Ghosted allows its leads Chris Evans and Ana de Armas to have fun with its breezy story, even if Apple TV+’s latest feels overproduced.
When I first heard of Ghosted, I thought to myself, “There has never been something that sounded so modern yet felt so 2000s.” Directed by Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman), Ghosted follows Cole (Chris Evans of Knives Out), who is quite the hopeless romantic. After he meets Sadie (Ana de Armas of Deep Water), whom he thinks is the woman of his dreams, he gets ghosted by her. After not hearing anything back from Sadie in a while, he goes to surprise her with a second date by flying to London and meeting her at work. Little does Cole know, in doing so he will get himself wrapped up in Sadie’s deadly mission, since, plot twist: she is an international spy.
Given the silly plot and the giant movie stars attached as the leads, Ghosted was one giant setup for success, and for the most part, this film ends up being pretty good. This is the type of movie where audiences know almost exactly what they are getting into. There are going to be action, plenty of chemistry, and hopefully lots of laughs. I believe that Ghosted delivers on all these fronts, making it a perfectly serviceable action rom-com.
Chris Evans and Ana de Armas are the main reason to see this Apple production. One of my favorite parts of Ghosted is that it feels relatively small-scale. Of course, like a lot of other action movies, the safety of the world is at stake, but when it gets to the climax, we are more interested in how these characters are going to get through this situation, not what is happening to the world. This is mainly due to Evans and de Armas’ chemistry. Throughout Ghosted, there are around four major action sequences which each take place at a different stage in Cole and Sadie’s relationship.
Due to this, the way that they interact with each other through getting shot at and fighting other people is different every time, and the film can capitalize on these moments. From being in the middle of an argument about Cole being clingy to their relationship hitting its peak all in the midst of an international security emergency, every time that there is some action to be had, the film becomes a lot more entertaining almost instantly. This is mainly due to the actors’ chemistry, which makes audiences want to continue watching these characters interact with each other, regardless of their relationship status at that point of the movie.
However, when there isn’t any action going on, sometimes Ghosted slows down way too much. Going back to setting up my expectations for what this film had to offer, along with the comedy, action, and chemistry, these types of films usually don’t have the best script. Unfortunately, my expectations were met: the overly simplistic script almost makes Ghosted boring at times when there isn’t any action on screen.
Luckily, Evans and de Armas are charismatic enough to keep the romance entertaining, but when the film’s villain, Leveque (Adrien Brody of Blonde), gets any solo scenes, the pacing is dramatically affected. In all transparency, most audiences are only here to see these movie stars have fun, so while having these extra scenes with Leveque might be important to the story, it doesn’t feel important in the slightest when you’re watching it.
Lastly, having watched recent blockbusters similar to Ghosted, I have a pet peeve about where we are going in these big-budgeted films. Including this one, a lot of these movies have felt overproduced, and lost any sense of artistry. Whether it’s the seemingly endless cameos that got old over a year ago or the unnecessarily aggressive product placement, at times Ghosted feels like a two-hour marketing showcase instead of a film.
This isn’t to say that every single film needs to be brimming with artistry, but as corporations get more and more say as to what goes in their films, it seems like the products are starting to lose their movie magic at the same rate. Even though this claim sounds dramatic, I believe that Ghosted is just a sign of what’s to come and was still enjoyable regardless of these flaws. Action rom-coms have been a staple for decades: allowing for three genres that are all complementary to blend together makes these films a light and entertaining watch. If you think Ghosted looks like a fun time for you, chances are that you will get exactly what you wanted: a silly plot, charismatic leads, and a whole bunch of action.
Ghosted premieres globally on Apple TV+ on April 21, 2023.
