GHOST DAD

US, 1990, 83 minutes, Colour.
Bill Cosby, Kimberly Russell, Denise Nicholas, Ian Bannen.
Directed by Sidney Poitier.

Ghost Dad is a pleasant, slight comedy about ghosts. It was intended to capitalise on Bill Cosby's television popularity, despite the failure of his James Bond take-off in 1988, Leonard Part 6. This time he has his friend Sydney Poitier as director. Poitier had directed him in such comedies of the 70s as Uptown Saturday Night, A Piece of the Action, Let's Do It Again. He is also joined by English Ian Bannen. There is nothing particularly new in the screenplay. It is the staple of many of the stories of the 40s - An Angel on my Shoulder. It was also used by Paul Hogan in Almost an Angel. The film came out at the same period as the highly successful romantic Ghost Story, Ghost. The film shows Cosby's interest in the American family, family values and love.

1. Entertaining ghost story? Family values story? Piece of Americana?

2. The Californian locations, city, work, homes?

3. The special effects - for Cosby as ghost? Appearing and disappearing? Levitation? Going through material things?

4. The portrait of American families, black families? The universal message? Message for the United States: absent mother, busy father, ignoring the children, the children having to manage, love, dislike? Children's needs?

5. Elliott Hopper as busy, forgetting his daughters birthday, improvising with the hat, rushing to work and the plans? His attraction towards Joan, the neighbour?

6. Leaving work, the taxi ride, the religious mania of Curtis? The desperate ride with its comedy, poised on the bridge, Elliott's anger, his identification, going over the bridge, dying?

7. The comedy with ghosts? Elliott discovering that he was dead, standing on the bridge, the policeman relieving himself, the bus going through Elliott? Transported to England? The encounters with Sir Edith? The theories about ghosts or being out of body? Elliot's story about his father - and the quality being hereditary? Being seen, disappearing in the light? Co-ordinating himself? The special effects - through doors, into the carpet, the bed?

8. The children and their love for their father? The daughter and her exasperation? The smaller children? Their needs? The appearance of their father, discussions, his miming that he was a ghost? Their contact with him? The car? The phone? The boy and his magic? The Houdini trick - and Elliot coming to help him achieve it? His daughter, the boyfriends, Elliot's behaviour in the car, coming through the telephone? His daughters disgust with him?

9. His lapses at work, the members of the board, antagonism? His being fired?

10. Joan and her suspicions, the dinner, coming over? The antagonism of the children? The sexual encounter and his sinking into the bed?

11. Danny's friend and his self assurance, thinking Elliot was an alien, ringing him up to blackmail him, Elliot appearing in the window and his fainting?

12. The humourous ghost incidents - variations on the invisible man? The car, the urine sample, the tricks, haunting?

13. Sir Edith, his English background, theories and investigations? His arrival? The daughter and the accident? Out of body? Discovering Elliot's body? The arguments, getting each to return and to recover?

14. The humour with the taxi driver at the end - his religious mania, Elliot's command?

15. Domestic comedy and values? Capitalising on the familiar conventions of ghosts and the invisible man story?