Chick flicks rarely interest me. More specifically, romantic comedies damn near never interest me. This isn’t because my heart pumps pure testosterone or anything like that, really it’s because they’re just predictable and boring. How many times can the nerdy guy/girl get the hot guy/girl once they’re given a chance? How many times can the superficial character suddenly change their world view and fall for someone completely different from them? So it should be no surprise that I was pretty much kicking and screaming when I was forced at gunpoint to watch ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’  recently.  What is surprising though, is that I actually enjoyed this flick a lot, despite the deck being stacked against it.

The premise is similar to that of Charles Dickens’ classic ‘ A Christmas Carol’.  Here, the Scrooge role is played by Matthew Mc Connaughey. Connor Mead (Mc Connaughey) is a renowned fashion photographer who is just as famous for his exploits with the ladies as he is for his pictures. When invited to his younger brother Paulie’s wedding, he immediately goes about mocking and degrading everything in sight, even going as far as to denounce love and its existence to everyone at the rehearsal dinner.  Connor is then visited by his late Uncle Wayne, played incredibly by Michael Douglas, who also happens to be the one who taught Connor everything he knows about the ladies back when he was still living.   Uncle Wayne tells Connor that he will be visited by 3 ghosts: Girlfriends Past, Girlfriends Present, and Girlfriends Future by the end of the night.

On the surface, the premise seems a bit silly and cartoonish, however what makes the movie work so well is the cast. Mc Connaughey has got the successful player role down to a tee. I don’t know what it is about him, but he is just so believable in this movie. Jennifer Garner is terrific as his love that got away. She goes from being sarcastic one moment to breaking down in tears the next. Regardless of what emotion she is conveying, it comes across as genuine. Michael Douglas is perhaps the funniest character in the whole film. His role as the old player passing down his game is excellent.  This is perhaps the funniest Michael Douglas role I’ve seen since ‘Romancing the Stone.’ The movie made me want to go out and get a license plate like his. (if you watch the movie you’ll know exactly what I mean). The supporting cast is spot on also. The younger brother, the fiancee, and the father in law all have great comedic presence in this flick.

I’m glad I took the time to watch this movie. While at first I was reluctant, by the end of the film I had a new appreciation for this movie. They took two tired and overplayed ideas (the romantic comedy and the christmas carol set up) and managed to blend them into something unique and entertaining.  I highly recommend this movie, especially for guys who need to fill their chick flick quota but also want to keep their suffering to a minimum.