A Ghost Story

A24 | Release Date: July 7, 2017

7.0	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 287 Ratings

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User Reviews

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drcosbyJul 30, 2017

I guess David Lowery decided that the best way to make the point that ghosts' lives are boring and endless is to create a boring, endless movie about them. If he was trying to create a subtle metaphor between the futility of his fictionalI guess David Lowery decided that the best way to make the point that ghosts' lives are boring and endless is to create a boring, endless movie about them. If he was trying to create a subtle metaphor between the futility of his fictional ghost's life and our own, he threw subtlety out the window he decide to smack us over the head with a freshman-in-college level diatribe about how the universe is all going to wind down one day, so everything we do is ultimately for naught. Maybe I am getting old and jaded, but this was a shallow movie whose only points have already been made so many times and so many better ways (i.e. see Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for a funny take on pointlessness or even Lowery's own TV show Rectify for an example on futility) that it really had no reason to be made. If Lowery wanted to explore a story about the endless lives of ghosts, he should have concentrated on the details of their day-to-day existence, and let the audience extrapolate that into hopelessness. Instead, he went straight for the hopelessness leaving nothing for the audience to do except nap or maybe think about how much better their lives would be if they would only get up and walk out of the theater.… Expand

6 of 10 users found this helpful64

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panslabyrinthSep 22, 2017

A Ghost Story is overly convoluted and pretentious; what seemed like it could be a tinder love story with a twist, turns out to be a 92-minutes long supposed lesson about life, filled with 10+ minutes "one take" sequences of Rooney MaraA Ghost Story is overly convoluted and pretentious; what seemed like it could be a tinder love story with a twist, turns out to be a 92-minutes long supposed lesson about life, filled with 10+ minutes "one take" sequences of Rooney Mara wandering around, staring at walls, sniffing while eating pie and then throwing up, and a 6'2 200 pound actor roaming a house with white bed sheets on, also staring at walls and through windows aimlessly. A Ghost Story is just empty, seamlessly purposeless for any mainstream moviegoer, and otherwise.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

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HonsestCozJul 30, 2017

Are you kidding me?! Critics, please stop being so pretentious. This should have been a short film and you know it. The entire film consists of long, repetitive scenes with sad violin music playing in the background (e.g. a women eats aAre you kidding me?! Critics, please stop being so pretentious. This should have been a short film and you know it. The entire film consists of long, repetitive scenes with sad violin music playing in the background (e.g. a women eats a pie while crying for idk... 10 minutes!) If you piece together all the footage of the motionless ghost and his sad violins, you know what you get? --half of the movie, at least HALF!

Let me put it this way: Ever been in a modern art museum and wonder why, oh why, is this piece taking space? You see a large blank canvas that has a rip in the center of it, but the person sitting next to you see's "the artist's struggle with the world and it bleakness, his frustration with his talent, and the crushing expectations of the world upon his shoulders" Well, let's just say this movie is that canvas.… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

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ElijahloveDec 8, 2017

Lmao. Seriously. Who was drunk when they wrote the script? Worse yet who thought this would make a great film. You put a sheet over the guys head to make him a ghost. Lol. One scene maybe where he is making fun of his death with a sheetLmao. Seriously. Who was drunk when they wrote the script? Worse yet who thought this would make a great film. You put a sheet over the guys head to make him a ghost. Lol. One scene maybe where he is making fun of his death with a sheet maybe. Maybe. Think movies that have done this better. Hmmm. Ghost with whoppieach goldberg. The Sixth Sense. This movie doesn't deserve to even be made. Stop giving good ratings to terrible movies. You encourage others to make terrible movies. Listen I went to college and I get the whole universe may be connected time thing okay. Not unique. But don't cheat the viewers. Lol… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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BeeceeAug 9, 2017

