User reviews

After you get through the stresses of your day... your job, the hassles of daily life, all the stressers that are out there daily, it seems great to sit back and enjoy something that will take you out of that for a little while. If you watch the news and read the papers every day like I do, it gets to you after a while...the young soldiers being killed in Iraq, all the election BS that we are being bombarded with right now...all or most of the news is downright depressing. That creates an important place for a movie like this...one that can make your life a little less serious for a while. I've always been a Christina Ricci fan, going back to the Addams Family when she was only 11 years old. She was a great actress even at that young age. You could tell that she would go far as an actress. The personality was there...it set her apart from her peers. At the age of 15, she continues to do a great job in Casper...she is very believable.

Sometimes, in this troubled world where violence and negative things seem to be the norm, a nice little movie like this can go a long way toward making your day a little brighter. Some of my other "feel good" movies are Patch Adams, all the Superman movies, the Robocop series, and good old Babe. Thanks for reading this. Feel free to reply with an email.

The 1995 film Casper came in the wake of a number of high profile films based on older properties. Some, like The Addams Family, Maverick, and Flintstones managed to achieve impressive box office and/or critical praise while others such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Car 54, Where Are You?, or Richie Rich were met with derision and scorn from critics and audiences. Casper falls somewhere towards to the upper end of the spectrum making it better than Flintstones by a considerable margin, but not nearly as funny or memorable as The Addams Family. Casper, based on the Harvey Comics character turned star of Famous Studios' series of theatrical shorts, follows the titular friendly ghost as he deals with the schemes of heiress Carrigan Crittenden(played delightfully over the top by Cathy Moriarty), his brash abrasive uncles The Ghostly Trio, a grieving paranormal psychologist and his outsider daughter, and a whole host of shenanigans from either the living or the dead. Needless to say there's elements I'm leaving out because they're either resolved to quickly to be of merit or contribute nothing to the movie.

First the good. The performances are energized and give this movie the life it needs to justify itself. Regardless of the quality of the material, everyone here is bringing their A game be it Eric Idle as the put upon yes man, Bill Pullman as the quirky paranormal psychologist, Christina Ricci as the outsider daughter, and even Devon Sawa as Casper. Helping the performances is the amazing production design which helps create an incredible looking haunted house that feels almost like Disney's Haunted Mansion ride with more polish(though sometimes the film does feel a bit too much like a theme park ride in certain segments). The effects to create the ghosts are also quite impressive for the time, as they're designed very similarly to Jim Carrey's effects from The Mask with cartoonish exaggerations and elasticity that make them feel dynamic and alive(no pun intended).

The Negatives. The script has problems finding pacing and direction. There's no one single story pulling the characters from scene to scene, the instigating plot involving Carrigan looking for a secret Treasure takes up the first 10 minutes of the movie and then is brought back for maybe 12 minutes towards the end of the movie. Scenes just kind of go from one to the next as there's really no callback style jokes or running gags linking the comic set pieces together, nor are there really character building scenes as they feel like islands without much thought to placement in a larger narrative.

The movie is written by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver, better known for their work on shows like Animaniacs and Tiny Toons Adventures and there's definitely a lot of their comic style on display with the Ghostly Trio who spout pop culture references and insults(with a surprising amount of hells and damns thrown in but that's honestly not much of a concern for me), but much of their comic scenes feel at odds with other scens that try to seriously address the nature of death and grief(including a very well staged scene where Casper looks over his sled remembering how he died) and the tone will whiplash from Snarky, to Zany, to serious sometimes within only a few seconds.

Casper is the kind of movie you wish were better than it is. There's clear talent on display be it the production design, the direction, the acting, and even the special effects, but it's unfortunately weighed down by a lack of focus and can feel like a scattershot imitator of Beetlejuice with its teeth filed down. It's got good moments, they just don't come together as well as they should.

There's something enormously touching about this film and the way it deals with losses -- Pullman's wife and Casper's mother, in particular. And what's so clever about it is how it uses them as a tool of audience manipulation AND has the evil ghosts use Pullman in exactly the same way that we're being used. This is a smartly written screenplay. The story itself is pretty conventional and predictable: the loner girl gets teased by a popular girl (that nobody really likes) who's out to destroy her; the popular girl has a cute boyfriend that the loner girl has the hots for, etc. etc., story will resolve itself with everyone falling in love with loner girl.

