Ghost Town

The morbid comedy or, the comedy in which half of its characters are actually ghosts, can be a tough sale for most audiences, and amongst the biggest cynics of anything to do with cinematic spirits haunting the screen is I. The reasoning behind this hard-to-sell concept is simple; the dead, that is, the spirit likeness of a human being, in modern society are usually treated with grave seriousness. From the grim tales of the Bible to images of mourning families trying to 'celebrate' during a wake; the concepts of the afterlife and comedy quite often juxtapose to the point where bemusement brought on through absurdity is more commonplace than laughter. Therefore it was no surprise earlier this year when romantic comedy Over Her Dead Body failed to deliver much laughs or even romance at all, instead only taking the two clashing ideas and, well, clashing them together hoping it would all work out in the end (it didn't). While Ghost Town doesn't necessarily do anything remotely different from the aforementioned feature –at least concerning the script's comedy department- it is in the movie's emotional core and characters present that such clashing of half-baked spiritual plotting with slapstick comedy gets softened into something a lot more digestible. The result is a story that fails to register on an engaging level based upon its basic premise alone, but eventually more than makes up for it with a sweet romance that tickles just as much as it warms the heart.

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a sad, lonely man, and although he would argue otherwise, has nobody to blame but himself. A cynically jaded misanthrope who goes out of his way to avoid all human contact, Pincus doesn't necessarily describe himself as a people person and doesn't want others to think so either. After a routine colonoscopy goes wrong in the anaesthetic department, Bertram clinically dies for seven minutes and wakes up a changed man; or at least the same man in a changed world. Now blessed with the ability to see the dead and communicate with them, Pincus not only has to deal with the living, but the dead too. Sure enough, it's pure baloney, and it certainly starts off that way with little hints at going anywhere else. Thankfully however, it's not long until certain romantic elements creep in involving recently widowed (you can hopefully see how this occurs) Gwen which allows both Bertram and the movie as a whole to shed their silly outer layer to reveal some emotional depth. Of course, the walking dead thing continues on throughout the entire feature, but thankfully it isn't as tacked on as you might imagine. Plus, linking the ghost plot with a living, breathing core, the movie brings both elements to a close effectively that capitalises on the development that was given to each beforehand. Yes, it's possibly the weakest element of the feature, but that's not really saying much at all.

By the far the greatest thing about Ghost Town however lies in its comedy, which is fronted by lead man Ricky Gervais, who teams up alongside Greg Kinnear to create a movie with both class and wit, not to mention a little bit of welcome shtick. Gervais, who goes about his role here with about the same mentality as he has so far implemented in his TV roles, delivers a wonderful performance here that embodies his character's comedic cynicism with absolute precision. If you already know the comedian then you know that much of his charm and natural comic ability comes from his timing and delivery; he doesn't necessarily try to make you laugh, and it isn't in the things he says, but how he says them, and when he does so. Through this Gervais makes sure not only to deliver his jokes with enough frequency to keep amusement levels high, but he crafts a character out of such moments too; the jokes never cheapen his persona, but only strengthen it.

Backing star Kinnear plays Gervais' ghost buddy-of-sorts, and while he does a lot of background work, nevertheless creates a strong enough character himself, doing well not to take focus from the lead, and yet making sure to create something interesting to look at when the focus shifts from time to time. Téa Leoni provides as the film's love interest for Gervais, and while the two never quite click as a romantic match per se, the director knows when to cut and call it a day, establishing romance without ever ruining the moment. Leoni is always comfortable in her position and shares some humorous and touching interplay with her co-stars which further the scripts warm, humanist tones.

In the end I was pleasantly surprised by the time the credits rolled. Not just from the fact that I felt genuinely fulfilled by a straight forward comedy about ghosts, but that I was often moved by what was presented to me. Of course, Ghost Town, although largely a ghost movie by façade and pure premise, is actually far from such a movie. If anything, the real core here is always focused upon using the memories of those ghosts to create tangible, living breathing characters that feel emotionally resonating and of course, are side stitchingly funny. Sure enough it's over the top, silly and at times even a little tiresome, but in the end, such ideas are justified by the payoff and development of character that is established as a result. In this way Ghost Town achieves a sense of relevancy that most movies of the subgenre fail to reach, managing to speak to us through comedy and romance that comes together to create a feature that is simply good fun to watch. With an unforgettable performance by Gervais, and enough heat between characters to justify much of the film's otherwise ridiculous elements, Ghost Town is a surprise hit; charming, delightful and full of life.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

What really made this rather familiar story work for me was British comedian Ricky Gervais in the part of a grouchy NY dentist who starts seeing ghosts after he has a peculiar mishap during a routine colonoscopy. This is a lightweight comedy/drama/love story with elements that we've seen plenty of times before, but as I said I thought Gervais made all the difference, and it's his picture entirely. Had the part been played by Adam Sandler, Jim Carey, or some other over-exposed celebrity, it wouldn't have been as effective. Greg Kinnear is really an afterthought here as a dead man who keeps appealing to Gervais to help break up the inevitable wedding of his widow (Tea Leoni). *** out of ****

I can't understand how I missed it. Written and directed by David Koepp, the man who wrote "Apartment Zero" and "Death Becomes Her" with Martin Donovan, a personal hero of mine. Not to mention some of the biggest moneymakers of the last two decades. "Ghost Town" strives for something else, it pinpoints the goodness hidden in the heart of someone who, perhaps, never knew was there. A comedy of personal discovery no less. I was moved and delighted. Ricky Gervais goes through it, stumbling over himself with an innocence that is as real as it is mysterious. I connected with him half way through and it took me by surprise. I was loving a character that at the beginning I thought was funny but despicable. That for me means I've learned something. Thank you.

A true delight. Ghost Town is David Koepp's most original script since Death Becomes Her and Death Becomes Her is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Daring, hilarious and elegant. Ghost Town is set in a more recognizable world, recognizable from many different angles, at times it feels we've seen all this before but what sets it apart is its heart. There is real heart here and a real intention. Ricky Gervais is fantastic as the "no people person" his unlikeable persona becomes the most likable aspect of the movie. I was taken by Gervais's predicament and I was never allowed to slip away. I was entertained and delighted throughout. 8/10

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-