The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

26% of critics liked it
(140 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(280,954 ratings)

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -- the Mark S. Waters-directed fusion of A Christmas Carol with a traditional romantic comedy -- stars Matthew McConaughey as Connor Mead, a famous photographer and confirmed womanizer. He takes a break from his playboy lifestyle to attend his brother's wedding, where he… More Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -- the Mark S. Waters-directed fusion of A Christmas Carol with a traditional romantic comedy -- stars Matthew McConaughey as Connor Mead, a famous photographer and confirmed womanizer. He takes a break from his playboy lifestyle to attend his brother's wedding, where he becomes reacquainted with Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner), the only girl who ever captured his heart. After Connor delivers a drunken speech at the rehearsal dinner where he says that love isn't real, he's met in the bathroom by the ghost of his uncle Wayne (Michael Dogulas), a Hefner-esque horndog who taught Connor everything he knows about picking up chicks. Uncle Wayne informs Connor that, over the course of the evening, he'll be visited by three ghosts who will lead him through his romantic past, present, and future. Will Connor learn to get over himself and love the right woman, or will he remain an emotional Scrooge? ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Mark Waters (VIII), Mark Waters
Written By: Scott Moore, John Lucas, Jon Shestack, Brad Epstein
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: May 1, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Sep 22, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
This movie I think really did the impossible. It makes Failure To Launch look like The Thin Man.
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
It's a tired premise with some even weaker gags.
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Just in case you can't get enough of the romantic comedy oeuvre of Matthew McConaughey, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is here to remind you that, yes, some films of his are even worse than Failure to Launch, Surfer Dude, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
I'm almost embarrassed to admit I found Ghosts of Girlfriends Past the season's first genuine guilty pleasure.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Only two characters might qualify as sympathetic.
Tom Long, Detroit News
Please, ladies, don't go see this movie. (Chances are most men would rather put out their eyes than go see a film with such a title.)
Neil Pond, American Profile
This flawed, fractured fairy tale fails to scare up many chuckles or much charm. As Ebenezer Scrooge himself might say, "Bah, humbug!"
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
it's the ghosts that steal the show
William Goss, Cinematical
A parade of clumsy slapstick, unerring homophobia, and Big Fat Life Lessons.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Predictable romcom has some iffy stuff, but OK for teens.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
As superficial and melodramatic as one might've expected...
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
A deluge of dim jokes and rote romantic interludes between Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner that are intended to recall Charle's Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." God help us all.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
We can see practically every move, every action, every twist and turn a mile away. (Blu-ray Edition)
Christian Toto, What Would Toto Watch?
Matthew McConaughey proves better than the material put before him in the intermittently intriguing Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
Ideally, you want to see the male and female leads end up together in a romantic comedy; if not, it all starts to become kind of creepy.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Although there are some sweetly sentimental moments, they are not nearly enough to redeem what is otherwise a fairly mean-spirited film.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
A get even sex addiction comedy, with some quickie laughs, that retools the basics of A Christma Carol, but comes off like a commitment challenged Scrooge on Viagra. And what's with the PG-13, is this meant as a manual for underage two-timers in training?

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

A dreadful film that will have Charles Dickins spinning in his grave no doubt. How can you even have Ghosts of people who aren't even dead? There is nothing good about this film, it's insulting to even call it a chick flick unless you are a stupid women with very little self… More
A dreadful film that will have Charles Dickins spinning in his grave no doubt. How can you even have Ghosts of people who aren't even dead? There is nothing good about this film, it's insulting to even call it a chick flick unless you are a stupid women with very little self respect.
Unknown H

Not the worst romantic comedy I have ever seen and it did make me laugh out loud at certain points, but in the end we are dealing with a genre that we as an audience know better than our own reflections. We know the Dickens tale just as well, so combining the two gave very few… More
Not the worst romantic comedy I have ever seen and it did make me laugh out loud at certain points, but in the end we are dealing with a genre that we as an audience know better than our own reflections. We know the Dickens tale just as well, so combining the two gave very few surprises and I feel with the rom com genre, surprises in an otherwise stagnant movie are what set them apart from the crowd. McConaughey was, well he was himself, just as the cameo from Douglas and the watery semi-presence of Garner. Still it was watchable and gave what it said it would - teary eyes, lessons learned and a whole lot of promiscous and vaccuous sexual innuendo.
Leigh R

A little bit on the boring and slow side, but it kept me entertained enough to watch the whole movie.
Bethany M

Nice little romantic comedy. Expected better but it wasn't all that bad. Some scenes were funny and it's a little more than your average chick flick. It did at times, pull at the heartstrings and make you smile.
Julie B

Agree with Ed. Cheese.
Brad W

I didnt really enjoy this movie, but I will say it had a few funny parts in the flashback scenes.
Dean !

