Ghost Town

Ghost Town



How can I possibly be expected to review a film I know nothing about? I mean, don't get me wrong, I did sit through the whole thing. It's just that my interest in the film was that low that it went in through my eyes and ears, but couldn't sustain itself long enough to penetrate my brain.

The story concerns a dentist called Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais). He's not a people person, to put it lightly. His patients and colleagues try to engage him in friendly conversation, but he tactlessly shoos them away.
He goes to hospital for a routine operation and wakes up the next day feeling better. Everything seems to be going fine until he starts speaking to people no-one else can see. That'd be the ghosts the title hinted at.
It turns out poor Bertram died on the operating table for a few minutes and has been 'blessed' with the power to see the dead. When the ghosts realise that he can see them, they start to hound them with messages for their loved ones etc.

One such ghost is Frank (Roy Kinnear), who is stuck on earth because he has unfinished emotional business with his wife (Gwen) Tea Leoni. He tells Bertram that he'll make the other ghosts leave him alone to his life of tranquil solitude if he'll help him.

Bertram, implausibly, starts to court Leoni, trying to get to the truth of why her husband's ghost is stuck.

If they invented a fan club whose sole purpose was to hate Ricky Gervais, they'd most likely elect me as president. It would be a landslide. The guy is so self-loving and aggrandising that he'd probably smear himself in chocolate sauce and eat himself. By the looks of things he's had too much already.
Ironically, I loved The Office. It was the most refreshing thing to happen to British Comedy in decades. It was when he went all star-loving with his 'Look who I know' series Extras that I started to lose all respect for him. His acting range has evaporated since his Office days. Now he just plays the same whiny sarcastic unsympathetic characters that his severe lack of talent will allow. I don't blame Gervais. I blame Hollywood. It's tainted the genius he displayed with The Office, into simple unsustainable vanity.

Phew, glad I got that off my chest.

The rest of the film isn't up to scratch either. The character arc revolves around Bertram finding his faith in humanity again, obviously. And he does, obviously. The underlying tension for the second act is Roy Kinnear trying to work out why he's still on earth and if you wait around long enough it's all cleared up with the lamest of anti-climaxes. I won't spoil it for you, I'll let the film do that.
I've never rated Tea Leoni as an actress either. She's only slightly less annoying than Gervais. Her dry, raspy Clint Eastwood voice should only be heard in small doses. Luckily for us, it seems Hollywood understands this and she hardly features in any films.

The story might've worked if there were any actors that garnered some sympathy for their characters. But there aren't, so it doesn't.

Verdict 1/10
Lucky for me the memories of this film are fleeting.