CASPER
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.2
U.S. Availability: wide release 5/26/95 Running Length: 1:40 MPAA Classification: PG (Sexual innuendo) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle,
Malachi Pearson
Director: Brad Silberling
Producer: Colin Wilson
Screenplay: Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Music: James Horner
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Freed from her ADDAMS FAMILY makeup, Christina Ricci gets the chance to play a normal teenager--if having a good-natured spook for a best friend can be called "normal". Considering the deserved raves the young actress has already received, there's nothing surprising about the amazingly mature and nuanced performance she gives, but what is unexpected is the manner in which she steals scenes from the multi- million dollar special effects fresh out of ILM. Without the talent of Ricci, CASPER would have been a truly barren motion picture. As it is, it's still not very good.
All the adults in this movie treat CASPER like the comic book-come- to-life it is, and give performances for the under-twelve audience. Bill Pullman, normally not much of an emoter, is as two-dimensional as the pages in which the ghostly title character first appeared. Cathy Moriarty displays an almost embarrassing--and ultimately undermotivated--nastiness, and Eric Idle is underused as a flunky whose sole purpose is to provide weak, slapstick-y comic relief.
CASPER, voiced by newcomer Malachi Pearson, is the product of ILM. He's impressive, but not nearly as eye-catching as the dinosaurs from JURASSIC PARK. This film is built on special effects, but executive producer Steven Spielberg should recognize better than anyone that visual trickery should be used in service of the plot. Sadly, in CASPER, it's the other way around. We're supposed to gawk at how real the ghosts look--who cares if there's a story?
And there isn't one--or at least not one that matters. It's amazing how this picture got stretched out to one-hundred minutes with so thin a script. Undoubtedly, Ricci's performance has a lot to do with making this watchable. The scenes she's not in become increasingly tedious to get through. Imagine, then, what her presence could do for a really good movie.
Dr. Harvey (Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Ricci) come to a decrepit mansion after the good doctor--a "ghost therapist" who offers sessions to the "life impaired"--is hired by the new owner (Moriarty) to rid the house of its phantom population. There are four ghosts present--the friendly Casper and his three blowhard uncles, Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso. After initially being scared out of her wits, the lonely, motherless Kat befriends Casper and together the two attempt to find a way to bring him back to life.
Clever, funny moments are far between. There are a couple of amusing cameos, including an appearance by a famous ghostbuster and quickies by Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, and Mel Gibson. However, this all lasts about half-a-minute, and Ricci is left to carry the rest. And, no matter how good she is, there's not enough in the script. The potentially-interesting issues--coping with bereavement and loneliness, for example--are set aside, presumably because they were deemed too "deep" for the younger, target audience. So, instead, we get lots of silliness, including a roller coaster ride sure to be coming soon to an amusement park near you. (Talk about merchandising!)
In CASPER, director Brad Silberling has filmed an amazingly mechanical and lifeless motion picture. Despite its immense appeal for the preteen crowd, the enchantment will likely wear thin for older viewers. In the end, I'm not sure which was the greater struggle: Casper's fight against the bad guys or my attempts to fend off boredom.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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