Casper (1995): Parent Review

PG | Run time: 1hr 40min | Comedy, Family, Halloween | 1995

Casper, the friendly ghost, is about as iconic as mid-90’s CGI characters can get. You may look back and remember watching this film with fondness (or possibly disdain) and wonder if Casper is a good to movie to show your kids.

Well, I’m here to tell you, good is relative. Is Casper still relevant? Mostly, but there are definitely references to movies of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s your kids probably won’t get. Hell you might not get them if you weren’t born yet either.

And you can definitely tell Casper was written in the time just before parents of all ages became sensitive about literally everything their kids watch.

Every.

Thing.

Because – oh no – they say things like “bitch” in it.

So if you’re a super sensitive parent that worries that your child will be scarred for life by a family movie like Casper, then you should probably avoid it. If you are anyone else, well, you might still want to avoid it. Though as family oriented movies go, it’s not terrible.

Casper (1995) Basic Plot

A greedy woman, Carrigan Crittenden, finds out she is not receiving anything from her deceased father but a decaying old mansion. Frustrated and one sided, Carrigan wants to destroy the house. That is, until she finds a treasure map to, you guessed it, a treasure. (SPOILER ALERT: The treasure is not that valuable)

Carrigan decides to go to the mansion to retrieve the treasure with her lawyer/guy she’s sleeping with. When they get there, the ghosts that reside in the mansion scare them off.

Determined to get the treasure within, Carrigan tries several methods to rid the house of the ghosts. When they all fail, she calls Dr. James Harvey (aka Bill Pullman), a ghost therapist. Dr. Harvey believes he can get the ghosts to cross over. And once this occurs, Carrigan can get her treasure.

But Dr. Harvey’s daughter, Kat, meets Casper the friendly ghost. And they develop some bizarre preteen romance/friendship. Will Dr. Harvey help the ghosts cross over? Will Carrigan get her treasure? Will Casper score with Kat?

No. Yes. Yes. No need to watch anymore unless you want some of the filler information.

Talking Point in Casper

There’s some good news for all you anal retentive parents that like to teach your kids lessons while watching a movie. You can teach them a lesson and not suck all the fun out of Casper.

After watching Casper with your kids, you can discuss the meaning of the word: bitch. Yes, its the word you have been waiting for. Rich in history, dynamic in meaning, bitch is sure to be the talk of the playground at school.

No boring ass lecture about friendship or how something made them feel. No, Casper let’s you discuss the double (and dare I add triple) meaning of the word bitch.

Dibs, Carrigan’s lawyer possibly lover, says:

You can haunt me all you want, but it’s gonna be in a great big expensive house, with lovely purple wallpaper, and great big green carpets, and a little dog, called Carrigan – a bitch, just like you! I’ve got the power! I’ve got the treasure!

What better way to introduce your child to the concept that the same word can have two meanings? I mean, if you don’t explain the meanings of bitch, the best joke in Casper will be lost on them. Do you really want that?

Here are some helpful talking points:

• According to Merriam-Webster, bitch means “the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals.” Teach your kids that the family dog, if it is a female, is actually a bitch. Try teaching them using these samples:
  • “Look kids, the bitch is laying on the couch.” (TIP: Don’t use this if you value your life and your wife is laying on the couch with the dog. It won’t end well.)
  • If you have multiple dogs call them to you and then say, “My bitches come to me when I call them.” (TIP: Also do not say this after asking your wife to come to here. That, too, will not end well.)
• Also according to Merriam-Webster, bitch means “a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman.” Teach your kids to use it in a sentence so when they are called to the principal’s office, you’ll know its because they used the word correctly.
  • “My math teacher is being a real bitch. He assigned us homework over the three day weekend.”
  • “Emily is a bitch. She stole my toy at preschool today.”

So from now on, when you get called to the principal’s office, day care, or preschool, you can smile, hold your head up high, knowing that your child used a “naughty” word correctly.*

*Not responsible if you actually teach your child the meaning of the word “bitch.” That’s on you. You wouldn’t want to be a little bitch and blame me if you do this and things go wrong. Would you?