Ghost Town

I first saw a trailer for Ghost Town on television quite some time ago. I remember thinking the movie actually looked alright and at the same time promised myself I would catch said movie at the earliest appropriate time. That time happened to be last night, some months after I first saw the trailer on television for said film.

Starring Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear, Ghost Town is a mix of dark comedy and (somewhat out of place it would seem for Ricky Gervais) romantic comedy. It tells the tale of British dentist and all round “prick” Dr. Bertram Pincus (Gervais), a man who hates everything, including people. Dr. Pincus pays a visit to his local hospital for a routine colonoscopy only to find during the operation he actually died for 7 minutes and has been left with the extraordinary ability to see dead people <insert random Sixth Sense gag here>.

The film excels on the comedic level with Gervais notably firing all cylinders (if only we could break him away from the whole ‘David Brent’ thing) and certainly keeps the British end well and truly up with his role as Dr. Pincus. I wasn’t sure quite how to prepare myself to see Gervais in a romantic comedy role, my perception of this before watching the film was certainly well and truly overturned as the romantic element of Ghost Town is handled expertly.

It also pays dividends that the cast convey good on-screen chemistry. I very much doubt Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni would not be anyone’s first choice when asked to choose a romantic movie couple but it really is a joy to see the genuine on-screen chemistry between them in the screen time they do share together in this film.

Ghost Town is further boosted by the handful of supporting cast members. Greg Kinnear does his best to help Gervais carry the film along and provides a wonderful comedic alternative if you begin to grow tired of trying to get David Brent out of your mind every time Gervais appears on screen. Being typecast can often be one of the biggest downfalls of anyone in the entertainment industry and thankfully Gervais almost pulls it off with Ghost Town. Occasionally his antics begin to grate but as the film rolls on it seems he has embraced the character more and those David Brent thoughts playing in your mind gradually begin to ease off.

Sure Ghost Town suffers from the odd plot hole here and there (most romantic comedies do for some reason) and the occasional ropey special effect (shadows on ghosts anyone?) but the overall package is a low budget, cheeky little comedy that will certainly push all the right buttons and, when the final credits roll to the beautiful ‘The Heart Of Life’ by John Mayer you really are left with that satisfied feeling that the last hour and a bit of your life were not wasted.

It’s a real shame that Ghost Town was overlooked on it’s cinema run, hopefully it will prove successful on the home market, it really deserves to be. A surprisingly good film that deserves a viewing, if you missed it at the cinema you have no excuse now.