Overview
Ghosted is an action romantic comedy film that came out in 2023 and was directed by Dexter Fletcher. The film was produced by Skydance Media and released by Apple Original Films. Apple’s Original Films released it directly to streaming on Apple TV+ on April 21, 2023. Fletcher directed the movie based on a screenplay written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers. Chris Evans features as cole turner and Ana de Armas as Sadie Rhodes. It also includes Adrien Brody, Mike Moh, Amy Sedaris, Tim Blake Nelson, Tate Donovan, Marwan Kenzari, and Anna Deavere Smith.
Plot Summary
In the movie’s opening scene, Sadie Rhodes, a self-identified art curator, meets the history-loving farmer, Cole Turner. They have a surprisingly deep connection during what becomes a day-long date. Sadie disappears after a few dates, leaving Turner desperate to figure out what went wrong. At this point, Cole becomes obsessed with tracking down Sadie, employing a tracking device he accidentally placed in her bag to track her to London, where he attempts to surprise her.
Misfortune strikes when Cole ends up kidnapped and taken to Pakistan by mercenaries who, incorrectly, identify him as a fabled CIA agent known as ‘the Taxman.’ As he is being interrogated, the person he believes to be his captor enters the room to rescue him—turns out Sadie Rhodes was the Taxman all along. She, along with Cole, gets swept into a master plot involving a stolen bioweapon code.
Their journey begins in Pakistan and leads them to exotic islands and eventually to a cinematically dramatic showdown in a revolving restaurant. Along the way, quick-thinking teamwork allows them to neutralize the villain Leveque and prevent the sale of the bioweapon. The film concludes with Cole and Sadie attempting to reconcile their lives, choosing to travel together, which suggests a hopeful new beginning.
Casting and Production Details
Despite earlier announcements about casting Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans, Johansson was replaced with Ana de Armas due to scheduling conflicts, alongside Adrien Brody who was cast as Leveque. Filming for the movie began in February 2022, taking place in Washington, D.C., New Mexico, and Georgia. The production team built a portion of the final restaurant scene in Atlanta studios while the film’s score was further brought to life through Lorne Balfe’s energetic and tension-infused music.
Release and Reception
Ghosted was released exclusively on Apple TV+ and quickly became the platform’s most viewed film. Despite this success, the film was met with harsh criticism.
Reviewers seemed to all agree that the film undershot with its lead pair’s chemistry and reliance on clichés. Both the spy thriller and romantic comedy components were riddled with overused tropes. The film’s attempts at an emotional juxtaposition of high-stakes opposites were described as shallow, devoid of real humor or heart.
Critics stated that the concept had some unique elements that could be fleshed out, but at the moment, the film felt extraordinarily surface level. Overemphasis on celebrity appearances and action scenes came at the cost of character arcs. Viewers had mixed reactions; some enjoyed it as good enough mindless distraction, but most agreed to its weak plot and dialogue.
Themes and Style
Ghosted combines comedy, romance and action. It takes modern concepts of dating such as ‘ghosting’ and mixes them with a spy plot. The movie also makes use of identity confusion. It juxtaposes the ignorance of a non-spy with the frantic nature of spy life.
The film is stylistically marked by glossy visuals, fast-paced editing, and globe-trotting adventure. There are elaborate set pieces and high-energy chase scenes and shootouts designed to maintain viewer engagement. While viewers are taken on a ‘romantic’ adventure, the tone oscillates between serious action and light-hearted comedy leaving the movie riddled with inconsistencies.
Critically, the film casts Ana de Armas as a capable and seasoned agent while Chris Evans takes on the role of the emotional and inexperienced partner. Though this inversion is subversive and adds an element of novelty, it does not come close to salvaging the film’s overarching narrative weaknesses.
Performances
Chris Evans turns in a likeable performance as Cole, portraying a man who is emotionally driven, but out of his depth. Ana de Armas brought a good deal of charisma and strength to her role as Sadie, balancing vulnerability with an array of sharp combat skills. Still, the chemistry the two characters shared romantically was described as lackluster, especially for viewers who enjoyed their banter in Knives Out.
Attached with the role of the film’s antagonist, Adrien Brody as Leveque, interprets the character with a sense of theatrical menace. While the performance itself is competent, the character is too simplistically drawn, and winds up more as an instrument of the plot than a memorable villain.
Conclusion
Ghosted endeavors to provide a pleasing combination of action and romance featuring two of Hollywood’s most popular actors. While there are fun elements that could have made the film engaging, the overall product overshadows the enjoyable bits with complacence. The action sequences showed effort, the humor was at least present but rarely overwheming, and the romance simply did not live up to what was needed to drive the film on an emotional level.
Because it is best adapted for lower-stakes, casual, unsupervised viewing, it is suitable for people looking for light entertainment that requires little investment. With an appealing ensemble, high production quality, and an easily graspable premise, Ghosted has the potential to a wider demographic. The film will, however, disappoint those seeking any sort of strong narrative or performance.
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