That was an excellent one.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The idea of a loved one's ghost coming back to taunt, tease or help one who misses her or him, is as old as story-telling and the making of movies. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. Unfortunately, for 20th Century Fox, this one didn't work. In spite of a considerable cast of the day - Sally Field, James Caan and Jeff Bridges, "Kiss Me Goodbye" is lacking in most of what it's touted for - comedy and romance. There is so little comedy in this film that it might be false advertising to bill it as such. And there's about as much spark of romance between Kay and Jolly, and Kay and Rupert, as there is between the animated cartoon characters Tom and Jerry. One can understand James Caan's later dismay over having made this film. His role as Jolly is rueful. He seems to be going through his lines rote, with no life or feeling, and only a smile pasted on his face. And, if he had any more energy in his brief tap dancing bits, one might thing he actually could have been on stage in Broadway.It's hard to understand how Sally Field received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Kay. The best thing to say about her role is that she over acted most of the time. At least that showed some life compared to the rest of the cast. But it stood out like a sore thumb, and gave the film an aura of amateur theater. Jeff Bridges came close to giving a capable performance as Rupert. But his character is so uncertain and wishy-washy with no passion for Kay. The rest of the cast play into the pale of poor performances, for the most part. Director Robert Mulligan received an Oscar nomination for "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 1962. He directed a few other good films, but he clearly can't guide comedy to fulfillment. That may be a little harsh on him, because the screenplay for this film is very poor. This film was based on a 1976 Brazilian comedy-fantasy. That had significant changes including its setting and time, and it was a huge success. But this is a film that is best forgotten - by audiences as well as the cast.

This light comedy brings together an interesting group of actors, young and old, for an off-beat story about a widow (Sally Field) who finds herself haunted by her late husband (James Caan), just as she is about to marry a new love interest (Jeff Bridges). The movie has a series of gags in which the dead husband keeps dropping by to surprise and annoy his surviving wife. Confusion follows for her and her new love interest, who seems somewhat possessive and thus all the more alarmed by the turn of events. The movie has the added talents of Claire Trevor as Sally Field's mother, Paul Dooley as her father, and Mildred Natwick as the owner of a bed-and-breakfast in the country where the three parties head off for a weekend encounter. The movie, directed by Robert Mulligan (Love with a Proper Stranger), is entertaining enough to pass the time on a quiet afternoon. It was great to see Claire Trevor, who won an Academy Award for Key Largo in the 1940's. I didn't know she was making films this late in her career. As it turns out, the late husband was no paragon of virtue but in the end, he helps his wife make the transition to a new life.

All in my family love this movie! It is truly a family favorite. There are enough comments from others that describe the movie, so I will not repeat. It is one of a few movies that all of us (myself, spouse, and daughter) can watch over and over. It is light, entertaining, sweet, and funny! There are so many lines that we quote over and over -- they have become part of our family. ("You are starting to annoy Jolly!" and many others.) We also LOVE the scene when Rupert goes to the lawyer. The reactions of the lawyer and his secretary are hilarious! And the scenes previously mentioned by others: in bed with Rupert when Jolly is there, the trip to the country, the restaurant scene on the trip to the country. The movie is perfectly cast and is my favorite for many of these actors, just for the joy it has brought to all of us.

American reworking of Brazil's "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" manages to drain all the vitality (and sex) out of the original recipe, replacing it with sitcom bickering. A seemingly normal, happy woman on the verge of getting married a second time is visited by the ghost of her late first husband, who then decides to stick around. Whereas the original found its impetus in the joy of the situation (and Dona Flor's embarrassment of riches), this glossily-produced but static, juvenile film just sees the central situation as something to argue over. In the leads, Sally Field, a surprisingly relaxed James Caan as Jolly the Ghost, and Jeff Bridges all try hard, but the screenplay refuses to drop the psychological ramifications; the picture is a comedy but it doesn't remember to have fun. Perhaps Robert Mulligan was the wrong director for a modern farce. Indeed, the movie is uptight and sexless, and Field is put in the unenviable position of constantly defending herself. ** from ****