A Ghost Story attempts profundity, and there is an A list cast, but I felt that it was ultimately unsuccessful. Casey Affleck is acting without speaking and with a sheet over his body most of the time, so you can't really get much emotionA Ghost Story attempts profundity, and there is an A list cast, but I felt that it was ultimately unsuccessful. Casey Affleck is acting without speaking and with a sheet over his body most of the time, so you can't really get much emotion out of it. Couldn't the ghost be portrayed in a fashion that could still show facial features and emotion? I felt that his relationship with his wife, Rooney Mara, should have been the focus of the movie, but she leaves the movie too soon, and she doesn't have any interaction with the ghost. Any potentially interesting avenue to explore (like the relationship with the ghost next door) is given short shrift. No, I didn't expect a horror film with a lot of action, but I still expected more interaction among the characters. As others have said before, it was boring and uninvolving.… Expand

4 of 10 users found this helpful46

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sutterluetyJul 22, 2017

....where the 4 stars comes from is beyond me.5 YAWNER for certain.The most action is when the chick plays like she eating a whole pie in grief,and RACES to the bathroom to hurls,ok theres the poltergeist scene with the flyin dishes..first....where the 4 stars comes from is beyond me.5 YAWNER for certain.The most action is when the chick plays like she eating a whole pie in grief,and RACES to the bathroom to hurls,ok theres the poltergeist scene with the flyin dishes..first 10minutes into the movie was a forecast,BORING. Rooney and Casey and the stars and the come on trailer it would be great...90 minutes of a sheet with holes cut out...lifeless movie trust me.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

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Terbo49Aug 8, 2017

Self-indulgent tripe and not even mildly interesting self-indulgent tripe. Extremely boring (although if you ever wanted to watch someone eat a whole pie in real time, you're in luck) and complete with 4 utterly irrelevant scenes designed toSelf-indulgent tripe and not even mildly interesting self-indulgent tripe. Extremely boring (although if you ever wanted to watch someone eat a whole pie in real time, you're in luck) and complete with 4 utterly irrelevant scenes designed to add 'depth'. Gives crap boring art films a bad name.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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ozymandias79Sep 20, 2017

Defiantly arthouse. Should be called "A S**tty Ghost Story". After fast forwarding through long scenes of nothing (there is literately a 5 min pie eating scene), you're left with a 10 min short.

2 of 9 users found this helpful27

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MikefromAngusMar 13, 2018

What an boring and awful movie! Its slow, and NOT interesting. There's a 10 plus minute take where the camera films a woman eating pie. The movie is filled with these type of camera takes throughout the movie. This is NOT art, or a movie.What an boring and awful movie! Its slow, and NOT interesting. There's a 10 plus minute take where the camera films a woman eating pie. The movie is filled with these type of camera takes throughout the movie. This is NOT art, or a movie. Just garbage… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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SturmhardtSep 22, 2017

The most boring movie I have seen in a while. Nothing happens. Literally. I don't get how it got such good ratings and I really really believe that I am not a minority that somehow doesn't like the movie.

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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mark0053Aug 1, 2017

Once again I wonder why the so called professional movie critics rated something so high when for myself it was terrible. With only 7 people in the entire auditorium watching we all came out shaking our heads in disbelief. Not only is theOnce again I wonder why the so called professional movie critics rated something so high when for myself it was terrible. With only 7 people in the entire auditorium watching we all came out shaking our heads in disbelief. Not only is the nutty square filming (picture) crazy when you are watching it on a nice wide screen but the story is.....well there is no story that any of us could see.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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SteyrausJun 5, 2019

Drawn out and boring . This is the film that gets made so stupid people that like to think they are smart can say how great it is, because the were special enough to like it. But really they were bored. You would be better off watching paintDrawn out and boring . This is the film that gets made so stupid people that like to think they are smart can say how great it is, because the were special enough to like it. But really they were bored. You would be better off watching paint dry than watching this film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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MacheteDontTextMar 5, 2023

Its beyond boring. If you want to convey a message or meaning, you have to present it in an at least digestable form. Watching paint dry for minutes is **** They wanted me to feel trapped in time and hopeless I guess, but I just got annoyedIts beyond boring. If you want to convey a message or meaning, you have to present it in an at least digestable form. Watching paint dry for minutes is **** They wanted me to feel trapped in time and hopeless I guess, but I just got annoyed and bored...… Expand