Ghosts Can't Do It

{{Infobox film

| name = Ghosts Can't Do It

| image = Ghosts Can't Do It.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = John Derek

| producer = Bo Derek
Chandran Rutnam

| writer = John Derek

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Bo Derek
Anthony Quinn

}}

| music = {{Plainlist|

Junior Homrich
Randall Tico

}}

| cinematography = John Derek

| editing = John Derek

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

crackAjack Movie Company
Epic Productions
Sarliu/Diamant

}}

| distributor = Triumph Releasing

| released = {{Film date|1989|10|17|International VHS premiere|1990|06|01|United States}}

| runtime = 90 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

}}

Ghosts Can't Do It is a 1989 romantic fantasy comedy film, the last film written and directed by John Derek, and starring Bo Derek and Anthony Quinn,[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/19688/Ghosts-Can-t-Do-It/overview "Ghosts Can't Do It (1990)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104233723/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/19688/Ghosts-Can-t-Do-It/overview |date=November 4, 2012}}. The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2015. with Julie Newmar and Leo Damian in supporting roles.

The film was panned by critics and was a box office disappointment.{{Cite web |last=Blevins |first=Joe |date=May 9, 2016 |title=Never forget Donald Trump's Razzie-winning role in Ghosts Can't Do It |url=https://www.avclub.com/read-this-never-forget-donald-trump-s-razzie-winning-r-1798247025 |access-date=March 25, 2022 |website=The A.V. Club}} Donald Trump's appearance as himself[https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bo-derek-marvel-dazzler-tommy-boy-chris-farley-donald-trump-154702709.html Bo Derek remembers her near-miss with Marvel and acting opposite Donald Trump] earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. Trump and Damian were both nominated for Worst New Star, but lost to Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III. The film also won the Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Bo Derek) and Worst Director (John Derek).{{Cite web |title=Razzie Awards (1991) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000558/1991/1/ |access-date=2020-08-06 |website=IMDb}}{{cite magazine|date=5 November 2024|access-date=5 November 2024|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=The Cinema of John Derek, Movie Star|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/the-cinema-of-john-derek-movie-star/}}

Plot

Katie is married to elderly billionaire Scott. In spite of their 30-year age difference, the two are deeply in love and live an active, fun-filled life, including passionate and frequent sex. While the two are horseback riding, Scott suffers a heart attack. He survives, but the couple is devastated to learn that he will no longer be able to have sex. Scott is denied a heart transplant due to his advanced age. Choosing to die on his own terms rather than live on borrowed time, Scott commits suicide.

Ascending to the afterlife, Scott is met by a fledging guardian angel. As Scott is the first soul in her care, the angel is uncertain of her role and Scott manages to persuade her to let him return to Earth as a ghost in order to be near the grieving Katie. Katie is the only one who can see or hear Scott's ghost. The two are frustrated by their inability to make physical contact (specifically, they can't have sex). Scott comes up with a plan for Katie to commit murder so that Scott can possess her victim's body.

On the pretense of handling her late husband's business affairs around the world, Katie uses her inheritance to travel in search of the perfect victim. A subplot during this time involves Katie negotiating a business deal with Donald Trump. Scott encourages her to have sex with each potential victim so that both of them will know if the body is compatible sexually. Eventually the two settle on a young, handsome, petty criminal named Fausto. Katie has sex multiple times with Fausto while steeling herself to murder him, but the more intimate they become, the more difficult Katie finds the idea of killing him. Scott grows impatient that she keeps putting off the murder and questions if she has fallen in love with Fausto.

However, while on a snorkeling trip with Katie, Fausto is caught in a fishing net underwater and accidentally drowns. In an apparent contradiction, Scott is unable to possess Fausto's dead body. Katie revives Fausto with CPR, and Scott is able to possess the now-living body. Katie marries "Fausto", now permanently possessed by Scott.

