'He sees dead people... and they annoy him' (Ghost Town (DVD))

Member Name: thedevilinme

Product:	Ghost Town (DVD)
Date:	30/04/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ricky got away with it

Disadvantages: Could be funnier

Ricky Gervais is no leading man, that's for sure, wisely not allowing himself to be cast in that territory for his first starring role in Hollywood. He's not the best looking Brit to step up from popular comedy television and certainly couldn't get away with getting the beautiful girl at the end of any Hollywood movie. What he is though is a bright guy and knew from the off that the traditional type of casting would never work, ending his movie career stone dead, Ricky expecting the Americans to probably cast him as the traditional British villain from over the pond if he did tackle a project like this. And as women mostly despise Ricky over here and probably said that in the test screenings over there I was expecting the film we eventually got. So he battled for as much control on the project as he could with director David Koep-who co-writes the screenplay-so not to be made to look a chubby laughing stock - even though this is a comedy. Previous supporting turns have seen him as the pompous and grumpy Brit in the bowtie, the usual cliché role open to comics like Ricky to get a foot hold in Hollywood. Steve Cogan failed to heed that warning and bombed over the pond in some seriously nondescript performances. Only Sasha Baron-Cohen and the Python boys really cracked the box-office there.

American audiences, of course, can only know him as David Brent, hence the offer of a Hollywood movie, as do most British punters know him as the obnoxious boss, and so whatever role he plays it will always be Brent somewhere in the mix, as is the case here. The problem is Americans who went to watch this movie would probably not have watched The Office and so not really know who Ricky Gervais is and how cute his humour can be. But by all accounts he pulled it off over there and he is refreshingly funny in that lead, some of the signature Gervais humour sneaking through, however dumbed down his act is by the editors for those unsophisticated American multiplex audiences. In other words he got away with it and will live to fight another day

-The Cast-

Greg Kinnear ... Frank Herlihy
Ricky Gervais ... Bertram Pincus D.D.S.
Téa Leoni ... Gwen
Aasif Mandvi ... Dr. Prashar
Billy Campbell...Richard

-The Plot-

Ricky plays lonely Manhattan dentist Bertram Pincus, as the name suggests a rather pompous Brit, his misanthropic (a scornful mistrust of humankind) manner alienating him from just about everyone he meets or associates with. He doesn't want any friends and they don't want to be his friend. But he's about to make a lot more associates when, after a routine procedure in hospital, he dies for seven minutes, incorrect anaesthetic applied. After those seven minutes he has found himself in a unique situation where humans and ghost can now see and talk to him, a bridge between the two dimensions. He's very much alive and they are very much dead. Everyone from nurses from 1912 and construction workers from 2008 can see him.

At the same time Greg Kinnears character Frank is getting run over by a bus, very inconvenient as he has a dinner date and an apartment to view, now a ghost and wandering the streets of New York in his tux, he one of many spooks and spirits (in visual non decaying human form) not yet going to where they should be going to, up top, caught in that in-between.

So enter Frank into Bertram's life, harassing the dentist until he agrees to break up his living ex wife's relationship with her new fiancé, handsome charity worker Richard (Billy Campbell), Frank claming Richard is allsorts of bad things he clearly isn't. Frank is jealous and if the dentist doesn't help him the gaggle of ghost who have problems they want Bertram to sort out will never go away and he will never get any peace.

The lady in question is attractive archaeologist Gwen Harris (Téa Leoni), who lives in the dentists housing block but yet another who can't stand him. So with the guidance of Frank he has to set about breaking them apart, but inevitably falls for her, which is never going to be reciprocated. But it's this act of getting involved in other people's lives that wakes Bertram up to other people's problems as the ghosts increasingly gather around an agitated man. But if he could just give people a chance, living or dead, then there's a better man waiting to come out.

-The Conclusion-

'He sees dead people... and they annoy him', is the films tag-line, which is funny in that Ricky Gervais way, what we all hope from this film when we rent it. It's a comic cross between Ghost and perhaps MJ Foxes, 'The Frighteners', the twist being the ghost cant go anywhere until the humans make things right with them in the other world, Ricky revelling as the go between where he is neither hero or villain on screen, which makes for some original comic situations, Gervais able to exploit that in ways that are not too naff and appeal to all audiences, his love of improve and tweaking other peoples scripts the key to the core laughs here. Although Ricky is restricted by his image and comic manor the chemistry isn't as gauche between him and the American actors as you would expect, Greg Kinnear great fun as the tuxedoed ghost and so not stealing the movie away from Ricky as the handsome lead. Téa Leoni is surprisingly comically skilled and coming across very warm on screen, playing the tricky role of the beautiful woman who seems to be irrationally falling for the ugly leading man, balancing out that possibility, with subtlety, that wont be happening in the movie, but Ricky still not the villain of the piece, even though his character is not remotely charismatic throughout. I mean I love the guys humour but he's not the most likeable chap on and off screen what ever he does. In fact there is a dose of misanthropic about him when you think it. If we are honest we had to think twice before renting this and I bet the girls are really put off by him still.
If you are put off by Ricky then don't worry as he plays out the guy you think he is and with lots of gentle laughs to be had in what is a well constructed Hollywood comedy and you will feel your £3.95 isn't wasted. Hardcore Gervais fans will have to wait another day for the movie we really want him to make, as we did with Sasha Baron Cohen...

= = = = Special Features = = = =

-Audio commentary-

Director David Koep and Ricky giggle their way through the layered track. It may be worth a listen if you have an hour or so to kill after you have watched the film.

-Making Ghost Town-

The cast and crew have their say, Ricky brining along his Pug dog. You know what the say about owners looking like their pets.

-Ghost Town Effects-

Straightforward Special effects stuff.

-Some people can do it-

Bloopers and out-takes are many, as you would expect with Ricky's 'improv' and silliness approach to life in general...

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Imdb.com 7.1 out of 10.0 (15,052 votes)
2 films for 2 midweek nights for £5 at Blockbusters.
RuN-TiME 102 minutes
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Summary: Andy Millman does dentistry..