Ghost Can't Do it - 1989
By The Bottom Reel Editorial Team ·
Ghosts Can't Do It
is a romantic fantasy comedy that became notorious for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a full rundown of the film, from plot to Razzie sweep.
Plot
Elderly billionaire Scott kills himself after a heart attack wrecks his body and sex life with his much younger wife. As a ghost, he can only be seen and heard by his wife Katie O'Dare Scott. Unwilling to be separated, Scott convinces Katie to help him return to the flesh: she must seduce and then kill a young man so Scott can possess his body.
The couple settles on a young man named Fausto. While executing this supernatural body-snatching plan, Katie also has to handle Scott’s business deals involving  and the mob. The film frames itself as “A Spirited Comedy Of Love After Death.”
Cast & Crew
Director/Writer/Cinematographer/Editor: John Derek — his final film as director
Starring:
• Bo Derek as Katie O'Dare Scott
• Anthony Quinn as Scott
• Don Murray as Winston
• Julie Newmar as Angel
• Leo Damian as Fausto
•  as Himself in a special appearance 
Producers: Bo Derek, Chandran Rutnam, Moshe Diamant
Composers: Junior Homrich & Randy Tico
The film was released by Triumph Releasing on June 1, 1990, though it carries a 1989 copyright. Runtime: 90 minutes. Rated R.
Reception & Social Impact
The reception was brutal. Critics called it “execrable soft-core nonsense” and “indescribably bad fantasy fiasco” geared around Bo Derek taking off her clothes. Reviews describe it as “incompetent, filled with gross humor” and “one of the craziest acts of cinematic therapy in the history of the medium”.
Awards: Swept the 1990 Golden Raspberry Awards with 4 wins:
• Worst Picture
• Worst Director: John Derek
• Worst Actress: Bo Derek
• Worst Supporting Actor: Donald Trump 
It received 9 Razzie nominations total. In 1999, Bo Derek was nominated for Worst Actress of the Century. The film sits at #58 on IMDb’s Bottom 100.
Cultural footprint: The main lasting impact is ’s cameo. Movieweb calls it “the most fitting and detailed Donald Trump cameo” where he’s never named but “everything he does screams ‘I am Donald Trump!’”. Katie beats him in a deal and admits she read The Art of the Deal to do it. Bo Derek later said Trump’s rep told them he wanted to star in films. The cameo won him his first Razzie.
Beyond that, it ended John Derek’s directing career and relegated Bo Derek to D-list roles for the rest of the decade. It’s now viewed as a cult “so-bad-it’s-fascinating” film and travelogue for John Derek’s fixation on filming his wife.
Budget vs Box Office
Budget: Not publicly disclosed in the sources. Letterboxd reviews speculate it “appears to have been filmed with whatever change he had in his pocket”.
Box Office: A massive flop.
• Opening Weekend: $16,626 from 16 theaters
• Total Domestic Gross: $25,000
• Worldwide Gross: $25,000
• Inflation Adjusted Domestic: ∼$67,000
• Legs: 1.50 
It played for an average of 1 week per theater and quickly vanished from theaters in June 1990. Box Office Mojo lists no international gross.
So yes the poster promises “A Spirited Comedy Of Love After Death,” but the legacy is mostly Razzies, ’s acting debut, and a cautionary tale about vanity projects.