The idea of a loved one's ghost coming back to taunt, tease or help one who misses her or him, is as old as story-telling and the making of movies. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. Unfortunately, for 20th Century Fox, this one didn't work. In spite of a considerable cast of the day - Sally Field, James Caan and Jeff Bridges, "Kiss Me Goodbye" is lacking in most of what it's touted for - comedy and romance. There is so little comedy in this film that it might be false advertising to bill it as such. And there's about as much spark of romance between Kay and Jolly, and Kay and Rupert, as there is between the animated cartoon characters Tom and Jerry. One can understand James Caan's later dismay over having made this film. His role as Jolly is rueful. He seems to be going through his lines rote, with no life or feeling, and only a smile pasted on his face. And, if he had any more energy in his brief tap dancing bits, one might thing he actually could have been on stage in Broadway.It's hard to understand how Sally Field received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Kay. The best thing to say about her role is that she over acted most of the time. At least that showed some life compared to the rest of the cast. But it stood out like a sore thumb, and gave the film an aura of amateur theater. Jeff Bridges came close to giving a capable performance as Rupert. But his character is so uncertain and wishy-washy with no passion for Kay. The rest of the cast play into the pale of poor performances, for the most part. Director Robert Mulligan received an Oscar nomination for "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 1962. He directed a few other good films, but he clearly can't guide comedy to fulfillment. That may be a little harsh on him, because the screenplay for this film is very poor. This film was based on a 1976 Brazilian comedy-fantasy. That had significant changes including its setting and time, and it was a huge success. But this is a film that is best forgotten - by audiences as well as the cast.

This Hollywood remake of the popular Brazilian movie "Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands" has all but been forgotten since it was first released thirty years ago. Watching it, it's easy to see why it hasn't built much of an audience, if any. Certainly, Sally Field, James Caan, and Jeff Bridges bring some charm to the movie, enough so that the movie is almost endurable at times. But the movie sinks because of a screenplay that is very lacking. The characters of all three leads are poorly written. Sally Field's character never asks obvious questions like why her deceased husband returned, what the afterlife is like, and other questions a normal person would ask in the same situation. James Caan's character doesn't come across as someone who loves his former wife, interfering in her life repeatedly so that her life is turned upside down. And Jeff Bridges' character acts like a complete idiot at times. If you see a copy of this movie in some thrift store, don't pick it up as I did - say goodbye and move to something else.

This comedy gives the meaning to move on with your life. Oscar winner Sally Field plays a widow who moves back into the house that she and her late husband(James Caan) lived in. She has a fiancé that Jolly doesn't like, and she is the only one that sees him. Everywhere she goes, Jolly follows. Jeff Bridges plays the fiancé who thinks Kay is a total nut case. He himself isn't quite all there. He sees quite a few things that will make Kay question his sanity. There were quite a few scenes that are total classic. Like where the electricity when haywire and the guy fixing it get locked in. Or when the dog started to act funny, and the fiancé just wanted to go all the way nuts. Then there's the part where the priest left his empty booze bottle and the fiancé slips on it. The cast of the movie are great, including celebrity chef Alan Haufrect. Not many people remember this movie, but I do remember the preview and premiere. You would have a ghost of a chance to miss this classic! 3 out of 5 stars!

This is an Americanization of the popular Brazilian film DONA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS (1976), which I own in a rather dismal print recorded off French Cable TV but haven't yet watched. Though a minor effort by this director, as a romantic comedy/fantasy – especially for a title emanating from the 1980s – it's fair, aided in no small measure by a good cast: Sally Field as the woman torn between two loves; James Caan as ghostly husband No. 1, a star Broadway choreographer; Jeff Bridges as her current "boring" intended, an Egyptologist (ironically, he gets the best lines); Claire Trevor as Fields' outspoken mum, who adores Caan but can't stomach Bridges; and Paul Dooley as Bridges' assistant, who also happens to be an ex-priest. The film is a pleasant enough trifle but, obviously, a long way behind the Noel Coward/David Lean BLITHE SPIRIT (1945) – which had one husband and two 'sparring' wives – or, for that matter, the innumerable screwball comedy classics (usually featuring Cary Grant as the husband who won't give up his bride and eventually gets her back) of the late 1930s and early 40s. To get back to the highlights: Bridges embarrasses Field at an isolated resort (to which Caan is also 'invited') by pretending to see himself a former acquaintance; when another vacationer witnessing the scene helpfully admits that she can barely make her out too, Bridges blows his top and insults her in front of the woman's perplexed husband! During the wedding rehearsal, Bridges brings Dooley along to drive away Caan's ghost once and for all: asking him to remain inconspicuous throughout, the would-be exorcist immediately begins loudly spouting Latin chants, with Bridges snapping: "You call that being nonchalant?!" Finally, during this same climactic sequence, Trevor's amateur electrician husband gets locked in the attic, the door to which is guarded by their pet dog; believing the man's pleas for help to be coming from the latter, Dooley alerts Bridges that Caan's ghost has possessed the canine…with the result that the Egyptologist then has a hard time explaining to the guests his attempt to strangle it!