I can't quite understand why this movie has such a low rating. The only explanation I can think of is that people prefer emotionally "safe" movies like "Toy Story" (of the same year) that are equally brilliant technically (and have as many references), but don't sacrifice coolness by showing sentimental, sad emotion. It's possible that the movie got marketed incorrectly. The film isn't about spooks; like one of those early, wonderful Tim Burton fantasies (this film also shares with them an outstanding score), the film deals -- quite movingly, I think -- with regaining that lost sense of childhood: that moment where Casper tries to remember being alive is just wrenching. And the scene relates just as profoundly to us: just as he can't remember being alive, we can't, really, remember being kids. I was ten when I first saw this, and it had an effect on me then (Ricci's description of sunny side-up eggs making her gag subconsciously made me avoid anything less than hard boiled for ten years); this is something that I really cherish as being part of my young emotional and visual education, and it stands up today.

I haven't seen the director's other films, so I have no idea whether this whole thing was a fluke or whether everything just settled in to my particular sensibility, but even outside of the emotion I think the technical aspects, the giant basement set, are enough to keep interest. And even outside of that, the acting is terrific. Cathy Moriarty is an absolute riot. 7/10

One of many children Halloween movies . I'll recommend a ghostly comedy. Especially about a friendly ghost named CASPER and his three ghosts brothers Fatso, Stretch, Stinkie. This funniest laughter ghosts that knock your socks off. Also is a family movie night . The leading roles is well acted. Christina Ricci as her character Kate and Bill Pullman character Dr. James Harvey perfect actors. Well done.

A ghost-whispering paranormal expert and his daughter (Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci) move into a dilapidated mansion on the coast of Maine that's haunted by a friendly ghost and three mischievous ones. Cathy Moriarty plays the venal heir of the mansion and Eric Idle her assistant.

"Casper" (1995) delivers the goods if you're in the mood for a "spooktacular" Goosebumps-like horror film that's fun & silly and not scary at all. It's like Scooby-Doo but without the dog and the teens are tweens. "Monster Night" (2006) and "Ghostbusters" (1984) are other reference points, but I prefer "Monster Night," which has a similar plot, but is all-around more entertaining (even though it cost significantly less) and has a superior assortment of good-lookin' women, young and older. With "Caspar" there's Moriarty, but she plays the biyatch antagonist. There's also ricci, but she was only 14 during shooting, although she's effective in the role.

The movie runs 1 hour, 40 minutes and was shot at Universals City, California, with establishing shots of Rockport, Maine.

GRADE: B-/C+

I'll admit right from the off I'd never heard of 'Casper The Friendly Ghost' until 1993 when I went to my local multiplex to see the Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood movie 'A Perfect World' in which a child steals a Halloween costume. So I didn't know much going into this movie. I believe this is the first feature film with a computer-animated title character, and for me the effects are outstanding.

Eric Idle and Cathy Moriarity are splendidly devious, if under used, whilst fresh from pairing with Sandra bullock in 'While You Were Sleeping' Bill Pullman is a lot of fun as the Dad.

As for Christina Ricci, following on from her awesome performances in the Addams Family movies, it was around this time I thought, she had the potential to be a good Demi Moore type actress, once she grew up. Things haven't quite panned out that way, but she is still a working actress. Coincidently she would costar with Moore in 'Now & Then' the same year, but she was not playing a younger Moore, as I expected, but a younger version of Rosie O Donnell. Poor casting in my eyes.

There are some nice cameos from Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson Rodney Dangerfield, but it's the appearance of Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz (from Ghostbusters (1984)) who runs out of the house frantically and says, "Who you gonna call? Someone else!" That brought the biggest smile to my face.

This live action take on the beloved cartoon ghost first introduced back in 1945 marks his big screen debut and although the end result isn't perfect, it makes for an entertaining film.

This story concerns two baddies who find out about a long lost treasure hidden in a Gothic mansion in Maine. The only thing standing in their way is the ghosts that haunt the place. Enter Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) to exterminate the spooks.

The movie isn't perfect. The story lacks direction, the serious questions about death often undermine the charm and the final scene drags on but the film certainly has it's moments. The cast performs admirably with a nice series of cameos from the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Rodney Dangerfield and even Clint Eastwood. The best performance goes to Eric Idle as the weaselly henchman, Dibbs who quite literally goes out with a bang. In all, an enjoyable if somewhat empty film.

If nothing else, "Casper" has the distinction of being the only film ever to feature both Mr. Rogers and The Cryptkeeper.

