Ricky Gervais’ funny bone isn’t easily captured by the glossy Hollywood system.
“Ghost Town” is exhibit A, and if its poor showing over the weekend has anything to say about it, we may not get an exhibit B, C or D.
Gervais, the British maestro of “The Office,” plays a selfish dentist named Bertram Pincus who dies, briefly, during a routine surgical procedure.
When he wakes up, he realizes that he has the power to see ghosts. And these aren’t Casper types. They look like you or me, and more often than not they’re looking for favors.
Take Greg Kinnear’s ghost, a philanderer named Frank who left behind Gwen (Tea Leoni).
That’s gotta hurt.
Frank wants Bertram to break up Gwen’s current romance with a do-gooder (Billy Campbell). If he does, Frank promises to stop haunting Bertram.
“Ghost Town” begins on a darkly whimsical note, but it careens across the tonal map en route toward its complicated ending. Gervais tosses off some sublime line readings, but his character is too dark to fully embrace. A crackerjack script would help win us over, but co-writer/director David Koepp stumbles every time he seems to have the film firmly in hand.
Leoni proves once again how good she can be as both a dramatic lead and love interest, but Kinnear is oddly lost playing a sleazy guy with a good side buried under layers of self love.
The gags come and go, but the heart of the film remains elusive.
“Ghost Town” is miles ahead of the usual rom-com fare, but Gervais deserves a better vehicle to prove his leading man chops.
(Photo: Ricky Gervais confronts Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear in the frustrating rom-com “Ghost Town.”)
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
chase 09.23.08 at 3:20 pm
Gervais can be annoying, and I’m not sure he translates to American media any better than uberirritating Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) … his run in HBO’s “Extras” was less than stellar, more self aware than funny … I’m not sure American’s really have a taste for Gervais’ Brit-shtick …
cftoto 09.23.08 at 3:27 pm
Critics, en masse, often fall deeply in love with an artist (U2, Bob Dylan, Woody Allen). I suspect they’re currently crushing on Gervais. You’re right — “Extras” wasn’t very funny, but it earned some rave reviews.
I don’t mind Gervais’ shtick, but I do mind his uneven body of work.
Mike 09.23.08 at 6:50 pm
My wife and I really enjoyed this film. It was enjoyable to have a film that is not the formulaic romantic comedy.
cftoto 09.23.08 at 6:53 pm
Mike - this is definitely not a cookie cutter romantic comedy. I found it good enough that I wished it were better, though …
Thanks for checking in with your thoughts.
Heidi 09.23.08 at 7:00 pm
I liked it, but I am a big fan of Ricky Garvais in the original version of “The Office.” I am also a huge fan of British comedy in general. I think Garvais is a little dry for American audiences, but personally, I think he’s hysterical. My father has a very dry sense of humor - my friends never knew when he was joking, but I always knew. You either understand this kind of humor or you don’t. I also grew up with a mother who clean teeth for a living so I “got” this movie on several levels.
Where exactly do you think the script went wrong? Do you think Koepp should have made Pincus more likable? I think the movie would have been too fuzzy wuzzy if Pincus had been written as a likable character.
cftoto 09.23.08 at 7:04 pm
I found Gervais’ ‘conversion’ scene pretty cheap … I think I needed more to convince me he was having a change of heart. I also found Kinnear’s character poorly developed. A well written cad would win me over …. but his character kept me rooting for Leoni’s new beau.
Found the overall presentation uneven. But again … better than any Kate Hudson romance.
Dwight 09.25.08 at 2:17 pm
I kept seeing this role written for Steve Carrell. Carrell can play a jerk and still have a vulnerability about him. Gervais was SO unlikable I was just uncomfortable watching him.
Gervais transition from “mean” to “redeemed” came too late in the third act. When he started helping the ghosts I needed more than a two minute montage. “Naked Guy” was mined for a few laughs, but his predicament was never explained and his story was never resolved. Same with the nurse.
1 hour and 40 minute running time. I feel like a lot of this movie was left on the editing room floor.
Good movie, but clumsily directed and edited. Near miss.