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Paul Plutzker (Dibs) is an attorney and close assiociated of Carrigan Crittenden. He is also the secondary antagonist of the 1995 movie Casper. He was portrayed by Eric Idle. He appears to work for Carrigan Crittenden as a kind of toady despite the fact she constantly belittles him. Although he is technically a villain, he doesn't seem to be as nasty a person as she is. His motivations are unclear, but he turns on her when he thinks he has the advantage, only to be cast out of a window by her. The film doesn't explain what happens to him after this or even if he survived. His full name is only known from the end credits, since he is always referred to as "Dibs" in the actual film.

Some reviewers have identified him as Carrigan's lawyer, since he acts much as a lawyer in the scene when he and Carrigan are introduced, but his behavior later in the film is very atypical of a lawyer. The most likely connection between Carrigan and Dibs seems to be that they are lovers. For example, he refers to her with terms such as "sweetheart" and "baby" throughout the movie. In one scene she seems to kiss him on the lips and he tells her that "we're through" after turning on her. When he introduces himself to the Harveys, he says he's a "close personal friend" of hers.

Casper[]

Carrigan is furious to learn from her late father's lawyer Mr. Rugg that she has only inherited Whipstaff Manor in her father's will, rather than anything of significant value. Infuriated, she tosses the will and deed into a fireplace but it is rescued by her attorney and close associate Dibs. Dibs discovers one of the will's pages has an inscription on it describing treasure hidden in the manor. They both leave to find Whipstaff Manor at a town in Friendship, Maine.

575px-Dibs's hand on fire

Carrigan points out to Dibs that his hand is on fire

Carrigan and Dibs visit the old manor, but find that it is haunted by four ghosts: Casper, a friendly but lonely young ghost and his three obnoxious uncles known as The Ghostly Trio: Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie.

The two make several attempts to remove the spirits including hiring both an amatuar exocist named Father Guido Sarducci, and one of the Ghostbusters (cameo appearance of Dan Aykroid) but are unsuccessful. Carrigan later learns about an afterlife therapist named Dr. James Harvey who explains that ghosts are simply spirits with unfinished business and she and Dibs contact him for help.

517px-Carrigan & Dibs with Father Guido Sarducci

Carrigan and Dibs hired an amatuar exorcist named Father Guido Sarducci.

Carrigan and Dibs meet with Dr Harvey and his daughter Kat at when they arrive at the manor,Dibs introduces himself as "a close personal freind" of Carrigan. Kat responds by introducing herself as Dr Harvey's "close personal daughter". They grab her face and give her each sympathetic looks before letting her go. Carrigan then orders Dr Harvey to remove the ghosts as quickly as possible.. However, things are complicated when Kat and her father meet the ghosts face-to-face; despite Casper's best efforts to befriend them, the two are terrified by both his appearance and the antics of the Ghostly Trio. They choose not to leave, however, and they stay for the night.

Carrigan and Dibs return back to the manor later on as they see Dr Harvey in the library with the Ghostly Trio. They decide to have a "happy hour" with him and drag him out of the manor. This allows them to enter the house and they start looking around for the treasure. They follow Casper and Kat (who are now friends), to Casper's father's laboratory hidden under the floorboards of the library. There they learn that a special capsule is used to run a machine called the Lazarus. This has the power to bring ghosts back to life, but now there is only enough for one. They also see the vault at the end of the laboratory when Kat points it in the direction while talking with Casper. Seeing as that's where the treasure is Carrigan and Dibs approach the vault but finds it's locked.

Realizing his one opportunity to come back to life, Casper, with Kat's help, turns on the Lazarus, and steps inside. Unfortunately, the capsule is stolen by Carrigan and Dibs and Casper is left disappointed when he turns into an egg yolk.

With the capsule in hand, Carrigan and Dibs discuss how someone could become a ghost, get the treasure and then use the capsule and Lazarus to come back to life. Dibs naively states,”if you were a ghost” assuming Carrigan would turn herself into a ghost. Carrigan however has no intention of dying and looks at Dibs with an evil smirk, saying “if you were”. She then quickly grabs and axe from a suit of armor and swipes it at Dibs attempting to kill him. He evades her and runs down the hall out of sight. Dibs then finds a bucket of slime and coats the hallway floor with it and as an angry Carrigan comes walking down the hall with the axe, slips and slides and falls through a window. Dibs goes outside to find Carrigan she is nowhere in sight. He sees the capsule laying on the ground and reaches down and grabs it. Just then headlights turn on along with a car motor. Carrigan floors her SUV driving straight at Dibs on another attempt to kill him. Dibs again evades the car and manages to throw a piece of loose concrete at the windshield badly smashing it. Carrigan now unable to see and accelerating rapidly towards the nearby woods is unable to stop her vehicle. After several seconds driving madly through the woods her car hits a tree, hanging over a large cliff-side and instantly deploying her airbag. Carrigan wrestles with the airbag for several seconds before finally deflating it. She grunts and flings her door open. Not knowing her car is hanging over a cliff, she steps out and falls out of frame, screaming to her death.

