User Reviews

A blue collar construction worker in Chicago with a volatile temper and a dysfunctional family is asked to fill in when a tiny community theater attempts to stage Romeo and Juliet.

A touching, complicated movie about family and art and fathers and children. One of the best movies of 2024.

And, my favorite movie genre. How art is made:

'Topsy-Turvy' 'Day for Night' 'Tropic Thunder' 'Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story'

Ultimately, indeed, The play goes on.

A great local Chicago actor stars in the movie, and slowly, grudgingly, as Romeo: Keith Kupferer.

What a great face. What a great presence. Costarring his daughter.

When the play within the movie begins, the curtain opens, and these familiar words heard by audiences for 497 years are spoken:

'Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.'

A fantastic movie that I recommend you see.

I know several Shakespeare aficionados that claim, while Romeo and Juliet is the most taught of the tragedies, it ranks low on the quality scale. Even if we didn't pay attention in freshman English, we know the rough outlines of the plot.

Here, the 16th century R&J play exists as the metaphorical and literal binder for a real 2024 family, and suggests the unwritten aftermath the Verona families may have endured in the weeks and months and years that followed. Their rage ... anger ... despair ... sadness ... accusations ... avoidance.

What the audience is asked to infer from what's NOT on the screen makes what IS on screen all the more poignant and foreshadowing and graceful. The writing, casting, directing, and editing is just amazing.

Grief takes on many inescapable forms and can permeate everything. Grief is a funny thing, with a 1,000 triggers and 1,000 unexpected responses. Here, we're left with the possibility of the beginning of the healing.

... I regret not having them. This film felt like a personal gift. My tears couldn't stop flowing last night. I almost jumped out my seat from joy seeing Dolly De Leon on screen. Yesterday was Philippines' Independence Day, and it was so special to watch Dolly slay. She spoke English with a Tagalog accent. That is extremely rare to see on screen. Others have worked harder to get rid of the accent their whole lives. Dolly just showed us up. Don't make fun of our fellow countrymen and stop correcting their pronunciation. My poor Father was grilled by my Mother continuously. Causing him not to even speak at all and share his thoughts. Speaking of my Father. The film deals with the topic of unresolved grief. My Father passed away during the height of Covid. The hospital was very generous with providing their iPad for 1 hr a day. My mom, aunts and uncle, close friends all spoke to my dad for 10 days. He was in a coma and it was tough to see him in that manner. On the 10th day he passed away. I didn't get to say good bye in person. Understandably, no one can visit. He was cremated shortly after. 3 days later when I picked up his ashes, it hit me hard not having closure. To say good bye in person.

• Why I couldn't stop tearing up last night. I feel so embarrassed, because I was in front of the actors and directors. I wish I was all the way in the back.

Can a beautifully sung "Oh! What A Beautiful Morning" portend anything but a good dose of tragedy, heartbreak, and reconciliation? Filmmakers Sullivan and Thomas chose wisely to incorporate three character-defining songs from "Oklahoma," the aforementioned "Morning", "Out of My Dreams," and "I Can't Say No." These are seamlessly juxtaposed with a slowly revealed family tragedy, a lawsuit, and a community theater production of "Romeo and Juliet."

The family is in mourning. This family of three runs the range: the stoic mother, the pressure cooker of rage father, and the belligerant teenaged daughter. None of them can discuss the recent tragic death of a son.

A serendipitous meeting shoves father Dan into participating in a community theater production of "Romeo and Juliet." The transformative magic of theater, stepping into someone else's shoes, is the catalyst for Dan's reckoning with himself, and his family.

Slowly, and not without some good doses of humor, the story and the characters unfold. The tragedy is as horrifying as the conclusion of "Romeo and Juliet." The sure-handed direction and the keen script is brought to life by the first-rate cast of characters.

Highly recommended.

Ghostlight touches you on so many levels that it takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.

Kelly O'Sullivan's creative script, her co-directing with Alex Thompson, as well as each actor's ability to bring life to the story is palpable and raw in places. Their ability to intertwine comedy, tragedy and drama so effortlessly creates a unique experience for those of us in the audience looking in. Many human elements surround the story lines and will hit home over and over again for many, no matter what life experiences you've had. It is made from the heart and it shows. This movie will not disappoint.

