Ghostedis a 2023 Americanromanticaction comedyfilm directed byDexter Fletcherand written by the writing teams ofRhett ReeseandPaul Wernick,andChris McKennaandErik Sommers,from a story by Reese and Wernick.[1]The film starsChris Evans,Ana de Armas,Adrien Brody,Mike Moh,Amy Sedaris,Tim Blake Nelson,Marwan Kenzari,andAnna Deavere Smith.
| Ghosted | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Dexter Fletcher |
| Written by | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Salvatore Totino |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Apple TV+ |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Produced byApple StudiosandSkydance Media,it was released byApple TV+on April 21, 2023. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, it became Apple TV+'s most watched film debut.
Plot
editAt a Washington, D.C.farmers' market,lonely Sadie Rhodes meets Cole Turner, a romantically needy vendor. They share an enjoyable all-night date, culminating in sex, and Cole returns home but his texts to Sadie go unanswered. Cole's sister suspects she is "ghosting"him, but their parents convince him to surprise Sadie in London, after locating her via a tracker on hisinhalerthat he accidentally left in her bag.
In London, Cole is abducted toPakistanby arms dealers who believe him to be legendaryCIAoperative "the Taxman". Before he can be tortured with insects to extract a passcode, he is rescued by Sadie, who reveals herself to be the Taxman. After a chase through theKhyber Pass,they escape Cole's captors, who are working for Leveque, a disgraced French Intelligence agent selling a stolenbioweaponcalled "Aztec", for which he needs the passcode.
Reaching a nearby town, Cole and Sadie argue over their lies to each other, and meet Marco, her old contact and former lover. He warns Cole that Sadie cares more about the success of a mission than her boyfriends' lives, and agrees to take him home. Their plan is interrupted by a succession ofbounty huntersafter Leveque puts a price on Cole's head; Marco is killed, but the bounty hunters all kill each other. Learning that Leveque is seeking the passcode, Sadie is determined to recover Aztec using Cole as bait.
Sadie delivers Cole to Leveque, who leaves his henchman, Wagner, on a plane with Sadie, Cole, and the locked case containing Aztec. Their cover is blown when Wagner discovers a picture of the two in bed together on Cole's phone, but Cole parachutes to safety with the Aztec case and a wounded Sadie. Landing onSocotraIsland, he uses his agricultural knowledge to treat her, reconnecting with her in the process. They are ambushed by Leveque's men, and Wagner escapes with the case while Cole and Sadie are rescued byU.S. Marines.
At CIA headquarters, Sadie is suspended for losing Aztec and tries to apologize for putting Cole in danger, but he is hurt by her commitment to her mission above all else. He helps to decipher the passcode, and agrees to continue to masquerade as the Taxman, luring Leveque with an offer to sell it.
Leveque meets Cole at arevolving restaurantwith his own buyer for Aztec, Mr. Utami, and has the agents monitoring Cole killed. Sadie arrives, restoring Cole's trust in her, and she sells the passcode to Mr. Utami for $10 million. She immediately uses the money to place a bounty on Leveque, and they are suddenly surrounded by bounty hunters.
A gunfight erupts, damaging the revolving mechanism and spinning the restaurant at high speed. Leveque shoots Utami, and Cole kills Wagner by throwing him into the mechanism. Sadie manages to send Leveque crashing through a window to his death and narrowly saves the Aztec device. Rekindling their relationship, Sadie meets Cole's family, as they find time for each other between—and during—her missions.
Cast
edit- Chris Evansas Cole Turner
- Ana de Armasas Sadie Rhodes
- Adrien Brodyas Leveque
- Mike Mohas Wagner
- Tate Donovanas Cole's dad
- Amy Sedarisas Cole's mom
- Lizze Broadwayas Mattie Turner, Cole's sister
- Mustafa Shakiras Monte Jackson
- Anthony Mackieas the Grandson of Sam
- John Choas the Leopard
- Sebastian Stanas God, a bounty hunter
- Ryan Reynoldsas Jonas
- Anna Deavere Smithas Claudia Yates
- Tim Blake Nelsonas Borislov
- Tiya Sircaras Patti
- Stephen Parkas Utami
- Humza Shabazz as Announcer
- Burn Gormanas the English cabbie
- Marwan Kenzarias Marco
- Israel Vaughn as Martin
- Victoria Kellher as Edna
- Jordan Blair Brown as Joann
- Zane Shaw as Rockaoke patron
- Stephanie Weis asMaître d'
- Dexter Fletcheras Raoul
Production
editIn August 2021,Chris EvansandScarlett Johanssonentered negotiations to star inGhosted,a film pitched by screenwritersPaul WernickandRhett ReesetoSkydance Media,withDexter Fletcherattached to direct.[2][3]In December 2021, Johansson had to exit the film due to a scheduling conflict, leading toAna de Armasbeing cast in her place.[4]In February 2022,Adrien Brodyjoined the cast.[5]Mike Moh,Amy Sedaris,Tim Blake NelsonandTate Donovanwould be added in March.[6]
Principal photographytook place from February to May 2022[7][8]at Tallulah Falls Lake inTallulah Gorge State Park,Georgia; North Park Square,Marietta, Georgia;Chesapeake and Ohio Canalbetween Thomas Jefferson and 31st Street inGeorgetown,the Lincoln Book Tower,Ford's Theatreand theKennedy Center for the Performing Arts,all in Washington D.C.[9]Scenes in theKhyber Passmountains were filmed inNew Mexico,while the city ofMingora,Pakistan, was filmed on a set in Atlanta.[9]
Release
editThe film was released onApple TV+on April 21, 2023.[10]According to aSamba TVresearch panel of 3.1 million smart television households who tuned in for at least one minute,Ghosteddrew in 328,500 viewers in the first two days, and is the most watched film debut in Apple TV+ history.[11]
Reception
