Casper

Rating: PG

Brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

Review: Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) is absolutely furious when she finds out her father has only left a gloomy, broken down mansion to her in his will after his passing. Carrigan is all set to demolish the house and build something better in it’s place. But Carrigan discovers a map to a hidden treasure locked away somewhere within the mansion. Upon entering the isolated mansion, Carrigan discovers she is not alone for three very wicked ghosts have taken refuge within her new home. In order to find the hidden treasure, Carrigan has to get rid of the ghosts so she hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) to help the ghosts cross over to the other side. Dr. Harvey moves into the mansion along with his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci). Kat meets Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson), ghost of a young boy, who is very friendly and very sweet. They also meet the pig-headed, disgusting, and rude uncles of Casper–Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie–who are determined to drive Dr. Harvey and Kat away. It is up to Dr. Harvey and Kat to not only keep Carrigan from destroying the mansion and gaining the treasure, but to also help Casper and his uncles cross over to the other side.

Casper is a very kid friendly movie which parents will also enjoy. The story is filled with both humor and heart touching moments. The antics the uncles play on Dr. Harvey will have you laughing out loud and wanting to smack them upside the head! The moments when Casper is trying to remember his childhood and speaks about his mother will have you reaching out to hug whoever is near you.

Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan is ABSOULTELY HILARIOUS! She is so much fun to watch! She is completely crazy and terrific. Bill Pullman as the widowed and still grieving husband as well as the therapist to the dead Dr. Harvey, does a wonderful job. You feel sympathy for his loss. You also can’t stop laughing at his fights with the three ghost uncles. Christina Ricci does a pretty good job playing the loner girl who is picked on by the popular girl and finds comfort in her new weird (dead) friend, Casper. The storyline is predictable on many levels, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment and fun of the movie and the silly, quirky cast.

Casper is a wonderful movie to watch both all year round and for Halloween while stuffing your face full of candy. For all you parents who are looking for something safe and very fun to watch together with your kids, Casper is a great movie! For anyone looking for a laugh, this is also a great movie for you! One of my all time favorite ghost movies!

Running Time: 100 minutes
Director: Brad Silberling
Rating: 10/10 stars