Ghost Town

I should probably confess that I am not Ricky Gervais' biggest fan. Or a fan at all. I, generally speaking, find the man odious, detestable, and downright unfunny. In fairness, I have never watched an episode of The Office. However, one should bear in mind that this was because the first few minutes annoyed me too much.

I've also never watched any other film he has appeared in, never seen his stand up, and never listened to any of his podcasts.

Well, I also never claimed to be entirely fair.

Gervais doesn't annoy me in this, and I suspect it's because he didn't write it.


Ghost Town is a little like A Christmas Carol, if you hear the one-sentence description - "Grouchy man starts seeing ghosts, becomes less grouchy". A relatively simple premise. The slightly longer version goes something like "after a near-death experience, dentist Bertram Pincus (Gervais) is able to see the dead. Once they realise this, they decide to cash in. Everyone knows that ghosts have unfinished business, and he can help them - only he doesn't want to".

In many ways, the film is predictable, but it keeps a certain charm by knowing just how predictable it is - and occasionally second-guessing the audience. Many elements of the story are cliches given a new twist, and this works. It's both fresh and original and familiar and comforting at the same time. Pincus' revelation, near the end (explained to Gwen (Téa Leoni)) is sweet, and the entire montage had me in tears - although I still managed to realise that the film had glossed over exactly how Pincus explained that he knew the letter was under the carpet. However, plotholes like this are perfectly forgivable. It's a sweet film. Rated 12A in the UK.

Bartelmy