Starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear. Written by David Koepp, John
Kamps. Directed by David Koepp. (14A) 101 min. Opens Sep 19. See
Interview page 26.
The first full-fledged American movie vehicle for Ricky Gervais, Ghost Town draws into question whether or not the favoured brand of cringe-inducing humour by the star of The Office and Extras is at all suited to the current precepts for mainstream Hollywood comedies. In other words, Ghost Town does pretty much exactly what you’d expected: sand off the rough edges and anything else that’s discomfiting about what Gervais does so well. The result isn’t exactly bad — the movie’s first half is loaded with funny, especially thanks to supporting efforts by Kristen Wiig and The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi — but the process of softening up the comic’s prickly screen persona becomes noticeably strenuous for all involved.
Before the inevitable life lesson is ungracefully imposed upon his character, Gervais excels as Bertram, a sour, anti-social Manhattan dentist who becomes a highly reluctant ghost whisperer after a hospital mishap leaves him temporarily dead. One of many deceased-but-still-pushy New Yorkers eager to finish with business among the living, Frank (Greg Kinnear) uses Bertram to derail the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni). Gervais and Leoni have effective chemistry in their early scenes together but the movie’s increasing tendency toward Capra-corn sweetness does neither of them many favours. Playing nice is simply not what Gervais was put on this Earth to do and, judging by his inability to adequately sell Bertram’s change of heart, he seems to know it too.