Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are understandably hesitant about dabbling into the romantic comedy genre for your film score collection and desire a safely pleasant and engaging score with which to start that exploration. Avoid it... if even the upbeat personality and thematic complexity of this impressive Rolfe Kent score can't overcome the stigma of silliness that defines all music in the romantic comedy genre for you. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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. 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. **** Track Listings:
Total Time: 43:29
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