Ghost Town – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 30, 2008, 13:07 GMT

In the romantic comedy "Ghost Town," Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of ...more

Ricky Gervais plays a misanthropic dentist who hates people.  It doesn’t help that after undergoing a routine operation and dying on the table that he now sees the dead ones too.  They want to finish their business on Earth, but all the not so good doctor wants is to be left alone.  

Dr. Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a dentist with a dislike for people (which must be why he moved to Manhattan).  He goes into the hospital for a routine colonoscopy.  He insists on having a general anesthetic even though the doctors usually don’t recommend it during this sort of procedure.  He signs all of the pertinent paperwork and undergoes the procedure.  Things appear to have gone well, but the staff seems cagey when Pincus is leaving the hospital. 

Pincus has some caginess of his own when he thinks he’s having hallucinations and sees people that others cannot.  He returns to the hospital and finds out that he died on the operating table for seven minutes, something the staff neglected to tell him. 

He soon finds that Manhattan is crowded with both the living and the dead and they’re all after Pincus to get in contact with the deceased's loved ones. 

Frank (Greg Kinnear) is extremely bothersome in that he wants Pincus to get in contact with his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni) and break her up with her fiancé Richard (Billy Campbell).  However, the shy Pincus finds that he’s falling for Gwen and begins to think that he should be the man for her.  

Ghost Town is a film that flies on the charm and dry wit of Ricky Gervais and in my opinion it soars.  He has ample support from the coy Greg Kinnear playing a bit of a cad that uses his afterlife to try and break up his wife from her new fiancé.  Of course who wouldn’t want to haunt the lovely Tea Leoni? 

Ghost Town may be more of a comedic take on the ground covered in Ghost, but it is a charming film nonetheless.  Gervais is a delightful discovery if you’re into dry Brit wit.  I’ve heard good things of him from Extras but it was a show I never caught, although he did a funny short turn in Night at the Museum. 

You shouldn’t expect a laugh fest though as Gervais is more an expert at the slow burn.  There are some funny situations, but it’s more of a romantic comedy.  The people hating Pincus learns to love others by the time the credits roll and we too have a better appreciation of what it is to be alive as well.

I must just be an old softie when it comes to this kind of thing but Ghost Town was a pleasant surprise.  The Blu-ray is also a delight as the picture doesn’t look ghostly but is gorgeous.  

Ghost Town is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1).  Special features include a commentary from writer/director David Koepp and Ricky Gervais.  The rest of the special features are presented in high definition.  The 22 minute “Making Ghost Town” details the production, the 2 minute “Ghostly Effects” are some effects shots showing how they made the ghosts, and the 6 minute “Some People Can Do It” is a gag reel.  

Ghost Town disappeared from the box office, as the same specter would vanish from a haunted house.  However, this delightful romantic comedy should be sought out as spiritualists seek proof of the life hereafter, as the performances are a delight.  This old softie felt a little better about life by the time the credits rolled.  

Ghost Town is now available at Amazon. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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