Ghost Town (Paramount Pictures)
Cleverly Funny
Mark me down as a Ricky Gervais fan! Though I have never seen him in the British version of The Office or in the raved about series The Extras, I was won over by him in his new movie Ghost Town. In this film he shows that he can deliver laugh after laugh by being clever and clean, a combination that has been eluding American comics of late.
In this film he plays a dentist named Bernard Pincus. Bernard is anti-social to the extreme and likes his life that way. Still things have a way of going awry and after he has some minor surgery he is astonished to find he can see and speak to ghosts. It seems Pincus died for seven minutes in the hospital and the ghost watching is a result of that event.
One of the people Pincus sees is Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), a man who has been dead for about a year and doesnt know why he is still hanging around earth. He thinks it might have something to do with his wife, Gwen (Tea Leoni). She is about to marry a lawyer (Billy Campbell) who Frank doesnt think is good enough for her. He talks Bernard into working with him to break this couple up.
Of course Bernard falls for Gwen and his anti-social aura begins to melt. Seeing this transformation is what puts the heart and the humor into the film. It is also what highlights the talent that is Ricky Gervais.
Gervais can take the most ordinary event and make it a howler. It is something about his accent, his sanctimonious look and demeanor, as well as his actions and reactions that set the audience off on a laugh fest. But while he is making you laugh he is also making you invest in his character.
The supporting cast is also outstanding. Kinnear has just the right amount of smarminess and warmth. His character should be off putting but in Kinnears hands you are drawn to him. Leoni is also good. She makes Gwen a victim and a victor. Bruised by life she manages to pull herself up and dust herself off. It might be difficult to see Pincus and Gwen as a couple but through Gervais and Leonis acting talents it is possible.
The film is rated PG-13 for mild profanity and some sexual situations.
After a rash of movies that present comedy as just a line of profanities spewed out one after another, it is refreshing to find a film that actually makes you think before you laugh. Ghost Town is cleverly written by David Koepp (Also the director) and John Kamps. It also has a great cast that includes Kinnear, Leoni, Kristen Wiig, Dana Ivey and Alan Tuck. But it is Gervais who is the star of the show. He makes the movie.
This is one of the best movies of the year, so far. It even has echoes of the Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore starrer Ghost. It is a simple film but also a simply delicious one. Do yourself a favor and go to see it.
I scored Ghost Town a spooky 8 out of 10.
