Ghost Town
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell
Dir: David Koepp
Rating: 3/5
Not content with being just a comedian and a television star with hit shows The Office and Extras Ricky Gervais is now a star of the big screen with Ghost Town.
He may have had supporting roles in the past in Stardust and Night at the Museum but Ghost Town and the role of Pincus gives the British funnyman his first Hollywood lead role.
Dr. Bertram Pincus (Gervais) doesn't like people very much. In fact, the antisocial dentist does everything he can to avoid interaction with other human beings.
Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for when he is released from the hospital after undergoing a standard procedure: he can see dead people, and they can see him.
Suddenly, every ghost in New York City wants Pincus to help clean up their unfinished business. Dapper Frank (Kinnear) is the most persistent ghost, badgering Pincus to help keep his widow, Gwen (Leoni), from making a big mistake.
Ok so Gervais may not have been your first choice for a romantic Hollywood lead but he pulls it off well, uneasy at first, but he grows into the character of Pincus, who sort of reminds you of a younger version of Victor Meldrew.
The comedy in the role comes easy to Gervais but it's perhaps the romantic element of the story that he struggles with. However a great support cast of Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear, who is desperately underrated as an actor, help him and the story along.
And while it does seem that Ghost Town is a mash of The Sixth Sense, Groundhog Day and Ghost all roll into one there is something quite charming about the whole film, though not as funny as you would expect.
Despite his miserable outlook on life and people you can't help but grow to like Pincus and you are willing on a character who, after being hurt in the past, shut himself as far away from the world as possible to prevent it from happening again.
And you can't help but will him on to open up his life again and let people in. And although the romance aspect of the story doesn't quite ring true it's a good performance from Gervais in his first lead.
Ghost Town is a good rom-com and yes alright it doesn't break any new ground it's an enjoyable film with some good performances from it's talented cast.
Ghost Town is out on DVD now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw