Movie Review: ‘Ghost Town’ is more than a romantic comedy.
Too many romantic comedies are predictable and have overused storylines, but “Ghost Town” isn’t one of them.
“Ghost Town” is about an antisocial dentist who is reluctantly forced into helping people. Well, not people, per se, but ghosts.
Bertram Pincus is the dentist, played by the actor Ricky Gervais (BBC’s “The Office”). After Pincus dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy, he soon learns he has the ability to speak to ghosts. Though it sounds kind of cool, there’s one problem: ghosts can be obnoxiously needy. Who knew?
The neediest ghost of them all is Frank (Greg Kinnear, “Little Miss Sunshine”). After successfully harassing the poor dentist, Frank agrees to leave Pincus alone only if he helps break up his widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni, “Fun with Dick and Jane”), and her fiancée, Richard (Billy Campbell, “Once and Again”).
Thus ,the unavoidable romance storyline, Pincus falls in love with Gwen. Predictable, but that’s sort of the point. This is a romance movie after all, isn’t it?
While “Ghost Town” may appear to be a romantic comedy on the surface, the truth is, it’s so much more. If anything, I’d say the romance aspect is minor compared to everything else. And by everything else, I mean the theme of life and death. In this way, there is a meaningful message to be taken away.
I’m not going to spoil anything, but this movie is deep. However, I admit the impact of the film is entirely up to the viewer. Not everyone is going to take away the same message I did. Nor are the underlying messages especially obvious.
Moreover, at the risk of sounding girly, I did choke up a little towards the end. Yes ladies, guys can get emotional at movies, too. I’m only human. Besides, it’s hard not to get a little teary when this movie is just so beautifully crafted.
But for those who are not looking for a tender love story, rest assured there’s plenty of cynical and inappropriate humor to be found. That humor is provided amazingly well by Gervais.
Every laugh is delivered in an almost effortless way, which is fitting for the character and the story. I also love the fact that Gervais can create a joke out of the most minute details. It’s very subtle, refreshing and effective.
On the other hand, Tea Leoni doesn’t do such a great job. Though her character is likeable, her acting is completely out of sync. At seemingly random moments, Leoni would laugh at something that really wasn’t funny at all. She unintentionally came across as being creepy at times.
I hate to break it to you Leoni, but when you laugh at nothing, people tend to think you’re crazy. Nevertheless, I’ll have whatever she’s having– sounds like a good time.
Last but not least, Kinnear delivers a solid performance. The back and forth bickering between Kinnear and Gervais is hilarious. And his character embodies the same charm that made Kinnear so loveable in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
In the end, “Ghost Town” is original, thoughtful and funny. Sure, ghost movies have been done before– “Over Her Dead Body” even did the whole ghost romance thing – but none compare to “Ghost Town.”
So ladies, be sure to drag your guy to this movie, because despite past cringe worthy romantic comedies, this one is actually good.