User reviews

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

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.

Ricky Gervais, the star of the British "The Office" and "Extras", is someone you wouldn't really expect to be on the big screen. Yet here he is, delivering an hilarious and heartfelt performance in what one would usually consider the most clichéd of genres: the romantic comedy.

In Ghost Town, Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, a socially awkward prick of a dentist who dies for seven minutes while going in for a routine colonoscopy. Through this miraculous experience he gains the annoying ability to see ghosts- all of whom want him to finish their business on Earth. In particular is Frank, the unfaithful husband of Gwen, a woman who lives in Bertram's building. Frank needs Bertram to separate Gwen from her new self-righteous do-gooder fiancé, and if Bertram can accomplish this Frank will make all the other ghosts go away.

Greg Kinnear and the wonderful Tea Leoni round out the lead characters as Frank and Gwen. All three (Gervais, Kinnear, and Leoni) get big laughs and are utterly charming. Indeed, it is no overstatement to call Ghost Town riotously funny- the laughs come big and often. Too often it turns out, because when Ghost Town tries to stray into the more dramatic or tender areas of the story it feels somewhat awkward and forced. The mistake was made of focusing too much on broad hilarity, so that when the movie really attempts to focus on story it seems strange that the humor is suddenly gone. The film never becomes anything more than just a silly little trifle.

Yet there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. What we get is a thoroughly entertaining tale with a fascinating lead character. Add in the performances of the three leads and you have a fully satisfying movie-going experience. I would probably give this film a 7.5 rating, but since that isn't allowed and I'm not feeling an 8, I'll go with- 7/10 stars!!!

Jay Addison

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 ****

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)

David Koepp (director) did some good stuff here... it's a very good balance between a romantic movie and comedy movie... not too much weighted to either side. Who would have thought that one of the guys who wrote the story/plot for "Jurassic Park", would also be responsible for a movie like this?

The acting is pretty good and the 3 'heavies' in the cast (Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni and Greg Kinnear) all deliver good performances for each of their characters.

Overall it's a good, light-hearted movie, that deals with the heavy subject matter (death) in a funny and non-serious way. It almost makes fun of death, as much of the comedy in the movie is derived from people who are dead, being stuck in the clothes that they had on when they died for eternity... so you died in your underpants? That's what you'll be wearing for eternity.

An English dentist (Ricky Gervais) living in Manhattan starts to see and hear ghosts, who won't leave him alone until he agrees to sort out a few things for them. To make things worse he is a loner / recluse who is sarcastic, offensive and completely devoid of any social skills.

Similar to Jack Nicholson's character from As Good As It Gets, however being a professional comedian gives Ricky an edge when delivering all those funny lines in the movie.

Funny, witty and touching in places and generally enjoyable. It's not going to be the best comedy of the year by a long shot but great if you're in the mood for something light-hearted and cheesy.

Worthy watching if not just for the scenes between Ricky and the dog.

The story: A dentist, played by Ricky Gervais, is sick of dealing with people. Not just a few people; everyone. Social niceties annoy him and "just being friendly" is out of the question. But this doesn't prevent annoying chatter from following him to his dental practice or even to the hospital where he must undergo his first colonoscopy. While the doctors roll him down a corridor on a gurney, chatting about frivolous nonsense, he interrupts and insists on full anesthesia for the examination.

The Problem: Once back on the street, he realizes he can see people that others cannot. He returns to the hospital and asks the doctor if anything unusual happened during the procedure. The doctor's reticence does not deter him from wrenching the truth from her that, technically speaking, he was dead for "almost 7 minutes". As a result, he can now see ghosts. And of course, they all want something from him.

The "something" that one particular ghost, Frank (Greg Kinnear), wants is for him to intervene in the romance of Frank's widow. At first reluctant to take on the task, he finally is blackmailed into to trying to break up her relationship and soon, he begins to enjoy the challenge.

