This unique production has a family of actors playing the characters in the film Clara’s Ghost, a comedy of spectral horrors. The soundtrack consists of the songs “Georgy Girl” and “MacArthur Park” that get played a lot during the movie and credits. It also gave me the impression that the film was made so that the mother of acting family, Clara, could appear in a movie. That said, she does a pretty good job of depicting the ditsy lady who see’s ghosts.
On the way to her estate home with her actor husband Ted Reynolds (Chris Elliott), Clara (Paula Niedert Elliott) searches for her lost left shoe and after reporting it to the police she proceeds to the house. That night she sees her chandeliers swinging in the main dining room. The next day she’s expecting her whole family for a reunion of sorts, celebration of Ollie the dog’s birthday and an interview with a top magazine. While waiting at the train station to pick up her two grown former actress daughters Julie (Abby Elliott) and Riley (Bridey Elliott) she looks over at a graveyard and sees a woman in a white dress. Dismissing it for a woman visiting a loved one she shrugs it off.
Everything seems to be the usual banter between each of the family, dealing with the magazine shoot and the upcoming wedding of Julie. Clara is still seeing the ghost however, but she’s still wondering why she is stalking her. Director, actor and writer of Clara’s Ghost Bridey Elliott, keeps her film moving along with seemingly a motive to her madness. But after a while, the mundane sets in and the story seems to go nowhere, which is until we find the motive behind the ghost. By then the film is nearing the finale and the final curtain.
The acting is questionable at best and the Haley Joel Osment character is mainly there to demean and make fun of for the family’s personal pleasure. During one scene Clare stands up from the dinner table and shouts “you are all making fun of me” and to tell the truth it actually looks like they are. From there on out what may have been a “movie” resembles retribution for not including their mother in show business earlier in their careers. As for the ghost, it’s just another stinger to show that mom embraces the mundane life she lives with her supercilious family.
Clara’s Ghost has not been rated by the MPAA, but does contain crude language, drug use, smoking, brief explicit nudity, and sexual comments. Just so you know, the movie is filmed in a square format like the old TV screens of days gone by. It does give you the feeling that the movie was photographed using an iPhone at times.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A disappointing film. (1.5 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Paula Niedert Elliott, Abby Elliott, Bridey Elliott, Chris Elliott, Isidora Goreshter, Haley Joel Osment.
Directed and written by: Bridey Elliott
Genre: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, crude language, drug use, smoking, brief explicit nudity, and sexual comments
Running Time: 1hr 33 min.
Opening Date: December 6, 2018
Distributed by: Orion Classics
Released in: Standard
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
