Ghost Town

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)
[4.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

Our hero here is the misanthropic Bertram Pincus D.D.S., played by Ricky Gervais. He picked dentistry as a profession so that he could avoid people talking to him by stuffing their mouths with cotton, appliances, and sharp objects. He's of that Certain Age where, traditionally, Investigatory Medical Procedures are performed. During such a procedure, unfortunately, he (technically) dies for seven minutes on the examination table; when he returns to life, he's gained the ability to see ghosts, and talk to them. This makes him a popular guy in the spirit world; in this imagining, ghosts have unfinished business among the living, and they view Pincus as a possible ally.

Once the initial shock wears off, Pincus learns that, if anything, he dislikes ghosts even more than the living.

The most insistent ghost is Frank (Greg Kinnear), ex-husband of the lovely widow Gwen (Téa Leoni, whoohoo!); he wants Gwen's budding romance with lawyer Richard derailed. Pincus initially resists, but becomes smitten with Gwen.

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. It seemed significantly more adult than the average Apatow comedy raunchfest, and the script was clever and earnest in the right places. It kind of reminded me of Groundhog Day: the protagonist needs a supernatural kick in the pants to put him on the road to redemption. Gervais, Kinnear, and Leoni are all pros at light comedy, and they're in top form here.

Kristen Wiig has a small but hilarious role as the colonoscopist, most amusing when she's trying to avoid telling Pincus the truth about the lawsuit-begging bungle during his procedure.


Last Modified 2024-01-31 5:36 AM EDT