Hollywood has released several great action films that are also romantic comedies. As a child, I vividly remember watching movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone with my sister. While she was talking incessantly about the love story and how much the male leads must love the female leads, I was more enthralled by the adventures of Indiana Jones and Jack T. Colton. It wasn’t until True Lies came out that these films started getting me on both the action and the romantic sides of the coin.
Maybe it was ’cause I grew as a person. Maybe I was getting more in touch with my feelings. Or maybe, just maybe, I was trying to talk a certain high-school crush into seeing me as a nice guy, and not some nerdy gamer. Either way, I wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in that film: a lover and a fighter. And finally, we have the Deadpool movies. Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin have a type of on-screen chemistry that many do not. Their relationship feels natural and palatable. Despite the gore and violence, Deadpool is truly a film for the romantic at heart.
Like many other streaming services, Apple Studios always looks for its next huge hit, and it is no surprise the action rom-com route is chosen with Ghosted. Two very popular action-film actors were chosen for the lead roles. Chris Evans is a mega action star, most well-known for his portrayal of Captain America in all of the early-phase films of the MCU. Ana De Armas is mainly known for her role as Paloma in the James Bond film, No Time to Die, the mild-mannered Marta in Knives Out, and Dani Miranda in the thriller The Gray Man (the latter two both co-starring Evans).
On paper, these two have a great catalog of work in comedies, romantic films and action flicks. Being top-tier talent means they know how to work the audience into the palm of their hands, no matter the role. Plus, since these stars had worked together before, their chemistry should be as natural as Baccarin and Reynolds.
Ghosted is a 2023 action rom-com from director Dexter Fletcher. Cole Turner (Evans) is a man in search of love. One night, he meets Sadie Rhodes (Armas), and the pair have a fantastic date that turns intimate. But the next morning, Sadie is gone. When she doesn’t return any of his texts, Cole uses a tracker that was on his asthma inhaler to find her.
Traveling to Paris to surprise her, Cole finds himself kidnapped by arms dealers who believe he is a CIA operative known as The Taxman, who has a passcode their boss needs. Before he is tortured, Sadie rescues Cole, revealing that she is a spy for the U.S. government. Sadie discovers that the kidnappers work for a former French intel officer named Leveque (Adrian Brody), who has gone rogue and is seeking a biological weapon known as Aztec.
Ghosted is definitely an attempt to capitalize on the star power of Evans and de Armas. While they have garnered praise for their performance in previous franchises, this film failed to harness even a shred of their potential, falling short of delivering a satisfying action rom-com experience. Instead of crafting a unique and engaging story, it feels like a lackluster imitation of other, more successful genre films.
Chris Evans struggles to find his footing. His character lacks depth and complexity, leaving him very one-dimensional. The movie does not allow him to showcase his range as an actor, and his performance ultimately feels uninspired, predictable and phoned-in.
Similarly, de Armas, who has exhibited versatility and charm in her previous works, is left with a thinly written and underdeveloped character. Despite her talents, she is given very little to work with, and her potential goes untapped. The chemistry between her and Evans, which should have been the driving force of Ghosted, feels forced, lacking any genuine connections. Their interactions fall flat, failing to evoke the emotional depth and engagement necessary for this type of film to succeed.
The story, itself, is a hodgepodge of overused tropes and extremely predictable plot twists. It fails to offer any fresh ideas, instead relying on tired cliches that we have seen countless times in other action rom-coms. The action is all right but fails to make me feel like the characters were ever in danger. The fight scenes were not choreographed well, leading to boring combat that was little more than run, shoot, dodge, punch, kick, repeat. As I said before, Ghosted can’t distinguish itself from other genre films, becoming nothing more than just a dull copy of better movies.
In conclusion, Ghosted squanders the potential of its talented leads in a boring, lackluster and unoriginal story. They are given poorly developed characters with uncompelling interactions, resulting in uninspired performances. The predictable plot and lack of originality prevent it from standing out against other action rom-coms. Ghosted gets one out of five stars. For those looking for a captivating experience, this is a disappointing choice.