Cast

Bo Derek as Katie Scott ({{nee}} O'Dare)
Anthony Quinn as Scott
Leo Damian as Fausto
Julie Newmar as Angel
Don Murray as Winston
Mickey Knox as The Pill Man
Donald Trump as himself

Reception

= Donald Trumps's appearance =

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, multiple articles were published criticizing Donald Trump's appearance in the movie. TV Guide described it as "the worst-ever movie from John and Bo Derek, which makes it one of the low points of what passes for civilization in the 20th century".{{Cite web |title=Ghosts Can't Do It |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/ghosts-cant-do-it/review/2030009352/ |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=TV Guide |language=en}} Asawin Suebsaeng of The Daily Beast wrote that the film "features one of the dumbest, least funny rape jokes in modern movie history".{{Cite news |last=Suebsaeng |first=Asawin |date=2016-05-09 |title=Inside Donald Trump's 'Atrocious', Razzie-Winning Ghost-Sex Rom-Com |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/09/inside-donald-trump-s-atrocious-razzie-winning-ghost-sex-rom-com |access-date=2022-01-15}}

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle compared his mannerisms in the film to those of Benito Mussolini,{{Cite web |last=Blevins |first=Joe |date=May 9, 2016 |title=Read This: Never forget Donald Trump's Razzie-winning role in Ghosts Can't Do It |url=https://www.avclub.com/read-this-never-forget-donald-trump-s-razzie-winning-r-1798247025 |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en-us}} and Michael Kennedy of Screen Rant wrote: "Whether one loves Trump or hates him, he's certainly a charismatic presence, but an actor he isn't."{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Michael |date=2020-04-23 |title=Ghosts Can't Do It: Donald Trump Once Starred in a Supernatural Sex Comedy |url=https://screenrant.com/ghosts-cant-do-it-movie-donald-trump-appearance/ |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}

= Accolades =

class="wikitable"
Award ! Category ! Subject ! Result
Stinkers Bad Movie Award \|Worst Picture{{Cite web \|title=1990 13th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards \|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990st.htm \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017173658/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990st.htm \|archive-date=October 17, 2006 \|access-date=April 2, 2013 \|website=Stinkers Bad Movie Awards \|publisher=Los Angeles Times}} \|rowspan=3\|Bo Derek \|{{nom}}
rowspan=8\|Golden Raspberry Awards \|Worst Picture \|{{won}}[https://comicbook.com/starwars/news/home-alone-donald-trump-mark-hamill-ghosts-cant-do-it/ Following Home Alone 2 Controversy, Star Wars' Mark Hamill Remembers Donald Trump's Razzie-Winning Role in Ghosts Can't Do It – Comic Book]
Worst Actress \|{{won}}
Worst Director \|rowspan=2\|John Derek \|{{won}}
Worst Screenplay \|{{nom}}
Worst Supporting Actress \|Julie Newmar \|{{nom}}
Worst Supporting Actor \|rowspan=2\|Donald Trump \|{{won}}
rowspan=2\|Worst New Star \|{{nom}}
Leo Damian \|{{nom}}

class="wikitable"

Award

! Category

! Subject

! Result

Stinkers Bad Movie Award

|Worst Picture{{Cite web |title=1990 13th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards |url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990st.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017173658/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990st.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2006 |access-date=April 2, 2013 |website=Stinkers Bad Movie Awards |publisher=Los Angeles Times}}

|rowspan=3|Bo Derek

|{{nom}}

rowspan=8|Golden Raspberry Awards

|Worst Picture

|{{won}}[https://comicbook.com/starwars/news/home-alone-donald-trump-mark-hamill-ghosts-cant-do-it/ Following Home Alone 2 Controversy, Star Wars' Mark Hamill Remembers Donald Trump's Razzie-Winning Role in Ghosts Can't Do It – Comic Book]

Worst Actress

|{{won}}

Worst Director

|rowspan=2|John Derek

|{{won}}

Worst Screenplay

|{{nom}}

Worst Supporting Actress

|Julie Newmar

|{{nom}}

Worst Supporting Actor

|rowspan=2|Donald Trump

|{{won}}

rowspan=2|Worst New Star

|{{nom}}

Leo Damian

|{{nom}}

Home media

It was released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory in 2016, alongside the 1984 Razzie-winning Bolero as a double feature.[https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/70873/bolero-ghosts-cant-do-it/ Bolero/Ghosts Can't Do It Blu-ray: DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray]