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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: (Rolfe Kent) Charles
Dickens probably didn't have a womanizing Matthew McConaughey in mind
when he created Ebenezer Scrooge in 1843 for his story of "A Christmas
Carol," but it was adapted into an American romantic comedy film none
the less in 2009. McConaughey plays a contemporary bachelor with a
string of broken hearts in his wake, and
Ghosts of Girlfriends
Past shows him visited by his girlfriends of the past, present, and
future in an effort to deter him from his wayward habits. His dead uncle
(Michael Douglas) sets the stage for these hauntings, and an old flame
and the planner for his brother's wedding (Jennifer Garner) is the woman
he's meant to be with. Nods to the Dickens tale are everywhere in
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, though even these cute manipulations
didn't manage to earn the movie the affection of critics. The appeal of
the leads brought the film substantial gross revenue, however, and it
represented yet another success in the career of composer Rolfe Kent.
The British composer has made a lucrative career out of scoring romantic
comedies in the 2000's, abandoning his job teaching psychology in
England to eventually move to Los Angeles and become a reliable voice
for the lighter side of Hollywood. He has been attached to some of the
decade's largest box office powerhouses in the comedy genre, including
17 Again,
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,
Up in the
Air, and
The Men Who Stare at Goats in 2009 alone. His
nominations for a Golden Globe and Emmy may not have stemmed from such
assignments, but he nevertheless tends to write solid music in such
circumstances. Among his perpetual challenges is to deal with the
choices of the musical directors who insert a variety of songs, vintage
and contemporary, into the film ahead of (or even after) the spotting
sessions, and for
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past he would write music
around a dozen or so songs (only some of which appearing on the
compilation soundtrack for the movie, a point of contention with some
listeners). Most music in this genre typically utilizes a rock or jazz
ensemble with marginal orchestral accompaniment, and while that basic
equation is again the case in
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Kent
goes beyond the normal call of duty to write a score with more unique
personality than that you'll hear in similar productions. In fact, if
you plan on dabbling into this genre for the first time to expand your
score collection, this entry is a good, safe place to start.
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Because of the somewhat serious connections to "A
Christmas Carol,"
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past demanded music that
emphasized straight forward orchestral drama more heavily than many of
Kent's other comedy works. While there exist the jazz elements of
saxophone, bass, and trumpets, as well as occasional diversions with
guitars, marimbas, and snazzy percussion, these contributors are mostly
centered upon the lead character's bad behavior early in the film. Kent
intentionally devises quirky rhythmic movements for these performers
(aided by whip-snapping sound effects and other funny touches) to
represent the friction between the leads. Even in these moments,
however, starting in earnest in "The Swings, Young Jenny," there are
hints of the theme to develop into the primary one of romance later in
the score. Kent's handling of motifs for
Ghosts of Girlfriends
Past is more complicated than necessary, a nice move considering how
aimless most similar scores can be. Longer cues than you normally see in
the genre allow him to create easily discernable themes for all of the
major characters and help them evolve through the picture. By the end of
the score, the formerly jazzy identities have morphed into surprisingly
sweet orchestral themes akin to Jerry Goldsmith's music of the early
1990's for equivalent situations. Additionally, several sub-themes are
worthy of mention, including a hypnotic, repeating phrase for the
magical element of the tale. A theremin effect is employed to punctuate
these cues with a bit of smiling creepiness. The best of the jazz is
saved for the two Uncle Wayne cues (along with "Rain of Tears"), an
infectious theme worthy of Marvin Hamlisch. A theme for the lead's
brother is performed with heartfelt sincerity by strings in "Pauly's
Theme." More interesting is the appropriately exotic idea for "Conjuring
the Ghost of Future," a robust and propulsive motif that reminds of
Gabriel Yared's more brutal writing. The final third of the score almost
exclusively contains performances by the orchestral players, often in
melodramatic redemption mode. Aside from a few somber or outwardly
horrific cues, Kent allows the romance to flow with sugary flavor in the
final four cues, "Connor Believes, But Too Late" beginning with spirited
percussion to suggest a connection to the Dickens tale. The closing
eight minutes are quite lovely, and although they may sound generic in
their application, Kent's ability to wrap up his thematic material in
such a brightly optimistic package at the end is commendable. The entire
score has more cohesive personality than most of its peers, and Kent
should be commended for writing music that translates into an engaging
40+ minutes out of context.
**** Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
The insert includes a list of performers and a note from the composer
about the score.
