SYNOPSIS:
A spirited romantic comedy, GHOST TOWN is the story
of Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a cranky Manhattan dentist
who develops the unwelcome ability to see dead people. Really
annoying dead people. But, when a smooth-talking ghost (Greg
Kinnear) traps Bertram into a romantic scheme involving his
widow Gwen (Tea Leoni), they are entangled in a hilarious
predicament between the now and the hereafter!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Remember how everyone was raving about the
twist ending in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense?
That was a whole 10 years ago, and how the phrase “I
see dead people” went on to become one of movie history’s
most celebrated dialogues, to be both quoted and spoofed by
millions of people worldwide? While the whole idea of a living
person seeing a dead person has somewhat become stale, trust
David Koepp (well known for his screenplays for Jurassic Park,
Spider-Man and Angels and Demons) to churn out a charming
movie about a man who sees dead people.
Don’t see what the whole fuss is about?
Here’s the gist: Our hero Bertram Pincus is a man who
is lacking in the department of people skills. When Pincus
dies unexpectedly for seven minutes during a small operation,
he wakes up to discover that he has the ability to see ghosts.
While some people would be freaked out, he just gets annoyed,
and we mean really annoyed. That’s because these spirits
all want his help to become peaceful in death. The other male
lead comes in the form of Frank Herlihy, who is pestering
him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow.
We know how this can fall into a flat drama
comedy if it gets into the wrong hands. Thankfully, we’ve
got Koepp helming this 102 minute movie. The writer director
delivers a smart script and a sure handed direction which
translates into an agreeable production which is both accessible
and clever. The movie may go into a predictable mode during
its second half (after Pincus realises he has no choice but
to help Herlihy, and audiences know that he will be falling
in love with the widow), but it keeps you watching because
of how likeable the characters are.
And talking about characters, credit also
goes to the wonderful actors playing them. Who wouldn’t
fall in love with English actor Ricky Gervais? The man behind
“The Office” and “Extras” is so sharp
and witty, you’d want to know him better despite his
less than desirable interaction abilities. The underrated
Greg Kinnear plays the dead man with so much charisma, you
wish you were dead just to know him better. And Tea Leoni
is pleasant as the widow who gets bewildered by the strange
things going on around her.
Besides
making you laugh and chuckle with its spot on humour, the
picture also makes you think what it is like to be alive (and
dead, for the matter), and how we should make meaning of our
lives now. And that is the greatest feat this movie has achieved
– it definitely isn’t just about a man who sees
dead people, it’s about how he sees dead people and
makes them feel alive again.
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
This
Code 3 DVD contains quite a bit of special features. There
is a Commentary by David Koepp and Ricky Gervais,
a must listen because of Gervais’ brilliant humour –
you’d laugh while listening to it. Sample this: He tells
the director how he can spurn sequels like Ghost Town: Dead
Baby. The 22 minute Making of Ghost Town has
the cast and crew talking about different character profiles,
and how different chemistries between characters played out.
Ghostly Effects shows you the computer wizardry
going on behind different special effect shots. The six minute
Some People Can Do It is a series of gag
reels worth watching because of, well, Gervais’ wonderful
performance.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
visual transfer of the movie is fine, while you can choose
to watch the show in either Dolby Digital 5.1 English or Thai.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING:
Review by John Li
Posted on 4 September 2009 |