Ever since i was six years of age, I've enjoyed this movie. It makes me laugh, cry, and excited! i am disappointed that so many people don't like this movie. it is an all-time favorite of mine. It is sad yes, but it has comic relief from the three uncles that try to be humanlike, Casper, the friendly ghost that knows what it is like to be lonely, for instance me, and same with Kat. I am very touched with this film, for it makes me think about me, lonely and depressed, but it has a positive ending which I really adored! i also liked the amazing effects, that were famous at its, time. Of course now, effects from movies are like The Matrix films and LOTR, but i mainly like this film, because it tocuhes my heart in a both sad and sometimes happy, knowing, someone else is out there for you, even if you are a bit...dead. 10/10

Casper, the friendly ghost, is now in computer form! :D I have to admit, when I became a teenager, I doubted this movie just to be kinda cool and not enjoy a kid's movie. But I babysit often, and my cousins wanted to watch this again, so I slipped it in. You know what? I enjoyed it and I think I'm willing to admit that I liked it.

I love this family movie because it has not only kid humor, but adult humor as well. Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman were great and it was fun to watch their first time reactions moving into the house with the evil uncles that are "disgusting and obnoxious creeps". I love their response to that "Thank you!". Casper is just a polite ghost who wants to have friends and be human again. When he discovers that his father invented a machine to make ghosts humans again, he and Christina find the only potion left that's enough for him to become human. Of course, we have our villains who want a "hidden treasure" in the mansion and set up Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci in the house to get to it. They figure the best way is to have one of them die and be able to just go through the safe. Of course, they must come back human and the only way is the potion that's enough for one person. We have another problem of the uncle's taking Bill on a drinking trip to make him one of their own to "see" his deceased wife.

There is a very touching ending and I would always recommend this for a family watch. It's a cute movie with some fun jokes and cool effects. So, I am actually going to admit that I had fun and am going to give a good rating.

7/10

After reading the comments, I see most people enjoy this movie with a few picking it over nothing (e.g. not an accurate portrait of ghost?). I first saw the movie in my preteen. It was a fun & 'cute' movie, highly entertaining with the trio & treasure hunting & stuff.

As I grew older & revisit this movie, I see more 'layers' of the movie other than a 'kiddie ghost story'. Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman, excellent as usual) is having a hard time dealing with the death of his wife, & Kat (Ricci, a great break from the cool-headed Wednesday Adams) is having a hard time adjusting her father's constant move as well as grieving her mother on her own. Then, there is Casper grieving his own death as well as his father's death. And then there is Carrigan's mourning her father... not leaving her all the riches. Then there is Casper's heroic act (go see the movie, it's one of the most touching moment), Dr. Harvey's reunion, etc. etc.

From a child's point of view, it's pure entertainment. From an art lover's point of view, you have to awe at the special effect & sets. From an audience seeking emotional outlet, well, bring in an extra box of kleenex. It's a very touching, warm-hearted, humorous, sweet little movie about a friendly ghost named Casper.

Just a side note, it is quite interesting to watch Addams' Family & Casper & Sleepy Hollow & see Christina Ricci grow from the eccentric Wednesday Addams to a regular teenager Kat Harvey to a beautiful young lady Katrina Van Tessel.

On one level, maybe "Casper" is just a kids' movie. But it does bring up the question of how we deal with our own mortality. The plot involves unctuous Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) and her crony Dibbs (Eric Idle) inheriting an abandoned mansion in Maine, only to find out that it's inhabited by people-hating ghosts. After a few failed attempts to get rid of these spirits, they hire Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), who claims that he can communicate with the dead. When he and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) move in, they have a few unpleasant encounters with the ghosts, but settle down. Thus arises the issue of how to cohabit with specters and also please Crittenden.

Overall, maybe there's nothing totally special about this movie; at face value, it seems to be all about quantity and not quality. But it does have some neat lines, and prompts us to consider what will become of ourselves post mortem.

Why do I insist on ruining all my favorite childhood movies by rewatching them as an adult? Pullman is good, though.

Who says there are no such things as ghosts? Not if there is the ghostly inhabitants of Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, Maine! This desolate mansion is then, in the words of one of the members of the Ghostly Trio of Whipstaff, 'intruded' by Kat Harvey (Christina Ricci) and her eccentric father Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a ghost therapist. Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) had hired Dr. Harvey to exorcise the ghosts, including Casper the friendly ghost and his three obnoxious uncles, Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie, aspiring to gain Whipstaff's 'buried gold'.

