Soundtrack Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

Posted by Jorn Tillnes

December 26, 2009

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GhostsOfGirlfriendPast Soundtrack Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) Movie Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the motion picture score Ghosts of Girlfriends Past by Rolfe Kent.

“Rolfe Kent has produced a fine score… that no one will remember.”

Like I announced earlier, Rolfe Kent had a couple of releases this month and about bloody time! The two comedies 17 Again and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Neither seem like movies to go gaga over, but they are releases none the less. In Ghosts of Girlfriends Past starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Michael Douglas. It’s about a bachelor who is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends at his younger brother’s wedding. Yeah sounds exciting doesn’t it? Scrooge would no doubt wrinkle his nose in his usual manner and spit out: Bah! Humbug! In any case, we are not here to watch the movie, but enjoy the tones of Rolfe Kent.

Track List

01. Opening Title (****)
02. Kaiko Shoots Arrow (***)
03. Jenny & Connor Meet And Spar (***)
04. Uncle Wayne’s Room (***)
05. Uncle Wayne’s Apparition (****)
06. Jenny & Connor; Wedding Sex (***)
07. Ghost Of Girlfriend Past (***)
08. The Swings, Young Jenny (****)
09. Ignoring Jenny (****)
10. Why Woo When We Can Do? (***)
11. Leaving Before Dawn (****)
12. Bar Of Women (****)
13. Of Cork And Cake (***)
14. A Little Honesty (***)
15. Ghost Of Girlfriend Present (***)
16. Pauly’s Theme (****)
17. Rain Of Tears (***)
18. Conjuring The Ghost Of Future (***)
19. Panic At The Wrong Wedding (***)
20. Graveside Epiphany (***)
21. Connor Believes, But Too Late (***)
22. Pain Beats Regret (***)
23. Best Man Speech (****)
24. Jenny & Connor In The Show (***)

Easy to Like

Rolfe Kent has a style that’s easy to like. The jazzy undertones are always there to be admired, even here in this lightheaded comedy. Of course this is easy to forget when you start listening, because it is after all a comedy score. A comedy score always have goofy sounds and sequences, this being no different. What is different is the ghostly characteristics of it all. Rolfe Kent has done well incorporating some eeriness into this score. For example in the cue ‘Uncle Wayne’s Apparition’, there is a whistling sound, not of Bernard Herrmann sci-fi style, but a ghostly one and that works very well.

It is a little bit slow and careless this score. It seems to just slide along with light and easy instruments without so much as a theme, or an attempt at one. In a comedy movie, I suppose that’s okay given that sounding out the laughs by whatever means necessary is the order of the day and funny music might make for a funny movie or scene. There are 24 relatively short tracks on this score, but they are too inconsequential to develop to the stage where I am really impressed. I admit, it’s hard to impress me, really hard, perhaps especially so with comedy music.

Hard to Review

There are some cues worth mentioning, like the already mentioned ‘Uncle Wayne’s Apparition’. That represents something different than the normal goofy comedy music. ‘Best Man’s Speech’ is a cue where it’s all about the tears and the honor. ’The Swings, Young Jenny’ has a wonderful start to it and you think this would be a clear 5 star cue, but it falls into the grasps of comedy yet again. It’s still a nice theme but one which is sorely lacking. ‘Pauly’s Theme’ is a nice and soft emotional cue that has the best intentions, but fails at the finish line. Despite being titled a theme it doesn’t sound like one, whipering out at the end and continuing the trend of the score as a whole, of cues sliding into to cues indiscernibly. ‘

I think comedy scores are hard to review and harder still to rate. The comedy scores usually tend to hit dead on when it comes to matching it with the right scenes and isn’t that what film music is all about? Sometimes I just want to remember that and obide by that, but I’m in it for the music. Sorry all, but that’s just the way I listen.

Conclusion

Rolfe Kent has produced a fine score… that no one will remember unfortunately. It’s not Kent’s fault, but it is the name of the game. He got the gig and he has to make music for that film and do whatever the director tells him. That’s the way it goes. It’s a shame because we all know what Rolfe Kent can do. Take Dexter and Reign Over Me for example, both great TV and movie scores (Daniel Licht is the actual composer of Dexter, but I believe Kent did the theme). In the end, it’s all too standard I’m afraid.