Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.
A radio journalist and his technician get in over their heads when they hatch a scheme to fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in South America and hide out in New York instead.
A camera crew catches up with David Brent, the former star of the fictional British TV series The Office (2001), as he now fancies himself a rock star on the road.
Andy Millman is an actor with ambition and a script. Reduced to working as an extra with a useless agent, Andy's attempts to boost his career invariably end in failure and embarrassment.
Stars:
Ricky Gervais,
Ashley Jensen,
Stephen Merchant
Derek is a loyal nursing home care assistant who sees only the good in his quirky co-workers as they struggle against prejudice and shrinking budgets to care for their elderly residents.
The story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.
Stars:
Ricky Gervais,
Martin Freeman,
Mackenzie Crook
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant talk to Karl Pilkington about important things in life whilst Karl provides anything but intelligent answers. Comedy at its finest with wonderful animation.
Stars:
Ricky Gervais,
Stephen Merchant,
Karl Pilkington
Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen. That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result.Written by
Studio Approved Synopsis
Gwen's Egypt exhibition is called "Voices of the Dead" - which is exactly what Dr. Pincus experiences in the film. See more »
Goofs
Other characters refer to Gwen's dog as a "he", but the dog is actually a female. See more »
Quotes
Frank Herlihy:
[regarding Gwen]
You're in love with her.
[Dr. Pincus walks away]
Frank Herlihy:
You are.
[sighs, slaps his forehead]
Frank Herlihy:
I knew it. That little Grinch heart of yours actually started beating and now you want to take it back to your cave and crush it with a rock. That's what you wanna do.
Bertram Pincus:
I quit.
Frank Herlihy:
You can't quit. I'll make your life a living hell.
Bertram Pincus:
[stares at Frank]
It already is.
[Frank walks away]
See more »
Crazy Credits
Directly after the end titles fade to black, there is a brief outburst of near-hysterical laughter. See more »
The Heart of Life
Written & Performed by John Mayer
Courtesy of Aware Records / Columbia Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Entertainment See more »
A strong formula comedy that gets an extra jolt of originality from an improvisatory performance by Ricky Gervais.
Gervais plays a Manhattan dentist with an over-sensitive gag reflex who hates people. When he accidentally dies for seven minutes during a routine medical procedure, he finds upon waking that he can see and converse with dead people, who want his help in finishing up unresolved business. One of these, a smarmy, cheating husband (played by Greg Kinnear) wants him to help prevent his widow (Tea Leoni) from marrying a guy he doesn't like. Guess what...Gervais falls in love with her himself.
There's a lot of standard obligatory plot in "Ghost Town" that's specific to the genre: we have to sit through the requisite scenes of Gervais thinking he's going crazy because he can see dead people; he and Leoni have a falling out when she thinks he's tricking her just to get close to her, etc. But the acting is so good, especially from Gervais and Leoni, who absolutely lights up the screen whenever she's on it, that it's easy to forget we've seen much of this before.
One of my favorite parts of the film was the brief but hilarious performance of Kristen Wiig, who plays Gervais's doctor. You may remember her as Kathryn Heigle's passive-aggressive colleague in "Knocked Up," and though she always does the same schtick, she makes me laugh every time.
Grade: A-
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A strong formula comedy that gets an extra jolt of originality from an improvisatory performance by Ricky Gervais.
Gervais plays a Manhattan dentist with an over-sensitive gag reflex who hates people. When he accidentally dies for seven minutes during a routine medical procedure, he finds upon waking that he can see and converse with dead people, who want his help in finishing up unresolved business. One of these, a smarmy, cheating husband (played by Greg Kinnear) wants him to help prevent his widow (Tea Leoni) from marrying a guy he doesn't like. Guess what...Gervais falls in love with her himself.
There's a lot of standard obligatory plot in "Ghost Town" that's specific to the genre: we have to sit through the requisite scenes of Gervais thinking he's going crazy because he can see dead people; he and Leoni have a falling out when she thinks he's tricking her just to get close to her, etc. But the acting is so good, especially from Gervais and Leoni, who absolutely lights up the screen whenever she's on it, that it's easy to forget we've seen much of this before.
One of my favorite parts of the film was the brief but hilarious performance of Kristen Wiig, who plays Gervais's doctor. You may remember her as Kathryn Heigle's passive-aggressive colleague in "Knocked Up," and though she always does the same schtick, she makes me laugh every time.
Grade: A-