The film rises above the hackneyed "invisible man" jokes and plays out as a fresh comedy romance. Not fresh on plot, admittedly, but on Gervais' style. True, it's the same character he always plays, but seeing it long-form and with the love interest,it's satisfying. The romance in the plot calls for a performance that offers more than a tortured look or a snarky comment - and Gervais delivers.

There are no weepy "But I love you" scenes. There are touching moments, however, that are more akin to "classic" Hollywood, rather than the big-budget, ruin-the-characters, 4th-installment, CGI festivals that are the hallmark of Tinseltown these days. Worth seeing. Our packed-house audience laughed out loud and applauded the ending.

'Ghost Town (2006)' starts out quite cringeworthy, especially considering Gervais' initially grating, typically sarcastic persona. It's also never really funny, often hopping from the broadest of the broad (including 'fart jokes') to more subtle and successful fare in mere moments. Eventually, however, the film reveals its heart and the somewhat soppy, generally generic but ultimately appreciated messages within, which makes for an overall experience that's surprisingly sweet and pleasantly watchable (thanks, in no small part, to the effortlessly likeable Greg Kinnear). 6/10

This has great ratings everywhere but here. I was shocked. It's so much fun and the actors have AMAZING chemistry. I don't understand who wouldn't love this movie.

I have seen this movie twice, once in theatres and now on DVD. I'm happy to say that I still find it very enjoyable, a quirky blend of supernatural and humor that happily finds its groove. I realize that the idea of a person communicating with the dearly departed is hardly original in Hollywood--however, the majority of the time it works great and this is no exception. The setup here is an antisocial dentist who walk the thin line of keeping the obnoxious population off his back without thoroughly hurting them. It's difficult and he often fails. A near-death experience in an operating room leave him with veil opened and every annoying ghost in New York City seeking him for help. It's funny, it truly is, and finds plenty of fairly original details to keep it from being just another ghost story. The cast is marvelous, the characters clever, and the aura mozies along as if this is nothing but a romp rather than an innocent man being haunted. Delightful and definitely a DVD keeper.

In the series Extras we were given Ricky Gervais's views on celebrity, and those who chase it at the cost of their integrity. Following Ricky's career from failed musician to "tinpot" radio DJ, to his success with The Office and the new medium of Podcasting, Ghost Town couldn't be a more blatant vehicle for selling out. It makes no sense. He was building the right kind of credibility in America with his appearance on The Simpsons, and cameo in For Your Consideration. A fan base of American comedy stalwarts like Larry David and Chris Rock, and a groundswell of interest in his Podcasts and stand-up, why would he suddenly sully all he has worked so hard for to make an in-flight rom-com? A pastiche of everything from A Christmas Carol, The Sixth Sense, Fawlty Towers, Groundhog Day and early Woody Allen films. Ghost Town is neither here nor there, and largely forgettable.

The plot is certainly un-Gervais and concerns ghosts, something the atheist Ricky derides at every opportunity in his Podcasts. Missing a glaring opportunity to have Karl Pilkington appear as a blind ghost, casting is instead comprised of the most annoying actors in Hollywood today. Gervais's misanthrope works against the sappy script of redemption, as with a cast this irritating, the sardonic wit of the earlier Gervais is more likable compared to the sniveling wretch he has to become to get the girl.

Gervais was attempting to finally break into Hollywood, which he would have done anyway if he had just kept being himself. Earlier this year he ripped the hell out of Karl Pilkington's film idea (a ludicrous romantic drama which stared Rebecca De Mornay and Clive Warren (sic)) for having a nonsense plot and cast of nobodies and has-beens. After seeing Ghost Town, I know who the money should have gone to.

Another very similar film from Gervais' US catalogue. His character always either has no social skills and is horrible, or has no social skills but is very nice. But, put in the right context, it's a character that works well.

The plot, whilst not incredibly original, was sequenced well, and although there are no surprises along the way, keeps you entertained enough to watch all the way through. It's not hilarious, but I don't think it's meant to be, with a mild humour throughout keeping the mood light without removing the more serious context of the scenes.

It's easy, it's nice, it's a worthwhile watch to keep everyone entertained.

