Ghost Town: Yes Ghosts Use Cell Phones, Too

Posted by ScuzzBuster

September 21, 2008

If you had the chance to take the scripts of The Sixth Sense and Ghost into a blender with a British Comedian you’d end up with something that resembled the new Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear comedy Ghost Town–well, along with some chunks of bone and teeth if you threw the whole comedian in, that is. Sorry, got sidetracked.

Admittedly, it’s one of those movies that has that “groaner” effect on you when seeing the trailer for the first time. Surprisingly, it’s quite entertaining and a pretty effective little comic exercise. I’m not sure if any of it would work without Gervais, though. He’s much better known to the British public and this is his first turn as a leading man. He turns out to be an unlikely but effective romantic lead.

The story focuses on Bertram Pincus, a rather bitter, people-hating dentist who goes into a routine surgery and dies while under the anesthetic. He’s revived after seven minutes. The consequence of his brush with death is his irritating ability to see and hear the spirits of the dead that still linger around with “unfinished” business.

Of course, this makes him extremely popular among the dead who see Pincus as their opportunity to help take care of their business, most fervently pursued by a recently deceased husband played by Greg Kinnear. Kinnear’s character, a Blackberry obsessed, disloyal husband wants help to keep his widow, played by Tea Leoni, from getting remarried.

Most of what’s to like about Ghost Town comes from Gervais acerbic attitude and impressive comic timing along with a particularly strong and charming performance from Leoni.

While Gervais holds his own and more with Kinnear and Leoni, we’re given a pretty pedestrian comedy/chic flick that manages to become more than the script through the miracle of solid and entertaining performances. Beyond that, though, there’s nothing particularly special about it.

Mostly, it’s a film of funny and great moments that manages to zip through its 103 minute run without breaking a sweat or suffering many lulls. In a pretty strong summer movie season, it’s hard to say this should be the one to pry you out of your armchair to get to the local cineplex, but if it is, you’ll have a decent hour or so of entertainment.

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