Only Floss The Teeth That You Want To Keep. (Ghost Town (DVD))

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Ghost Town (DVD)
Date:	14/10/09 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A funny movie that keeps you laughing

Disadvantages: If you hate Ricky Gervais you'll hate this

When Bertram Pincus goes into hospital for a simple operation something strange happens to him and when he leaves he can suddenly see dead people. It turns out that people person Pincus died for less than 7 minutes on the operating table. Now that he can see the dead they want him to help them to make someone feel better. Pincus though doesn't like the living, so can't stand the dead but one of them, Frank Herlihy, won't take no for an answer and pesters Pincus to try and break up his formers wife's impending marriage. Pincus agrees and as he gets to know Gwen he starts to fall in love with her but the complications along the way create a number of obstacles.

This is one of those films that looked really good on the adverts and while I had a little trepidation about watching it, I decided to go into it with an open mind. My main concern was whether a comedy about a Dentist who could interact with dead people would work and particularly as Gervais was taking the lead role. Despite my slight concerns I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the film and as romantic dead comedies go it was particularly funny.

It's a slightly different type of movie to the usual films from director David Koepp with his previous films including Secret Window and Stir of Echoes. He has put this film together particularly well and the special effects are really well done. In particular the sneeze as someone walks through one of the ghosts is a very clever concept. He uses some very clever camera work and creates some very amusing scenes. His direction and use of the lighting and sound work particularly well and I was very impressed with the finished article.

With Koepp also taking on part of the script writing with John Camps it meant that the script and direction stayed true to the original vision. The plot travels at a reasonable pace and while it doesn't follow quite the regular path you would expect it works as something slightly different. The character of Pincus is very well written and you really get a good feel for how he is and as the films progress and you find out more about him you start to understand his hatred of pretty much anyone.

The role of Pincus is portrayed particularly well by Ricky Gervais in his first lead role in a Hollywood movie. He adapts to the part particularly well and this dispelled one of my earlier worries. I was expecting to see just another version of the Office's David Brent but thankfully Gervais did something a little different with Pincus and it worked very well. You want to hate him because of his attitude to everyone, but as you learn more about him and he comes out of his shell you grow to like him. I feel I should warn you though if you're not a fan of Gervais and his humour this isn't a film for you.

While the film really appears to be a vehicle to launch Gervais in America there are also a couple of good performances from his supporting cast. In particular Greg Kinnear's performance as the dead cheating husband Frank is particularly enjoyable. He plays the character well and while you find yourself won over by Gervais you love to hate Frank throughout. The other notable performance is from Tea Leoni who plays Frank's ex wife particularly well. There is some great chemistry between her and Gervais and i really felt that added a bit of conviction to their performances.

Overall I have to say that whilst I did have my concerns before sitting down to watch it, they were quickly dismissed. This is an enjoyable comedy film that plays on an old style of story and gives it a nice new twist. The soundtrack adds some real feeling to the movie and as well as countless funny moments there are some rather serious scene that Gervais in particular pulls of very well. If you're not a fan of Ricky Gervais this really isn't for you, otherwise it s a film that will make you laugh and if nothing else will pass 102 minutes of an evening without any problem at all.

Amazon: £4.98
Amazon Marketplace: £4.49

Summary: Gervais hits the Hollywood big time in his first lead role