Pay It Forward are negative comparisons for earnest films that fail.
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:16Read transcript
The Oscar recap also names Kathy Bates winning for Misery, separately from the five-man Best Actor field.
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:34Read transcript
The hosts report a 22 million-dollar budget, alongside over 500 million gross. These are unverified financial reports.
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:22Read transcript
A sexual-awakening recollection contrasts discovering innuendo through Ghost in 1990 with understanding it more explicitly through Basic Instinct in 1992.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:08Read transcript
The possession scene raises a physical mismatch between Swayze and Goldberg’s heights. Keeping Goldberg visible is defended as meaningful representation, while another response worries that the novelty would distract from Sam and Molly’s reunion; the final stance accepts either approach as a different movie.
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:52Read transcript
The bank teller is tentatively identified as the Zuckers’ mother and the performer from the Naked Gun queen-assassination line; the transcript does not establish a verified identity.
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:06Read transcript
The discussion recalls Goldwyn receiving hostile looks in airports because viewers associated him with Carl. The Pelican Brief reinforces the smarmy-role pattern; his build and appearance in the opening renovation suggest an alternate career as a sympathetic lead, even as Sam.
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:22Read transcript
Molly’s missing questions include where Sam lives, what he does, what he wears, whether he watches her, when he died, whether they remain exclusive, whether she can date and how long to mourn. A response defends her as still processing the situation, unlike the already-prepared questioner.
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:54Read transcript
The identity-through-a-psychic question produces different concerns: one participant expects a skeptical spouse to dismiss even private facts, while another worries a spouse expecting contact would too readily believe an impostor. Another response would personally accept sufficiently private details.
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:52Read transcript
Closing promotions identify Jam Session, The Big Picture, The Watch and the returning NBA show. No full producer surname or theme month is supplied.
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:35Read transcript