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Ghost Town

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Ghost Town (2008)

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Reviews Counted:171

Fresh:145

Rotten:26

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: Ricky Gervais' consistently sharp performance and beautifully dry execution transform this otherwise mainstream comedy into an endearing, funny, and altogether snappy romantic comedy. With ghosts.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:24-10-2008

Synopsis: Director and screenwriter David Koepp (STIR OF ECHOES, SECRET WINDOW) brings Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa Leoni together for a romantic comedy with a twist of the supernatural. Dr. Bertram... Director and screenwriter David Koepp (STIR OF ECHOES, SECRET WINDOW) brings Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa Leoni together for a romantic comedy with a twist of the supernatural. Dr. Bertram Pincus (Gervais) doesn't like people very much. In fact, the antisocial dentist does everything he can to avoid interaction with other human beings. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for when he is released from the hospital after undergoing a standard procedure: he can see dead people, and they can see him. Suddenly, every ghost in New York City wants Pincus to help clean up their unfinished business. Dapper Frank (Kinnear) is the most persistent ghost, badgering Pincus to help keep his widow, Gwen (Leoni), from making a big mistake. Gervais is perfect as Pincus, whose deadpan expressions make obvious his disdain for people. His comic timing is spot on throughout the film. Kinnear makes Frank likable, not an easy feat since he apparently wasn't such an upstanding guy when he was alive and married to Leoni's Gwen. Aasif Mandvi appears as a dentist sharing Gervais's office, and Billy Campbell is Gwen's new love interest. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE star Kristen Wiig is a scene-stealer as Pincus's surgeon, particularly when she is trying to avoid telling her patient what went wrong during his procedure. Dana Ivey and Alan Ruck also appear as ghosts in need of help. [More]

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell, Kristen Wiig, Dana Ivey, Aasif Mandvi

Director: David Koepp

Director: David Koepp
Screenwriter: David Koepp, John Kamps
Producer: Gavin Polone
Composer: Geoff Zanelli
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Ghost Town

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141 - 160 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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If the film is little more than Gervais' attempt to break out of the "cult following" category and find some mainstream American success, more power to him. He deserves it, and Ghost Town is an auspicious start.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
09/18/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
Cinematical

It's a consistently funny comedy that exactly captures Gervais' gift for playing self-centered jerks with a barely visible softer side.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
09/18/08
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Ostensibly a comedy, but one in which the (normally) brilliantly funny Ricky Gervais is more dull than he is droll, Ghost Town takes a familiar formula and goes nowhere with it.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/18/08
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

Pretty much everything about this afterlife comedy is straight-from-the-shelf save for Gervais, typically hilarious as a misanthrope who organizes his work and his private life so he doesn't have to talk to anyone.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/18/08
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

If there must be another go-around with the guilt-ridden dead trying to correct their errant ways, I'll take Jennifer Love Hewitt. It's shallow, but, then again, so is Ghost Town.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
09/18/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

Who knew The Sixth Sense could have been such a disarming romantic comedy?

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
09/18/08
Matt Pais
Matt Pais
Metromix.com

A hilarious comic fantasy about ghosts, misanthropy, and a spiritual take on sneezes.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
09/18/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A delightful antidote to the comedic excesses of the season, Ghost Town is smart, sexy fun that should leave no doubt (if there was any) that Ricky Gervais is among the funniest men in film.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/18/08
Justin Davidson
Justin Davidson
Newsday

Comedy is sweet, but a little short on romance.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
09/18/08
S. Jhoanna Robledo
S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media

Ricky Gervais is a genius.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
09/18/08
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

You can only wander down this comic road for so long. Once you've run through a few sight gags, you have to go somewhere else with this old-fashioned, high-concept premise.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
09/18/08
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

The last two lines of dialogue may be the best kicker I've heard in a movie this year.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
09/18/08
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate

By the time this imperfect little film wends its way to one of the most winning exit lines I’ve heard in a long time, it’s turned into something, well, perfectly lovely.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
09/18/08
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle

Gervais's steady stream of cutting bon mots and regular bouts of indignant stammering keep Ghost Town more dry and sharp than broad and squishy.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
09/18/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

A comedy that's genuinely funny without being gross, and genuinely warm without becoming maudlin, a winning combination of sour and sweet that's both tasty and satisfying

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
09/18/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

A resolutely mainstream comedy that just barely gets by on Gervais' sarcastic humor and prickly charm.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/18/08
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Ghost Town is diverting enough, but it's also the kind of high-concept studio concoction Ricky Gervais might have ridiculed in his great backstage-showbiz sitcom Extras.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
09/17/08
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Ricky Gervais does what he can to make a shopworn premise likable, but blockbuster screenwriter David Koepp can’t do much to enliven this romantic-comedy-as-self-help-guide.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
09/17/08
Ben Kenigsberg
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out New York

Ghost Town's unwillingness to escape from a safe orbit keeps the movie trapped in mediocrity.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
09/17/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Gervais just owns this movie.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
09/17/08
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
 
 
141 - 160 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for Ghost Town

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