Intertwining humour, all-time fun and a modern Cinderella story, 'Casper' promises to please as a movie which is compelling, hilarious, captivating, heart-warming, witty and above all, truly 'fleshtastic'.

'Casper' is recommended for any audience, regardless of age. At the time I am submitting this review I am currently 17, turning 18, but 'Casper' still manages to appear endearing and ultimately special. The magic of Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci as well as that of director Brad Silberling, executive producer Steven Spielberg, and other producers weaves between each and every scene to eventually lift us off our feet. Above all, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Casper is my all time favourite character. Truly fantastic. You won't BOOlieve it until you see it.

Brad Silberling has done a lot of directing for various TV episodes and such, but he does also direct movies. In this case, he brings the story of Casper to life in an impressive way. This is one fun film from start to finish.

There isn't much to the story, especially in the first half, but this is where it is the most fun. The nicely thought out dialogue and the funny antics of the ghostly trio, Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso, all keep this picture highly entertaining. The second half of this 100 minute film slows down just a bit to get more story going. At this point the ghostly trio are a little less involved and Casper takes the stage.

The CG is outstanding. I know the ghosts look all cartoony, but this is a childish film. Anyhow, they look great. The voice acting is also spot on. Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, and Brad Garrett match wonderfully to their ghost characters. Malachi Pearson is also a solid Casper.

All the actors for the human characters are magnificently cast as well. Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman portray a nice father daughter relationship. Cathy Moriarty matches as the evil Carrigan Crittenden and who better than Eric Idle to play her goofy comedic sidekick. There are also a ton of enjoyable cameos in this movie, including Dan Aykroyd as the Ghostbuster Raymond Stantz.

Casper is truly one fun family film, except for a couple occasions where the "B" word comes out of somebody's mouth. Watch this if the opportunity arises.

I loved this film as a child and I still love it now, perhaps even a little more than before. I owned this film on VHS cassette tape and I would watch out all the time, especially more so at Halloween. Now that I am older I am able to fully appreciate the time and immense effort to cohesively animate the ghosts as the continuously interact with the living characters in the 1990s, technology has only gotten better since then, ergo, if they ever going to make a Casper remake, or a new story with our friendly ghost the effects would be insanely good. This story is really, at its core, about two lonely children finding a friend in each other, and considering Christina Ricci spent the majority of the film acting against nothing she did an excellent job of selling Casper's presence.

Casper is a movie that I enjoy watching over again even after 17 years this 1995 movie is very impressive, the acting and performance that both Pullman and Ricci pulled off is one that I sure admire, as both actors had to act without anything being there, as the ghosts were CGI effects added after filming, so when this two act scared and are talking, there were doing it talking to just air.

The movie is interesting and likable, the plot holes are very obvious, with the whole crossing over thing, but the movie production is good enough to make you ignore the plot holes.

The movie is based on a Children's book titled: The Friendly Ghost released in 1939 and an animated series done in 1945. It is directed by Brad Siberling who did a moderately good job here and who went ahead to direct City of Angels (1998) which was also not well received and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004).

The movie plot starts with the antagonist Carrigan discovering that her late father willed to her an abandoned house. This made her furious cause all she wanted were his money. While disposing of the papers to the house she discovered a paper saying that there is a treasure hidden in the house.

She, now ready to get the treasure goes to the house only to discover that it is being haunted by 4 ghosts, so she hired Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) to help exorcise the ghost. James moved into the house, with her daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) although James has experience dealing with ghost he has not actually seen one, so both he and his daughter were scared to bits when they moved in.

They soon discovered to among the 4 ghost that there is a friendly one named Casper. With Carrigan deadline approaching James is stuck with the task of getting rid of the Ghost who seemed to be rather enjoying their haunted house.

Casper was a huge commercial success bringing in way over 280 million from its 55 million production cost, but the movie didn't receive good reviews, holding a 44% approval rating from critics in rotten tomatoes. The movie's down side is the role of the antagonist Carrigan (played by Cathy Moriarty), she seemed viciously stupid, the writers made her money hungry which in turn made her throw it all away just to get a treasure box, a treasure box that she did not know what it contained.

Putting it all together, this is a nice DVD to own. Casper had two sequels (that I know off) Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) and Casper meets Wendy (1998). The sequels featured new people, but the ghosts Casper, Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso all were present in the sequels Cathy Moriarty who played Carrigan in this movie was also in Casper meets Wendy in the movie she plays the head witch. None of the sequels are anywhere as good as this original, so don't even bother.

