Casper (1995)

Genres

Comedy, Fantasy

Director

Brad Silberling

Country

USA

Cast

Christina Ricci, Malachi Pearson, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, John Kassir, Ben Stein, Amy Brenneman, Wesley Thompson

Storyline

A ghost therapist (Bill Pullman) is hired by a rich woman (Cathy Moriarty) to remove get some ghosts out of a house and moves there with his daughter (Christina Ricci) where she befriends Caper (Malachi Pearson), one of the ghosts populating the house. 

Opinion

I think I was ten the last time I saw Casper so it didn't come as a surprise that the only thing I remembered about it was the ugly and mischievous ghosts and the cute and friendly one. But that's good because it gave me the chance to enjoy the film a little more.

There isn't much of a story, especially in the first part, and that little that there is is pretty simple and predictable but it still is entertaining. Its greatest strength? It manages to be both moving, emotional and kind of sad, and joyful and fun at the same time. It's a heartwarming ghost story and you need to be in the mood to enjoy it.

What truly makes Casper fun is its characters, who wonderfully make up for the poor plot. The three despicable ghosts, Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso, are hilarious and with their dialogue and pranks, they will make you have a good time. Don't get me wrong, the friendly one, Casper,  is nice too (he's the one who brings some drama into the film) but he is not the one to follow if you want to have fun. But I have to say the friendship/romance he shares with the human girl is nice (and yet predictable).

The special effects are also nice - they hold up decently today - Casper easily being the best part. His facial expressions are very realistic, and the pairing with a good voice work makes him so sweet. I wasn't that happy with the other effects, especially those used with humans.

Overall, the film makes for a good time so who cares about the flaws?