Ghosted was lambasted by critics upon its release, and star Chris Evans now reflects on the movie’s lackluster reception. Directed by Dexter Fletcher, the Apple TV Plus film stars Evans as Cole, a lovestruck man who discovers that the girl who ghosted him after their first date is actually a secret agent. The film, which costars Ana de Armas, earned poor reviews but would go on to set a viewership record for Apple TV Plus.
In a recent interview with GQ, Evans reflects on Ghosted‘s bad reviews, revealing how he feels about the movie now with some distance from it. While confident that the genre can still appeal to audiences, the actor candidly discusses why the film didn’t strike the chord he was hoping it would. Check out Evan’s full comments below:
Evans: “Ghosted to me felt like a movie that I grew up on, a movie that maybe we don’t see very much anymore. And the question is whether or not audiences have outgrown those types of films.”
GQ: “Is that a question you had going into it or coming out of it?”
Evans: “Both. I didn’t think audiences had outgrown it prior, and I still don’t think they have, despite the fact, I mean, technically I think we did okay on, in terms of viewership. Critics didn’t like it. But that’s more the fault of the movie as opposed to the appetite of the audience. I think the appetite’s there, if it’s done properly. We could have been better.”
Why Critics Didn’t Like Ghosted
Ghosted‘s Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at only 55%, meaning audiences may not have been too hot on the film either, but critics, especially, took issue with various aspects of the project. While the movie may boast a sizable budget and two very popular stars, critics mostly agree that it fails to satisfy in terms of its romance, action, and comedy elements.
One common complaint about Ghosted is that Evans and de Armas don’t actually have much on-screen chemistry together. De Armas’ role as secret agent Sadie Rhodes was originally going to be played by Scarlett Johansson, but Evans’ former MCU costar ultimately had to leave the movie due to scheduling conflicts. It’s possible, given Evans and Johansson’s professional history, that Ghosted wouldn’t have suffered from the same chemistry problems had the latter star not dropped out.
Ghosted‘s action scenes are also an unfortunate shortcoming of the film, with the climactic set piece really falling short of expectations. While Ghosted had some interesting ingredients, including two highly charismatic stars, sometimes ingredients just don’t come together into a compelling final product. That being said, it seems like Evans is aware of the film’s shortcomings, which means perhaps his next attempt at the genre will fare better.