It's a mix of Scrooge but with girlfriends! Nice idea, ok cast it has a few laughs along the way. Not really anything memorable or makes it stand out from all the other Rom-Coms.
Dead A

Watchable.
Spencer S

It's sad that the screenwriters of The Hangover wrote this. I have no sympathy for Matthew, but much for Jennifer, as she must have been mislead.
Richard C

i actually thought this was a good movie. yes, it was cliche and predictable and this movie has been done before and it's been done better. it is funny though and has a good message to it. B-
Cassie H

A really cute movie & I loved the parts that had Mikey in them lol. :) Matthew was a great actor of course & I loved Jennifer Garner's role as well :) Loved it!!!!! :)
Alexis N

it's a christmas carol with ex-girlfriends. kinda cute.
Jani H

"Spooning is nice. - Yeah. But not as nice as forking." Mark Waters, the director of the film, does have a past full of cheesy, predictable films, like 'Freaky Fridday', and 'Just Like Heaven'. He has also directed a fantasy film 'The Spiderwick… More
"Spooning is nice. - Yeah. But not as nice as forking." Mark Waters, the director of the film, does have a past full of cheesy, predictable films, like 'Freaky Fridday', and 'Just Like Heaven'. He has also directed a fantasy film 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' and a good teen comedy in 'Mean Girls'. Now comes his biggest mistake of his career, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'. Connor Mead is a famous photographer that changes girls like shirts. He has no respect for women but nevertheless the women are crazy of him. What does that tell us? Women are stupid? Mead's brother is about to get married. During the wedding rehearsals he is visted by a ghost that shows him his past, present and future. Will this change him to become a better man? I'm pretty sure that Charles Dickens is screamin' at this moment. This film tries to fit the main idea from his A Christmas Carol to become a somewhat original romantic comedy. It just happens to fail miserably. From the beginning, Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is presented as a obnoxious man. And that is what he is. All he can think about is himself. No ghost will ever change that. The rest of the characters are unoriginal stereotypes that are totally underdeveloped. What was the idea with this movie? Are people really that stupid that these kinds of films really get an audience? If you think of the comedic elements of this movie, there are very few. And the romance? What women would fall in love in a guy who is known of fuckin' any women he can get his hands on? What does this tell of the screenwriters thoughts about women? The only thing good about this movie is Michael Douglas and the character he plays. He steals every scene he is in. McConaughey still can't act and neither can the rest of the cast. Avoid.
Nani V

I saw this lastnight after flipping through the channels, I decided, hey why not? It's something I can watch alone without having to torture the bf with. It was typical and nothing new or exciting, but watchable. I loved Jen in it and found Matthew to be Matthew.
Nicki M

Average. Matthew McConaughey is at his most unappealing here, playing a character who's one up from a cockroach. I found myself NOT wanting Jennifer Garner's character to get together with him, and then ...SPOILER...although not much of one, because anyone with half a… More
Average. Matthew McConaughey is at his most unappealing here, playing a character who's one up from a cockroach. I found myself NOT wanting Jennifer Garner's character to get together with him, and then ...SPOILER...although not much of one, because anyone with half a brain cell could see where this one was heading - hoping she got him sent off for every blood test available when she did take him back. Emma Stone is cringeably funny as the Ghost of Girlfriend Past with her bad 80's get up. Typical chick flick probably best saved for DVD.
Crash E

wonderful ...and so true
Josh L

I don't understand the hate for this one. One of the complaints I have seen was that the screenplay tended to go more towards the emotional end of the spectrum and focused too much on the relationships rather than the comedy, but that is exactly why I liked it. I wasn't… More
I don't understand the hate for this one. One of the complaints I have seen was that the screenplay tended to go more towards the emotional end of the spectrum and focused too much on the relationships rather than the comedy, but that is exactly why I liked it. I wasn't expecting what I got from the trailers at all. It looked liked a forgettable and formulaic rom-com where someone learns something throughout the movie, but the audience doesn't believe or care. I was wrong. I believed it and found the story to be very insightful and even sometimes a little heartbreaking. Jennifer Garner was very good in this movie and Matthew was decent. Lacey Chalbert got on my nerves a little, but I think it was the character more than it was her. I definitely am willing to recommend this movie to people. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Stuart B

Rubbish chick flick garbage that is churned out dime a dozen by hollywood. Stop it now!
Dean M

Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner are good chemistry in this romantic-comedy alike A Christmas Carol film as such as it's real fun. The film used Charles Dickens as a clever vehicle for its plot and it worked for me anyway. I am not saying the film is a… More
Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner are good chemistry in this romantic-comedy alike A Christmas Carol film as such as it's real fun. The film used Charles Dickens as a clever vehicle for its plot and it worked for me anyway. I am not saying the film is a classic but it was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and I definitely would recommend it to people I know. I thought that the acting was terrific and the characters were well developed. I think the film is definitely worth seeing. I see actresses Garner and Christa B. Allen are back again as the adult and teenage Jenna like they did since Suddenly 30.
♥˩ƳИИ &

I thought it was funny. Liked Matthew and Jen together. Thought they had good chemistry.