In his first top billing in a feature film, Ricky Gervais sees dead people. Socially stunted Bertram Pincus (Gervais) dies unexpectedly only to be miraculously revived shortly after. The downside is he now sees ghosts everywhere. Worse still, they all seem to need his help, especially Frank (Greg Kinnear), who wants Pincus to stop his widow's (Tea Leoni) impending wedding.
Gervais' most successful outings to this point have seen him pull double shifts as both actor and writer. This time the latter duty falls to director David Koepp, whose scriptwriting experience is rooted in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones IV.
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Ghost Town involves Gervais doing a version of The Office's David Brent transplanted to Manhattan. He's Bertram Pincus, a misanthropic dentist who can suddenly see and hear ghosts. This ability, attained after he "died" for a few minutes during an operation, leads him to be bothered by Manhattan's ghost population, who all have unresolved issues. Pincus not only sees dead people, he hates hates dead people.
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Smartly supernatural, and featuring sensational performances by Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni, Ghost Town is a 'Topper' for our times.
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A misanthropic dentist, a roguish ghost and a zany Egyptologist: as these unlikely companions scamper around Manhattan in the buoyant comedy Ghost Town, they resurrect the spirits of classic movie curmudgeons like W. C. Fields and such romantic comedians as Cary Grant and Carole Lombard in Woody Allen territory.
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In his first lead role, Gervais seems to struggle with the rom-com restraints. He's genuinely funny - but he's not a leading man, and at times you can almost sense his frustration with the genre he's working in.
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Both very funny and a bit of a tearjerker, with an on-the-money performance from Ricky Gervais.
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Ricky Gervais does a good job of livening up this generic romantic comedy.
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Audiences who feel battered by Hollywood's usual hard-sell approach to farce may be disarmed by Koepp's soft touch and inclined to credit blandness as understatement.
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A winning mix of sharp comedy and touching bits that keeps the laughter - a few tears - flowing.
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If you like Gervais' usual schtick, you might be prepared to overlook the hackneyed plot for the jokes and strong cast.
Full reviewGhost Town is available to stream in New Zealand now on Google Play and Apple TV.
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