Ghosts of Girlfriends Past parents guide

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Parent Guide

In addition to these content issues is the even greater concern that some young viewers may accept the romantic portrayals within this movie as valid.

Overall C-

Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) may have hordes of female admirers, yet he has managed to keep his heart all to himself. But when the bachelor comes home to attend his brother's (Breckin Meyer) wedding, he is given cause to rethink his womanizing ways. This is thanks to the appearance of his deceased Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas) and some insightful Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Release date May 1, 2009

Violence A-
Sexual Content D+
Profanity D+
Substance Use C

Why is Ghosts of Girlfriends Past rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Ghosts of Girlfriends Past PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.

Run Time: 99 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Hotshot photographer Connor Mead’s (Matthew McConaughey) favorite subjects are females, and the less clothing they wear the better. When he’s not capturing images, he’s capturing hearts with smarmy pickup lines that would only work in movies like this. Having accumulated a bevy of babes over his relatively short adulthood, he can’t even commit to staying in bed with a woman until the sun rises, let alone think about marriage. Needless to say the boozing bachelor will be the most obnoxious guest at his brother Paul’s (Breckin Meyer) upcoming wedding.

Raised by their rich, and now deceased, Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas) after their parents died in a car accident, the brothers have taken distinctly different paths. Walking into the tulle and flower adorned mansion in which he spent his adolescence, Connor’s cynicism is loaded and ready when he meets Paul and his future wife Sandra (Lacey Chabert). What he isn’t prepared for though is a meeting with Jenny (Jennifer Garner), his childhood sweetheart. It seems she knew Connor before he set off to womanize the world, and still yearns to find the young boy she once loved. Considering this sex-obsessed scoundrel has previously slept with all but one of the bridesmaids—an omission he’s aiming to fix ASAP— her wistful longings seem nothing more than a fanciful dream.

And that is just what the script employs to wake up this randy rogue. Borrowing a few pages from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Uncle Wayne plays Jacob Marley and a selection of female guides who act as the ghosts to lead him through his past, present and future.

The road to Connor’s reformation requires a long ramble through his colorful history, replete with many replays of sexual moments, innuendos and lengthy discussions of his indiscretions. These depictions are punctuated by frequent profanities, religious and Christian expletives, derogatory comments toward homosexuals, and nearly every crude term for sex imaginable. A single slap on a man’s face by a woman is the only violence (and sadly, is likely a justified use of brutality).

In addition to these content issues is the even greater concern that some young viewers may accept the romantic portrayals within this movie as valid. The story definitely plays to female audiences and the idea that the love of a good woman can be enough to bring a bad man back to his senses. In this case, Jenny truly believes she can have a happy future by exorcizing Connor’s playboy present while keeping all his wonderful traits from the past.

Although it is true people can change, I can’t say I’m convinced the events of this one night will cause the desired, permanent transformation. After watching Connor’s antics throughout the film, I’d say Jenny doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance at finding a faithful, long-lasting relationship.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone. Running time: 99 minutes. Theatrical release May 1, 2009. Updated

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Rating & Content Info

Why is Ghosts of Girlfriends Past rated PG-13? Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.

A sex-obsessed bachelor is forced to rethink his womanizing ways after his deceased, playboy Uncle visits him and he is toured through his past, present and future. Frequent sexual discussions, innuendo and references are heard, along with some onscreen clothed portrayals of sexual activity. Profanities, crude terms for sex, religious and Christian expletives and derogatory comments toward homosexuals are also abundant. A woman slaps a man. There are numerous depictions of social drinking, sometimes to relieve stress as well as to the point of drunkenness.

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Parents' Guide

A character in this film says the person with the most power in a relationship is the one who cares the least. Do you think this statement is accurate? How can someone avoid becoming the “victim” in a relationship? Can a relationship of trust be developed between people if one person is concerned about holding power?

Women in movies are often portrayed as being attracted to guys who need “fixing up.” Do you think these depictions are accurate? How can a woman know if a man is worth such efforts, and whether or not the changes will be permanent? Do you think it is possible for a man to fall into a habit of learned helplessness? What can both genders do to maintain a healthy interdependent relationship?

Although a joke is made about the number of condoms Connor has used in his “career,”  what health concerns would/should his partners have about entering into a relationship with a man like him?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past movie is September 22, 2009. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Release Date: 22 September 2009

The DVD release of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past includes both widescreen & full-screen versions of the movie.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past on Blu-ray offers audio tracks in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English) and Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish and French). Subtitles are available in English and Spanish. Bonus materials include:

-Featurettes: Recreating the Past, Imagining the Future, It’s all about Connor (aka It’s all about Matthew) and The Legends, the Lessons and the Ladies.

-Additional Scenes: Original Opening, Exiting The Studio, The Bridesmaids Toast and Uncle Wayne Gives Advice (extended scene).

- BD-Live Bonus Content: A Sea of Women

- Digital Copy of the film

Related home video titles:

The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is loosely based on Charles Dickens’ classic story A Christmas Carol.  Supernatural specters are also necessary to help another man understand what constitutes a healthy human relationship in Ghost Town. Actress Jennifer Garner plays the role of a woman who regrets the love she left behind in her teen years in the movie 13 Going on 30.