Beverly Hills Ghost
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Dead teen looks for her murderer in low-budget comedy.
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Beverly Hills Ghost
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What's the Story?
The BEVERLY HILLS GHOST here is high school heiress Missy (Decker Sadowski), who can't remember who slipped her poison and pushed her to her death in the family swimming pool. Along comes a chess nerd from New Jersey, Sari (Maddisyn Carter), whose near-death experience has left her with the peculiar ability to see dead people, including Missy. An unspecified lawsuit involving said near-death provides Sari's family with sufficient funds to move to Beverly Hills, straight into heiress Missy's oddly low-rent, now vacant home. Missy uses her haunting powers to press Sari into service as investigator into the unsolved murder. In order to find the killer, Missy must transform the unwilling Sari (think Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls) into someone well-dressed enough to infiltrate Missy's crew -- the fashionistas. Sari would rather play chess, but to get Missy to stop haunting her she succumbs to layers of makeup and false eyelashes, teetering high heels and sedate outfits that make her look more like a receptionist than a high school student. Missy insists that Sari audition for lead singer of the band featuring Missy's boyfriend, Aidan (Sean Moran), and his friend, Justin (Kristian Maxwell-McGeever), in the quest to investigate more deeply. The investigation hits dead ends but the killer is eventually outed and made to pay.
Is It Any Good?
This movie looks like it was made on a shoe-string budget. That said, many a well-made low-budget film has overcome budgetary restrictions. Unfortunately, Beverly Hills Ghost suffers from restrictions in more crucial areas, including originality and script. Even though this is clearly aimed at tweens and teens, most viewers in that age group have probably conceived and created more riveting videos all by themselves on their cell phones. Disappointing choices abound. Grayish makeup is painted around the eyes, chin, and neck of an actor playing a dead person, making her look more like a Dalmatian than a ghost. In imitation of Mean Girls, "clever" teenage stereotypes are offered -- "the surfers," "the fashionistas," "the Persians," "the film nerds." A character is forced to have a makeover. There's nothing new or interesting here. Older kids deserve a better comedy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teen comedies. How does Beverly Hills Ghost compare to others you've seen?
Like many teen comedies, this one includes a makeover scene. Why do so many movies include a scene where a character has to completely change her look and style?
This movie has lots of stereotypes. Which ones do you notice? How can stereotyping be harmful?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 1, 2018
- Cast: Maddisyn Carter, Decker Sadowski, Sean Moran, Erin Taylor, Kristian Maxwell-McGeever
- Director: Kemmy Moran
- Studio: Mens Rea Productions
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 27, 2022
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