A reasonable film, worth a watch, with a bag of popcorn or box of chocolates. A few slow bits, but on the whole, enough to hold your attention. Ricky Gervais played well, and was believable as a grouchy dentist, and the rest of the cast were good too. On the whole, it was an amusing your and a half or so, with a few touching parts. Not a lot of surprises or twists and turns, but then again none really expected in a film of this genre. I would recommend this film to anyone who just needs to relax, take their minds off life for a while, and watch a film that doesn't need a lot of concentrating on.

As a Brit, we know Gervais well and while I cheer him on from the sidelines, enjoy his cold calculated comedy at the Golden Globes and feel his pain watching the US version of The Office take off without him...he is not my preferred evening viewing. But this crept up on me. It is a strangely compelling storyline, and while it is true Gervais is (to repeat a marvellous and rather unfair quote about Rupert Everett) typecast as a w****r, he was perfect as the unlikely link between our world and the next world.

The film has wonderful characters dropping in, and zips along, and nearly mimics the feel (and music of) of As It Gets, a Greg Kinnear classic.

Usually gervais can be a bit much. Or atleast thats how some people see him. I think hes pretty fun. Ateast the way he acts in this movie is. His personality is pretty funny here. And it shows his acting range. He plays pincus. A dentist that is very antisocial. One day he dies for seven minutes and can now suddenly see ghosts, who all want his help. The plot plays off from there as he helps them, and in particular a man named frank. Greg kinner is him and he is also pretty good in this movie. Pincus gets friendly with his widower. This is gwen played by the wonderful tea leoni. Id say overall its a fun film with good acting and a pretty good way of looking at death and how it affects us.

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.

He is moody. He is sarcastic. He is Romantic and cute. He is rude. He is selfish. But he never makes you hate him because deep down you feel what he's going through although we know late in the movie what's happened to him. The subtle jokes, his sarcasm, unconventional jokes all pans out good in this movie. It's a feel-good romantic comedy with the beautiful Téa Leoni. One goof I noticed is they said Jahangir is a Hindu name when it's not.

For years I have used IMDb for movie reviews to help make a decision before i went to the cinema and often voted on movies i had seen but this is my first time actually writing a comment about a movie due to it being so bad.its the first movie I've ever walked out of!! How this film got 7.8,even at the early stages of voting is beyond me.The acting is disastrous and the director seemed to think that Gervais could just do the same thing he does in the office with quick mumbled lines.don't get me wrong,i love the UK version of the office, and the US version isn't bad either (albeit overacted) but when you put them together as what seemed to happen in this film it just doesn't work (i refer to the scene where the female doctor is interrupting Gervais.torturous!) The special effects,where people walk thru ghosts was better done in the 1990 movie "ghost". It seems like Gervais has shown that hes a one trick pony and cant seem to do anything else other than a David bent like character. In my opinion I think that IMDb is becoming flawed in the stars films are getting because i seriously doubt that the people giving this film 9s and 10s are genuine votes. Please avoid at all costs!!

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-

Ricky Gervaise is one of those comedians who should be more annoying than he actually is. That's not to say he isn't annoying - he is - but this annoyance factor is surpassed by his sense of humour and comic timing. He gives a good performance here, and is entirely believable as a cold misanthropic dentist who finds himself harassed by dead people after temporarily dying himself on the operating table. Greg Kinnear is the dead guy who manages to monopolise Gervaise's services and it is in the relationship between these two - and Kinnear's wife (Tea Leoni) - that the film finds it's heart.

The story is obviously pretty daft, but it is the comedy - and Gervaise's delivery of it - that makes this film better than it might otherwise have been. While he's no leading man - as he grows older he is beginning to look more and more like a young(ish) Winston Churchill - this type of role is perfect for his talents and he doesn't waste the opportunity to show them off to good effect. There are a handful of genuinely funny moments, which is quite a rich haul for Hollywood comedies these days, and a refreshing resistance to the temptation to insert major gross-out gags. Despite a few cynical expletives and near the knuckle jokes, this one would probably appeal to fans of comedies from Hollywood's vintage era.