Amazon.co.uk Review
Ricky Gervais is brilliant in
Ghost Town, playing an unnervingly rude dentist, Bertram, who dies for a few minutes during surgery and acquires the unwanted ability to see ghosts. Chased throughout Manhattan by a gaggle of restless spirits begging him to take care of their unfinished business on Earth, Bertram turns them all away except Frank (Greg Kinnear). The latter, a rogue who cheated on his archaeologist widow, Gwen (Téa Leoni), wants Bertram to intervene in a romance between Gwen and a starchy activist (Bill Campbell). Misanthropic Bertram has to polish his relationship patter, but ends up sounding a lot like Gervais' infamous character in the original
The Office, unable to complete a sentence without making others uncomfortable. In time, of course, Bertram falls for the wonderful Gwen, setting up a bunch of overlapping conflicts. Cowritten and directed by David Koepp (
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull),
Ghost Town walks a fine line between comic freshness and a story idea with elements that have become overly familiar in movies and on television. Kinnear and Leoni have never been better on screen, but
Ghost Town is well worth seeing because no one like Gervais has previously played the hapless hero in a high-concept film such as this one. With Gervais doing his familiar, hilariously discomfiting thing, it really doesn't matter what kind of movie
Ghost Town is. Happily, it's a pretty good film in every respect. --
Tom Keogh
Synopsis
Deadpan hilarity and quirky charm come alive in
Ghost Town, starring Britain's favourite comedian Ricky Gervais (
The Office) as social reject Bertram Pincus. Emmy award winner and seven times Bafta winner Gervais proves his Hollywood worth in this transatlantic feel good love story about a man, a woman and a ghost. Pincus is a New York City dentist with horrendous people skills. When a routine surgery goes awry, Pincus is pronounced dead, but is miraculously revived seven minutes later. The ill-mannered Manhattanite suffers only one lasting after-effect; the ability to see and speak to the dead. Word soon gets out in the spirit community and Pincus is irritate to discover he's the go-to guy for every phantom with unfinished business in the city.
At the forefront of the ghostly mob is recently deceased Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear--
Little Miss Sunshine, Baby Mama), who is determined to stop the remarriage of his widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni--
Spanglish, Fun with Dick and Jane). The laughs unfold when the prickly and romantically inexperienced Pincus, smitten with Gwen, tries to woo her away from her betrothed--with hysterically awkward results.
With sharp performances and beautifully dry Gervais execution,
Ghost Town won't fail to make viewers laugh out loud. With a host of special features including commentary from renowned director David Koepp and a 'Making Ghost Town' featurette, this is one DVD that should be in the collection of every Ricky Gervais fan.
Special Features: - Making Ghost Town
- Ghostly Effects
- Some people can do it
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