Even though by the climax I was crying profusely, the movie actually won me over long before that with comedy -- one of my favorite moments being an extremely unexpected line involving nipples that is so hilarious I suspect it makes even the late theater games creator Viola Spolin laugh!

The comedy actually begins from the very opening shots of the movie, which depict an extremely morose father (Dan) departing his house to go to work -- as we hear Curly singing the opening number from "Oklahoma"! I actually laughed out loud at the juxtaposition since it is so clear that Dan (even though we don't yet know why) considers this (or any future) morning to be anything but beautiful.

The boldness of this opening helped me "settle in," reassured that I was indeed about to experience another great movie (like "Saint Frances"). Especially because the contrast between what we see and what we hear is not a cheap gag. For (as anyone who has studied musical theater writing knows), Curly is singing about the beauty of the morning because of the kind of person he is inside and his attitude toward life. (That is, the song would not work nearly as well -- in fact, it would be rather off-putting -- if Curly were to sing more on-the-nose lyrics such as "oh I'm such a easy-going fellow, who loves life and all good people".)

Similarly (in an odd way), the juxtaposition between Dan's appearance and the song lets us know from the very opening moments of the movie just how far gone he is. In fact, we can't help wondering if he's going to try to commit suicide by "accidentally" stepping in front of a a car at the work site.

Thus, even before the reasons for the depth of his despair are (gradually) revealed throughout the movie, we understand at a gut level from the beginning why he's willing to take a "hail Mary" pass at redemption by accepting fate's offer to be in a play... and it makes his ultimate salvation all the more powerful (and cathartic).

From what I hear (I'm mostly avoiding reviews until I finish and post this), some have complained that it isn't realistic that Dan wouldn't know how "Romeo and Juliet" ends. But I think this is tunnel-vision as so many of the kind of people who are first to see this movie either are or were (say in high school) theater people. I became one (to a certain extent at least) as an adult, but I would have no trouble believing that most of the people I went to high school with (in a modest semi-rural area a bit beyond the southern-most boundaries of Cook), and most of the many co-workers I've had over the years, do not know how R&J ends.

Thus, I think the only significant critique one could make regarding the movie is (as with "Saint Frances") how short the third act is. In "Frances" the third act -- while innovative and efficient -- was only about two minutes long (the phone messages to the once and perhaps-future boyfriend). The abrupt ending left me essentially paralyzed, still to emotional after the previous huge crying scene (as Brittany and the kid she has so bonded with go their own way at the end of the summer) to even move. Fortunately my system was set on repeat, so I watched the entire first act again -- which, as it turns out, kind of functions as a third act as well (with the boyfriend scenes in particular having a far different context).

Here ("Ghostlight") the third act begins (in my opinion) with the final missing pieces of the tragic puzzle being revealed by Dan during the long-awaited-for deposition.

(NOTE: The rest of this review is by necessity slightly spoilery (though I am as vague as possible). Skip it for now if you haven't seen the movie yet.)

Dan reveals for the first time (while yelling and pounding his fist as he can no longer -- after having spent so much time with the theater -- hide his feelings) how he includes himself in the blame for what happened... and then how that admission (to himself as well as everyone else at the deposition) causes him to say something equally profound to Christine.

The problem is the movie, from a dramaturgical point of view, is basically over at this point (as Dan seems pretty much healed) -- but we as audience want a third act (goes back to Aristotle or whatever). And we also want to see highlights of the R&J play, so the movie goes on for another 20 minutes. Which is wonderful. That is, I can't imagine a single person in the audience who didn't enjoy those last 20 minutes (and, in fact, would have been pissed if we didn't get to see them)!

And yet... I don't think those 20 R&J minutes, as great as they are, quite satisfy our needs for a complete three-act movie. It's more like a two-act movie followed by a short. But what can be done? How about this:

First, end the big deposition scene a moment early; that is, after Dan's yelling, first-pounding revelations, but BEFORE Dan says what he says to Christine. So the scene ends with Dan at maximum anger as he storms out, everyone too afraid to stop him.

Second, omit the following brief scene where Dan's wife Sharon yells at him before exiting the building (where the deposition took place).

