|
|
|
|
 |
Ghost Town
(2008)
Comedies are often hit or miss, and this dichotomy is probably not reduced by casting Ricky Gervais – the creator and star of the worldwide smash hit The Office, which first aired on the BBC in 2001. Gervais has grown a little older and a little more likeable as he has moved from television onto the big screen, but he's still a highly characteristic figure who can hardly be dubbed a diverse performer. Either you like him or you don't. Or rather: either you dislike him with a grin or you dislike him altogether. In Ghost Town, Gervais plays a misanthropic and negative dentist who finds himself in limbo after inapt hospital personnel mix up his anaesthesia during a routine operation. Suddenly he can see and hear ghosts of dead people who roam the streets restlessly. When they realize he can sense them, they start asking him for favours. Much of the premise in this film is more than a little familiar, but some parts of it are not, and some parts are given a fresh treatment. Anyone who has seen the lightweight Reese Witherspoon rom-com called Just Like Heaven probably won't be too impressed with Ghost Town at first glance, but there is more to this film than initially meets the eye. Not only are we given a fresh explanation as to the purpose of ghosts, but there is also a genuine humanity in David Koepp's direction, which functions brilliantly in contrast with Gervais' cold and life-weary character. Quite a bit of Gervais' comedy is closely related to his David Brent character, and he needs a little while to establish Bertram Pincus here, but once he does, he creates a sincere and complex character in whom most people can find recognition. And the film's entanglements and romantic developments are both funny and sincere, if ultimately somewhat improbable.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
_150w.jpg)
