Python Hyena Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009): Dir: Mark Waters / Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert: Here is an interesting take on the Christmas Scrooge films only this one regards one's disregard for relationships. It is a romantic comedy that deals with decisions that emerge later in life. Arrogant photographer Matthew McConaughey appears for his brother's wedding only to be confronted by the ghost of his uncle who declares that he will be visited by images of women from his past, present and future. Great idea marred by an insincere ending. Directed by Mark Waters who made the excellent teen comedy Mean Girls as well as Just Like Heaven and Freaky Friday. This is no Mean Girls but it certainly makes up for ideas. McConaughey is in top form fumbling through regrets and choices before the lame sentiment third act sets in. Jennifer Garner plays the woman that got away who is unimpressed with his antics but ultimately becomes "the one." Breckin Meyer and Lacey Chabert overact shamelessly as the married couple whose wedding seems to be in shambles because of McConaughey because blaming him just plainly seems convenient. Michael Douglas steals scenes as McConaughey's deceased flamboyant uncle who appears as a ghost. Its satire twist on the Christmas Scrooge story is inventive despite narrative familiarity. Score: 7 ½ / 10

Prismark10 Matthew McConaughey realised he was overdoing the rom coms soon after this film was released. I doubt he would be making one anytime soon and frankly he is not getting any younger and realised himself that its no use wasting talent for an easy pay cheque. Dallas Buyers Club and a best actor Oscar means that this is the last from the Matthew rom com period.The film is a reworking of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' in fact at one point Matthew shouts Merry Christmas from an upstairs window when he has a nightmarish spiritual experience.He plays a serial womaniser Connor Mead. A talented photographer but a mistake from his past and because of the influence of his womanising uncle (Michael Douglas) he lives for the moment, sex with many women and avoid any long term relationships.On the eve of his brother's wedding day Matthew is visited by three spirits who want to show him that his shallow life is not as great as it sounds and might lead him to die alone and we seem him as a youth regretting the loss of his love (Jennifer Garner).The film is not really very romantic, Matthew might live for the moment just like his beloved uncle, but no one focuses on the women who fall for his cheesy moves and pick up lines. Why no one asked the women; why fall for a lothario for less than a minute of sex in a toilet cubicle or such like?McConaughey and Douglas (channeling legendary film producer, Robert Evans) make a great team. The film has a few laughs, not much drama. Easy going but no depth.

michael-3204 Matthew McConaughey is capable, when working with good material and decent collaborators, of excellent work in a wide range of roles. Strangely, though, I can't think of another actor as capable as McConaughey who nevertheless is incapable of elevating sub-standard material. He not only fails to make anything of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, his smarmy, mugging, hyperactive performance drags down what at least might have been passable Hollywood rom-com fair. He throws everything against the wall but nothing sticks, and he has no rapport with his co-stars, not even his beleaguered assistant (Noureen DeWulf), one of the very few female character in the film that supposedly doesn't want to have sex with him. With McConaughey creating such an unfillable void at the center of the film, the rest of the cast mostly flounders in schtick, especially Michael Douglas, Emma Stone and Lacey Chabert. Jennifer Garner is at least graceful as the woman who is supposed to be McConaughey's soulmate, which is such a depressing set-up that she can't do much with the role. At one point in the film, Breckin Meyer, playing McConaughey's hapless brother, tells him "No one wants you here." It's the truest line in the whole movie, and one the director, screenwriter and McCounaughey ought to have given more consideration. Maybe they could have salvaged something better from this tedious film.

spelvini Two things terribly wrong with this move: (1) over-the-top performances in order to disguise the stooped jokes; (2) characters have nothing endearing so we don't care what happens to them. Otherwise the film is motored by a rather nice concept- what if an old girlfriend came back as a ghost in order to enlighten a character to his wrongful ways. It's playing right off of Dickens, and it's great to at least see that the filmmakers are stealing from the best.Matthew McConaughey is so terrible as an eyebrow-licking self-promoter and Jennifer Garner as Jenny Perotti, the woman who supposedly has Connor's number is basically a whining simp, that we know their life together will be a train wreck in a few years. Core to this is the shallow characterization of Conner by McConaughey, who has only one tool in his acting bag which is a hammer that he uses to pound away at the subtle jokes in the script to make sure we "get it", and ultimately insulting the intelligence of the viewer, until we really begin to wish this jerk would just go away.Michael Douglas steals every scene and walks away with the movie because it seems he has the best lines, but in a broader view is just a better actor. Douglas's characterization of ultimate womanizer Uncle Wayne, with his shaded spectacles, slick-backed hair and attached cocktail, gives the narrative a depth that gives Connor a back-story and manages to carry McConaughey through the film. Douglas has played this type before and it's clear that the actor has a mental file of expressions, and responses to support his featured actors.The laughs from this flick come out in stunted spurts: they're almost funny but not good enough to really make us laugh. Two jokes stand out as when Conner's assistant comes out and tells him that she had a woman-on-woman experience in college… because she went to Barnard (inside joke about the woman's college of Columbia University that hosts "Take Back the Night" promoting women's empowerment). And the other joke is the overall concept that we take Matthew McConaughey at face value and consider him the kind of cocksman with a leather lash as a belt.Matthew McConaughey is completely wrong as the womanizer Connor Mead, the man who seemingly is covering up his hurt by hitting every woman he meets. McConaughey is white bread with peanut butter, and his leering lusciousness is so flat-footed and over-the-top as to be embarrassing more than enlightening. His delivery is so deplete of any sub-textual foundation that I wonder what he's doing in the film in the first place.Why Cinematographer Daryn Okada framed Anne Archer's Vonda Volkom so unflatteringly as to highlight her puffy eyes and jowly countenance make me feel that the filmmakers have a deep-seated hatred of women. Archer looks like a ghost herself in scenes, completely unnecessary to show contrast between her and the nubile nymphs of the tale. Archer is a beautiful older actress and the story would have gained greater depth if her character had been shown in better light to underline the ultimate wisdom and power of the female mind, an element that the narrative is lacking.This is maybe a nice date movie if your date has the cinematic intelligence of Howard The Duck. Otherwise, have it as a backup if your cable goes out.