Ghost Town (2008)

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.

Director:

David Koepp

Writers:

David Koepp, John Kamps

Stars:

Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greg Kinnear	...	Frank
Jordan Carlos	...	Young Husband
Dequina Moore	...	Young Wife
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	...	Accident Bystander (as Joe Badalucco)
Brian Hutchison	...	Accident Bystander
Tyree Michael Simpson	...	Sneezy Cop (as Tyre Simpson)
Julia Murney	...	Sneezy Lady
Ricky Gervais	...	Pincus
Claire Lautier	...	Upper East Side Lady
Aasif Mandvi	...	Dr. Prashar
Bridget Moloney	...	Receptionist
Raymond J. Lee	...	Greenpeace Guy (as Raymond Lee)
Joey Mazzarino	...	Food Delivery Guy
Brad Oscar	...	Day Doorman
Kathleen Landis	...	Resident

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

slipping and falling | dog walking | new york city | ghost | medical mask | 

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Taglines:

He sees dead people... and they annoy him.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grad duhova

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,012,315, 21 September 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$13,214,030, 9 November 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks,Spyglass Entertainment,Pariah

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The New York Times crossword puzzle seen within the first 10 minutes when Dr. Pincus (Ricky Gervais) first comes home is the puzzle from Monday, October 1, 2007 (Created by Will Shortz).

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Goofs

The ghosts do not cast reflections in mirrors, but do cast reflections in other reflective surfaces (such as the bar scene near the beginning of the movie).

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Quotes

Bertram Pincus: Gwen, I've lived more in the last few days that I've spent with you, since I died, than I ever lived before I died - back when I was living, the first time.

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Crazy Credits

Directly after the end titles fade to black, there is a brief outburst of near-hysterical laughter.

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Connections

Referenced in Life's Too Short: Episode #1.2 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Please Be Patient With Me
Written by Jeff Tweedy
Performed by Wilco
Courtesy of Nonesuch Records
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Not exactly "laugh out loud funny", but very well done.

While this movie is comedy, it's not really a major "laugh-fest" or anything - but it is very well done and interesting to watch. If you're a fan of Ricky Gervais, he's only an actor here, not the writer or producer - so don't expect lots of Gervais-inspired humor. However, do expect a clever and charming romantic comedy.

Basically, the movie is about a dentist (Gervais) who temporarily dies during a routine medical procedure. This experience gives him the ability to see all the dead people who are milling about. One of them is resourceful enough to get Gervais' character to interfere with his former wife's engagement ... and the story progresses from there.

Gervais puts in a great performance as the socially repugnant dentist. Unpleasant as he is, he's fun to watch and you want to see what his every next move will be. Greg Kinnear (who plays the ghost pressuring Gervais) does a good job too; he's pretty believable in his role. The other characters are more or less one-dimensional and not quite as interesting. However, together with Gervais and Kinnear, everyone more or less of shines.

While the story is a bit predictable, the interesting characters, charming nature of the tale and all-around quality of movie-making make this film worth a watch.