Ghost Town
By Beth Davies-StofkaOct 21, 2008 - 16:30
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Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Ruck, Jeff Hiller
Directed by: David Koepp
Produced by: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Ezra Swerdlow
Written by: David Koepp, John Kamps
Genre: Comedy and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: September 19th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references.
Distributors: DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures
Ghost Town is, in a word, hilarious. While no experience delivers quite the same thrill as seeing movie magic unfold in a dark theater, I recommend waiting to see this gem on DVD. You'll need the pause and rewind features on your DVD player, because you might fall over laughing, and miss something.
Ricky Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, D.D.S., a miserable misanthropic specimen of a man who just wants to fix teeth and be left alone. While he's not quite as nasty as that other famously haunted misanthrope, Ebenezer Scrooge, it's easy to see why no one at all is fond of Dr. Pincus.
Greg Kinnear plays Frank Herlihy, a ghost who is convinced that he must help his widow find happiness before he can move on. He's not alone. "New York City is lousy with ghosts," he tells Pincus. And they have a lot of unfinished business. When the ghosts realize Pincus can see them, they begin mobbing him, begging for his help. What could be a worse fate for a misanthrope!
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Like any good love story, the main character grows, transforming into a better version of a human being. Like many good ghost stories, the movie offers its own reflections about the meaning of life, reminding us what really matters. Like any decent romantic comedy set in New York City, the city is always on its best behavior, beautiful and idealized and always willing to do its best to nudge a new romance along.
Indeed, the whole movie would be pretty white bread, with a "haven't-I-seen-this-before" vibe, were it not for the genius of Ricky Gervais. He's so unlovable that we don't look for a happy ending. But he's so lonely, and we all know the pain of loneliness, and so we ache for him. We're nearly reduced to praying for him as we watch him subvert his chances with Gwen. It's not so bad to relive these painful feelings, though. Gervais makes us laugh so hard that we're rolling around in our seats, tears streaming down our cheeks.
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The powerfully affecting final scene is filled with the subtlety of hope we usually associate with a Richard Curtis film. That raises my only real criticism of Ghost Town. It would have worked better as a Christmas film. At Christmas, we're more in the mood for a New York City romance replete with ghosts and poignant reminders of the little things that give our lives so much meaning.
The release date for Ghost Town on DVD is estimated for January. Perhaps they'll think better of this, and get it onto shelves in time for Christmas. This hilarious little movie gets a 4.5 out of 5 on my CYTIE Index.*
*CYTIE stands for Causes You to Ignore Everything. I don't know its provenance, so be sure to post and let me know where it came from!
Rating: 7/10
Last Updated: Feb 5, 2012 - 22:31
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