Several seconds after Carrigan’s scream fades to silence, Dibs walks to the cliff. He calls out over the cliffside. “Carrigan!? Are you a ghost yet? CARRRRRRIGAAAAN!!” With no reply from the seemingly dead heiress, Dibs assumes that she Is just dead and gone for good. Slightly relieved at being rid of Carrigan he uncaringly turns to walk away. Suddenly as he walks away, Carrigan reappears as a monstrous ghost to a shocked Dibs and says "not so fast little man the b**ch is back!!".

Back at the laboratory Kat uses a dust bellow to reinflate Casper. Carrigan suddenly appears as a monstrous ghost, flies into the laboratory and grabs the treasure chest inside the vault. Casper is in shock, claiming that it's his treasure but Carrigan bellows "you mean MY!! treasure" Kat is shocked to see Miss Crittenden as a ghost and asks “Miss Crittenden?” she replies "in the flesh...well in a couple of minutes", and does an evil laugh. Dibs soon reappears and shows Carrigan the capsule to help her remember. Kat realizes that Dibs stole the capsule and claims it's Casper's. Carrigan laughs and disagrees again as she orders Dibs to revive her. Just as he approaches Casper steals the capsule back from Dibs, knocks him into the moat of the laboratory, and takes Kat back upstairs where she greets the kids who have arrived for her Halloween party.

Casper and Kat return back to the laboratory where Kat stops Casper from confronting Dibs for opening his treasure. They install the potion into the Lazarus only to find Carrigan inside the machine telling Casper that its her turn in the oven. She rudely orders Dibs to turn her human again, calling him a worm. Dibs having reached his breaking point with Carrigan turns on her. He states that she always taught him to “kick em when their down” and she is “six feet under”. He decides that he is not gonna revive her and says”we’re through!” Dibs cocks his arm back and acts like he is going to throw and destroy the only remaining Lazarus capsule. Carrigan sees him about to destroy her only chance at ever being alive again and gasps. She says” Im not going to forget this you ungrateful lousy little worm you!” Dibs laughs unafraid of her threats to haunt him as a ghost and says that he will be using the treasure in a great big expensive house with lovely purple wall paper and great big green carpets and adopt a little dog called Carrigan, "a b**ch just like you". He proclaims that he's got the power and he's got the treasure which prompts her to angrily fling him out of a window.

Carrigan catches the capsule in her pale white hands laughing as she again has the upper hand. Quickly thinking on their feet, Casper and Kat point out that people only become ghosts because they have "unfinished business". Carrigan rudely asks what that is. Seeing an opportunity, ask Carrigan what her unfinished business is but Carrigan declares that she has no unfinished business saying that she has her treasure and her mansion "I have my treasure, my mansion, I have everything, im just perfect" She does an evil laugh again but her open declaration seems to trigger a far greater event. Unknown to Carrigan, at the time of her death, she was only allowed to remain behind as a ghost because she hadn’t yet gotten her treasure. Unknown to her, when she openly declares that she has finally gotten her treasure and it ends her need to stay in the world of the living. Her unfinished business never had anything to do with her coming back to life, so she begins to cross over. Feeling terrified of crossing over against her will saying she isn’t ready to die and be gone forever yet. Realizing she's been tricked she berates Casper and Kat until she finally crosses over to the afterlife for the rest of eternity.

Trivia[]

  • Dibs was last seen being flung out of a window by Carrigan but it is unknown what happened to him afterwards, or if he fell to his death when he was flung out the window.
  • Throughout the film it was hinted that he and Carrigan are secretly lovers.
  • Dibs is always belittled by Carrigan such as when she calls him names or orders him around to help her.
  • Jerry Springer, Hugh Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, Rik Mayall, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Gene Wilder, Patrick McGoohan, Stephen Fry, Tony Haygarth, Gregory Peck and Leslie Nielsen were all considered for the role of Paul "Dibs" Plutzker before Eric Idle was cast
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