April 24, 2023 · Watch the official trailer
Some actors become so perfect for a role enough times; it becomes nearly impossible to see them in anything but what they do best.
That's why Tom Hanks struggles to play the villain because of his everyman charm or why the gravitas of a Meryl Streep precludes her from playing a buffoonish caricature.
In “Ghosted,” Chris Evans leans heavily against his iconic turn as Captain America, the relentlessly athletic and physically dominant superhero to play a subdued nerdy man who falls for his perfect woman who just happens to be a CIA agent.
It's a film that has been played out many times with a masculine dominant male rescuing a damsel in distress but rarely has this action romantic comedy genre been gender flipped like this.
Conceptually, the narrative works really well but the fatal flaw of “Ghosted” is that Evans is unviable as someone in need of saving.
The “Captain America” and “Avengers” star – even when fitted in looser shirts to hide his physique and shot in an angle to minimize his stature – has a natural brooding and physicality to his demeanor that goes far beyond “Ghosted” that makes the film exceptionally implausible even by romantic comedy standards.
And this significantly hurts his on-screen chemistry with Ana de Armas, who does a terrific job of carrying the bulk of the physicality while Evans broods sentimentally. But because Evans is miscast in his role, their romance seems too far-fetched for audiences to buy into.
This isn't to say that Evans isn't trying very hard as he gives a very concerted effort to soften his tone and lean into the same affable charm that he showed up he that he displayed as a scrawny Steve Rogers in the “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
It's just that viewers may often wish that his Cole was played by someone that reminds them more of themselves. A true nerdy male in need of saving doesn't look as good as Evans nor handle himself as well in action sequences having a simple high school wrestling background.Conversely, de Armas further cements her status as an up-and-coming action star after having stolen a large segment of the recent James Bond film “No Time To Die” and is slated to headline the John Wick spinoff series “Ballerina.”
While her emotional range is somewhat lacking due to the uneven screenplay from writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, de Armas carries herself with a vigor that truly shows off her case to be on par with Gal Gadot, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie to help level the action playing field for actresses.
While the plights that Cole and Sadie find themselves in are ridiculously far-fetched, action sequences within the film are relatively fun and inventive and maintain audience engagement throughout.
It's clear though that director Dexter Fletcher, coming off musical biopics “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman” doesn't really know how to blend multiple genres together and at times, “Ghosted” is a straight action movie then morphs into a comedy with very light romance, which also hinders the ability of de Armas and Evans to establish firm chemistry.
The film also features several notable cameos that will be sure to be fun Easter eggs for fans of Evans’ action background and helps provide levity that the film desperately needs in its middle act.
While not the crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster that it's clear Apple intended it to be, “Ghosted” is a lighthearted fun easy watch for an at-home viewing for Apple TV+ subscribers.
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