''Ghosts Can't Do It'' is a 1989 romantic

fantasy comedy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...

film, the last film written and directed by John Derek, and starring

Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model before deciding to pursue acting on the advice of a talent agent she met through actress Ann-Margret, who was acqua ...

and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

, with

Julie Newmar Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estate Business magnate, mogul. ...

and Leo Damian in supporting roles. The film was panned by critics and was a box office disappointment.

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's appearance as himself earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. Trump and Damian were both nominated for Worst New Star, but lost to

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...

in ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Jo ...

''. The film also won the Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Bo Derek) and Worst Director (John Derek).

Plot

Katie is married to elderly billionaire Scott. In spite of their 30-year age difference, the two are deeply in love and live an active, fun-filled life, including passionate and frequent sex. While the two are horseback riding, Scott suffers a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He survives, but the couple is devastated to learn that he will no longer be able to have sex. Scott is denied a heart transplant due to his advanced age. Choosing to die on his own terms rather than live on borrowed time, Scott commits suicide. Ascending to the afterlife, Scott is met by a fledging

guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

. As Scott is the first soul in her care, the angel is uncertain of her role and Scott manages to persuade her to let him return to Earth as a ghost in order to be near the grieving Katie. Katie is the only one who can see or hear Scott's ghost. The two are frustrated by their inability to make physical contact (specifically, they can't have sex). Scott comes up with a plan for Katie to commit murder so that Scott can possess her victim's body. On the pretense of handling her late husband's business affairs around the world, Katie uses her inheritance to travel in search of the perfect victim. A subplot during this time involves Katie negotiating a business deal with

. Scott encourages her to have sex with each potential victim so that both of them will know if the body is compatible sexually. Eventually the two settle on a young, handsome, petty criminal named Fausto. Katie has sex multiple times with Fausto while steeling herself to murder him, but the more intimate they become, the more difficult Katie finds the idea of killing him. Scott grows impatient that she keeps putting off the murder and questions if she has fallen in love with Fausto. However, while on a

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

trip with Katie, Fausto is caught in a fishing net underwater and accidentally drowns. In an apparent contradiction, Scott is unable to possess Fausto's dead body. Katie revives Fausto with CPR, and Scott is able to possess the now-living body. Katie marries "Fausto", now permanently possessed by Scott.

Cast

as Katie Scott ( O'Dare) *

as Scott * Leo Damian as Fausto *

as Angel * Don Murray as Winston * Mickey Knox as The Pill Man *

as himself

Reception

Donald Trumps's appearance

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, multiple articles were published criticizing Donald Trump's appearance in the movie. ''TV Guide'' described it as "the worst-ever movie from John and Bo Derek, which makes it one of the low points of what passes for civilization in the 20th century". Asawin Suebsaeng of ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' wrote that the film "features one of the dumbest, least funny rape jokes in modern movie history". Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' compared his mannerisms in the film to those of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

, and Michael Kennedy of ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'' wrote: "Whether one loves Trump or hates him, he's certainly a charismatic presence, but an actor he isn't."

Accolades

Home media

It was released on Blu-ray by

Shout Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...

in 2016, alongside the 1984 Razzie-winning ''

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

'' as a double feature.Bolero/Ghosts Can't Do It Blu-ray: DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray
/ref>

References

External links

*
Excerpts

Trailer
{{Authority control 1989 films 1980s crime comedy films 1980s fantasy comedy films 1989 romantic comedy films American crime comedy films American fantasy comedy films American independent films American romantic comedy films Films about death Films about suicide Films shot in Hong Kong Films shot in Sri Lanka Films shot in the Maldives Films shot in Wyoming American ghost films Films about spirit possession Films directed by John Derek 1980s ghost films 1989 independent films Films with screenplays by John Derek Golden Raspberry Award–winning films Romantic crime films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language independent films English-language crime comedy films English-language romantic comedy films English-language fantasy comedy films