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Cathy Moriarty is the best thing in this movie, let's just make that real clear right now. Her acting was actually good, and I liked her in her villain character. As for Bill Pullman, not so much, I really felt like he was miscast in the father role. But then again, he didn't have very good material to work with here. The script is muddled and unfunny, and the movie as a whole just didn't really work, in my opinion that is. This is supposed to be a funny, cute, family movie about Casper the friendly ghost, but we didn't. I think the biggest reason this movie just doesn't make you laugh, it attempts, but it does not succeed, at least not with me it didn't. The actors seem kinda uncomfortable and unsure as to what the heck is going on, except for Cathy Moriarty, like I said before, she's good. I love her big line in this movie: "the b**ch is back!" Even though I was surprised to hear that line in a family movie, but I liked it, I thought it brought power, that was about the only line I thought was good lol. Christina Ricci was so so, she annoyed me at times, but she wasn't bad in this, she was just alright, nothing to point at and brag about, but nothing to be ashamed of either. Overall, this just did not work for me. 3/10, it only got that high really because of Moriarty.

Being 'middle-aged', I suppose I was not the target audience for this movie, but I love it very much anyway. Kiddies aside, this movie is hysterical, well-acted, and touching too. The effects are great and, to be honest, I can't find a lot to critcize here, which for me is all I can ask of a movie.

Its a 90s movie, so there is a lot of nostalgia built around it, which does mean its going to be overated by some people. Never the less its a decent movie worth your time and here is why.

Pros: -There is a comedic element, nothing groundbreaking. I would describe it as Bugs bunny like comedy.

• You do get to meet /understand the characters and empathise with Casper.
• The story is pretty straight forward except for some small plot and twists here and there. If you have kids they ll propably like its simplicity.
• There are unique sets and scenery , especially the artistic architecture of the main set. Not my thing but the effort is appreciated .
• The story leaves you with wanting more about what happened after the epilogue. Which is positive to my perspective. I dont want to know more of a story I didnt find engaging.
• The soundtract ,especially the piano song by James Horner- Caspers lullaby is unbelievably beautiful. A movie with a great soundtrack always scores higher in my book.
• Christina Ricci was lovely ,once again.

Cons:

• The story is rushed in the 20 last minutes of the movie. I understand the need to make 1:30 mins movies for the sake of short attention spans and cinema theaters but I cant but to imagine how good this movie would be if they took their time and move things organically.
• The movie itself is great and it doesnt let you down even after 2 decades since it was released but I find it kinda corny at some points, nothing annoying but I had to share that.
• Bill Pulmans performance was mediocre at certain points.

Anyways, enjoy this one. I know I always will.

This 1995 family film tries to put a fun spin on the story of a paranormals and widower (Bill Pullman) who moves into a new house with his daughter (Christina Ricci) and meets up with the ghost of a dead little boy. Based on the comic book about Casper the friendly ghost, the film is a dreary series of awkward interactions between live actors and computer effects, and you can almost see Pullman and Ricci reconsidering the project while on camera. A few cameo appearances from uncredited stars help things a bit. But there's no way, based on this film, that one could have guessed that its director, Brad Silberling, would go on to make the exceptional drama City of Angels.

I've owned this movie for 7 years now, but I was having a "kid" moment last night and after I watched SNL I put this on. Wow, it all came back to me how much I loved this movie.

Casper himself is played as a lot little boy, very real and unsure of himself at the age of 12. He falls in love with Kat in such an innocent way that it's touching. And when he says as she falls asleep, "Can I keep you?" I start to cry. His speech about his death would make a great short acting monolouge.

Kat is a smartass and highly intelligent, showing Christina Ricci as the funny, witty, and all-around cool actress she is. Her portrayal of Kat is reminisent of a similar movie that came earlier...Winona Rider as Lydia in "Beetlejuice" without the fascination with death.

Of course, Bill Pullman is great in whatever he does, but here you just wanna wrap the poor guy up in a hug. And his dynamic with the FANTASTIC Ghostly Trio pretty much makes most of the movie sparkle.

What could've been a sappy ending is done with such magic. A 17-year-old Devon Sawa in one of his first roles walks down the stairs and extends his hand to Kat with such perfect love and tenderness. And I cheer when the FINALLY kiss. He looks like such an angel.

All around, a great movie. Funny, romantic, the perfect blend of sappyness and sentimentality that MAKES for a tear-jerker ending. Great job!