Things then progress as-is (with the final preparations and performance of R&J). Then afterwards, as everyone is heading to the party, Dan suddenly runs to his car, seemingly out of control, yelling to the others that he will meet them at the party in a little while. (After all, there's no rush to get to the party as it apparently went all night as they don't get home until daylight.)

Without Dan's knowledge, Susan and Daisy manage to get to another car in time to follow Dan (from a discrete distance). Dan pulls up to a house, knocks on the front door, and begs her parents to speak to Christine (despite the lateness of the hour). Eventually (seeing Dan is in tears and sincere, not angry) the parents agree, and Dan tells Christine here (not at the deposition) what he tells her. We then see that Susan and Daisy had crept up to within earshot and heard everything, and now they sprint up and hug Dan and Christine. After the foursome of tears subsides we cut back to the existing party shots and ending (the now indeed beautiful morning at the house) as is.

To me, this modified ending would (probably) work better, in part because it would create a true third act or "final battle" as it is sometimes called, as Dan (while playing Romeo opening night) battles within himself to see if what he has gained in the first two acts of the movie is enough for him to overcome the dark forces (here, mostly within himself over his guilt). His immediate departure to see Christine as soon as the play is over, and what he says to her, shows that he has.

Now this is essentially the same story as the way it is currently, just a bit more dramatic. Or so I think -- but as the late great Russ Tutterow (long-time artistic director of Chicago Dramatists) used to remind the writer of the play being discussed in the weekly post-staged-reading discussions -- fellow writers always want to change things to the way they would do them! Which may or may not be compatible with what the actual writer wants. So, as Russ used to say, pay attention to whatever feedback you wish to (if any) and feel free to disregard the rest.

The cameos by Fran Guinan and Deanna Dunnegan reminded me of one of the first plays I ever saw, "Stepping Out" at the old Steppenwolf Theater circa 1988. They played two of the dance students students (with Fran forever trying to get the dance studio heater to work properly) that Shannon Cochran was trying to teach. (I still remember how amazed I was at how Cochran expertly looked at the fourth wall at just the right angle to see each of her students, wherever they were at the time, in the huge imaginary mirror.

Finally, watching (on video) the panel discussion from when "Ghostlight" was shown at Sundance a few months ago, I remembered that I had not only seen (writer/co-director) Kelly O'Sullivan but Keith Kupferer and Hanna Dworkin in the final blizzard-ridden performance of "The Humans" circa 2014. As anyone who was "riding the rails" (in my case the brown line) and walking that evening to and from theater can tell you, there were times one really didn't know if he or she was going to make it. Maybe that's when I realized I was indeed (despite only a little on-stage experience with suburban community theater) a theater person.

In any case listening (on that Sundance panel) to O'Sullivan, who looked (if possible) even more cuddly than ever (having just had her first baby), made me think that if there was some kind of cosmic singularity in the space-time continuum that would allow each of the billions of humans on this planet to spend a couple of hours hugging and talking with her (including laughing and, of course, crying after confessing one's innermost wounds), that we could achieve world peace -- for everyone would be healed and thus, at peace.

Perhaps such a space-time singularity is simulated by her various movies (and many of her performances, such as in "Columbinus!"), whereby those who experience them are (at least partially) healed. Of course, a movie (or a play) doesn't necessarily have to be tragic in order to be healing. In fact, I was kind of hoping that the director of R&J telling Dan "don't worry, we're going to do a comedy next" was O'Sullivan's way of letting us know that her next film was going to lean more toward comedy than "St. Frances" or "Ghostlight" (though both certainly incorporate a fair amount of humor). But I'll take what comes. The important thing is that (to emphasize what others have already said):

"KEEP WRITING KELLY O'SULLIVAN!!"

After the first 15 minutes of Ghostlight, I had the strangest feeling that this was not a fictitional story, that it had more truth to it than just a script, direction and acting. There is an accumulation of intensity and detail that pulls you into its world, even though that world (and the story) develop at a deliberately unrushed pace, which is unusual for an American film. And while some reviews have wanted a longer film or better editing, I felt after the film ended, that there is nothing I would change. So much of the interaction between the characters is so natural, it feels like it was based on a real incident. This is not an easy film and it has a large share of pain in its unfolding of what is a tragic story. Very well done.