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Ghost Town (2008)

Director: David Koepp

Time Out rating

Average user rating

52 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Before ‘Ghost Town’ was released in the US, writer-director David Koepp suggested that he had doubts whether Ricky Gervais would be able to carry the project. It’s an odd remark, especially when Gervais is the last person who should be blamed for the film’s failings. Assuming his usual guise as the jittery, acid-tongued malcontent, he excels as a dentist with the Groucho-esque moniker of Bertram Pincus. He dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy and, on leaving hospital, is able to see members of NYC’s dead who have business to attend to in the land of the living. The spirit of a city slicker played by Greg Kinnear railroads him into stopping his graceful other half (Téa Leoni) marrying a smug lawyer, but when Pincus gets to know her, well, you can guess the rest…

It’s not unlikeable – but no effort has been made to make anything more of the Scrooge-comes-good model. Gervais’s sweetly pathetic performance masks many of the failings of the by-the-book quirky direction and workaday script, but Leoni is decent as the romantic foil and Kinnear’s slimy-everyman act works well. Enjoyable as it is to see Gervais trying (and often succeeding) to make something of the mediocre dialogue, it’s not enough.

Author: David Jenkins

Time Out London Issue 1992: October 23-29, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Andy said...

Posted on Mar 03 2010 15:27 Seems some people will laugh at anything. If you've seen 'The Office' you'll know Gervais has never made a film that comes close to it in terms of comical affect. He makes a decent effort in this film, but the plot is predictable and the dialogue very weak. A waste of 2 hours.

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Andy S said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 13:38 Really not bad at all, considering Gervais was the worst thing in 'Night at the Museum'. Quite funny and touching. Obviously silly at times, but still, better than other films of the genre.

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chrisjones said...

Posted on May 10 2009 03:59 this was an awful film.gervais is not very good at all in iy,he seems nervous,irrelavant and incipid in it and all the actors struggle with a wet flat script that is full of cliches .The uppermiddleclass locations and stock characters just dont seem in tandem with the times and the moral leson at the end gets caught up in its own sticky self righteousness.Its just seems a bit old fashioned but not in a good way.It left me cold and disaponted

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wilko said...

Posted on Mar 16 2009 12:58 Ricky Gervais did extremely well with such a flimsy plot. Starts well enough but you don't really get to know why Bertram is such a grumpy old sod and he doesn't seem particularly fazed dead people popping up all over for a chat. Could have been much better.

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Cathie said...

Posted on Dec 17 2008 12:36 Not a lover of Ricky Gervais, I went to see the film simply becasue the trailers looked good & my husband fancied seeing it. Delighted to say it was very, very funny and Gervias steals the show. Very highly recommended.

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me001 said...

Posted on Nov 29 2008 10:54 It depends on who you are. you either live it or you hate it. I love it the first 3/4 of the film had me so close to suffercating myself as i was laughing so much, the last 1/4 is typical hollywood with some funny moments but thats where the funnyness dies out.

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WILLBER said...

Posted on Nov 28 2008 13:53 Suprisingly gentle comedy that has it's moments

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Jake said...

Posted on Nov 18 2008 15:47 Going to watch this tonight! Gemma if wou werent anything more than an extra..YOU DIDNT "STAR" IN IT lol

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Kirst said...

Posted on Nov 17 2008 11:00 light and amusing. as a lot of people have said Ghost whisperer - but bonus main character is NOT annoying and actually speaks properly.

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ANONYMOUSS said...

Posted on Nov 16 2008 10:29 is this a gooooddd film????
from looookin at the trailerr i'd giv it 7/1O :/

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ash said...

Posted on Nov 15 2008 23:44 one of the crappes movies EVER!!! CNT BELIEVE I WAISTED MY TIME. dats 2 hrs of my life i ent guna get bak.

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me1 said...

Posted on Nov 12 2008 19:55 Gemma cannot spell - let alone act ;o)

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GILLIAN said...

Posted on Nov 12 2008 15:14 WAT IS GEMMA ON ABOUT STARED IN JAMES BOND, WAT AS A EXTRA

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Alicia said...

Posted on Nov 09 2008 10:37 Going to c this film 2nite it better be good :D

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emily said...

Posted on Nov 08 2008 13:14 Hilarious film...definately one of the funniest films I have seen EVER...would strongly reccomend this to everyone... Gervais is hilarious...left everyone in the screen laughing... plenty of "laugh-out-loud" moments!

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