editOn thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,25% of 118 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Listlessly wafting between action, comedy, and romance without ever solidifying into a satisfying whole,Ghostedearns a chorus of boos. "[12]Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[13]
Benjamin Lee, writing forThe Guardian,gave the film one out of five stars, criticizing the lack of chemistry between Evans and de Armas and calling the film "a staggeringly, maddeningly atrocious heap of increasingly boneheaded decisions that will act as depressing documentation of just how rotten things got in the current oversaturated streaming landscape."[14]Writing forRogerEbert,Peter Sobczynski also criticized Evans and de Armas's lack of chemistry as well as Fletcher's direction, negatively comparing the film toTrue Lies(1994),Mr. & Mrs. Smith(2005) andKnight and Day(2010), and calling the film "a tedious exercise in sheer greed and laziness that presumes if enough money and famous faces are tossed into the mix, no one will notice, or at least mind, the utter vacuousness of the enterprise"; he gave the film 0.5 out of four stars.[15]David Ehrlich ofIndieWiregave the film a "C–" grade, criticizing the film's lack of commitment to its concepts and ideas, writing that the film "has no interest in anything more than a casual relationship with its audience, as it reliably stifles a joke or kills the mood themomentit suspects that you might be about to catch feelings. "[16]
Conversely,Stephanie ZacharekatTimenoted Evans and de Armas's chemistry more positively, while also noting the film's familiarity, writing: "Ghostedclacks along efficiently, ticking off all the expected boxes. There are no surprises here, just the pleasant ectoplasmic shimmer of a formula you've seen a million times before, vanishing almost as soon as the end credits start rolling. "[17]
In an article forBBC Online,Nicholas Barber muses that "viewers have different requirements when they're clicking away at home on a Tuesday night.Ghostedand its fellow direct-to-streaming movies provide precision-engineered undemanding escapism that the whole family can agree to sit through. "[18]
Accolades
edit| Award / Film Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Raspberry Awards | March 9, 2024 | Worst Actor | Chris Evans | Nominated | [19] |
| Worst Actress | Ana de Armas | Nominated | |||
| Worst Screen Couple | Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) | Nominated |
References
edit- ^"Ghosted".Writers Guild of America West.October 5, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on November 27, 2022.RetrievedNovember 27,2022.
- ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 29, 2021)."Apple, Skydance Reuniting Marvel Superhero Stalwarts Scarlett Johansson & Chris Evans In Dexter Fletcher-DirectedGhosted".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on August 30, 2021.RetrievedAugust 30,2021.
- ^Kit, Borys (August 30, 2021)."Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson to Star in Adventure MovieGhostedfor Apple ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2022.RetrievedAugust 30,2021.
- ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 3, 2021)."Ana De Armas In, Scarlett Johansson Exits Apple's Chris Evans-StarrerGhosted;Skydance Producing ".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2022.RetrievedDecember 3,2021.
- ^Kroll, Justin (February 9, 2022)."Adrien Brody Joins Chris Evans In Apple And Skydance'sGhostedFrom Director Dexter Fletcher ".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 9,2022.
- ^Kroll, Justin (March 9, 2022)."Mike Moh, Amy Sedaris, Tim Blake Nelson And Tate Donovan Join Chris Evans In Apple And Skydance'sGhosted".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2022.RetrievedMarch 9,2022.
- ^Kasule, Melissa (January 12, 2022)."Apple dramaGhostedstarring Chris Evans to shoot in Atlanta and Washington DC ".Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook.Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 9,2022.
- ^Remley, Hilary (May 13, 2022)."'Ghosted' Wraps Filming, Chris Evans Posts Behind-the-Scenes Image ".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2022.RetrievedMay 13,2022.
- ^ab"Where was Ghosted filmed? The Restaurant & all the Locations".Atlas of Wonders.April 21, 2023.RetrievedApril 23,2023.
- ^MacCary, Julia (March 6, 2023)."GhostedTrailer: Chris Evans Flies to London for Ana de Armas in Romantic Spy Thriller ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2023.RetrievedMarch 7,2023.
- ^D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 26, 2023)."Chris Evans & Ana de Armas Skydance Spy Action PicGhostedMost Watched Debut In Apple TV+ ".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedApril 26,2023.
- ^"Ghosted".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedJanuary 27,2024.
- ^"Ghosted".Metacritic.Fandom, Inc.RetrievedApril 23,2023.
- ^Lee, Benjamin (April 21, 2023)."Ghosted review – dreadful big star action comedy deserves to be ignored".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2023.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
- ^Sobczynski, Peter (April 21, 2023)."Ghosted".RogerEbert.Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2023.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
- ^Ehrlich, David (April 20, 2023)."'Ghosted' Review: At Least It's Shorter Than 'The Gray Man'".IndieWire.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
- ^Zacharek, Stephanie (April 21, 2023)."GhostedMakes a Vaporous Vehicle for the Charms of Ana de Armas and Chris Evans ".Time.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
- ^Barber, Nicholas (May 5, 2023)."Ghosted: The films 'too bad for the cinema'".BBC Online.RetrievedMay 18,2023.
- ^"Razzie Noms 2024: Chris Evans and Jennifer Lopez Up for Worst Actors; 'Shazam 2' and 'Ant-Man 3' Tie With 4 Nods".Variety.January 22, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 22,2024.
External links
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