Ghost Town (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

David Koepp

Writers (WGA):

David Koepp (written by) &
John Kamps (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

He sees dead people... and they annoy him.

Plot:

Bertram Pincus, is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Elevator | Hospital | Tooth | Anesthetic

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	8:15 PM	MAX
Mon. July 6	11:00 AM	MAX

Cast

Greg Kinnear	...	Frank Herlihy
Jordan Carlos	...	Young Husband
Dequina Moore	...	Young Wife
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	...	Accident Bystander #1 (as Joe Badalucco)
Brian Hutchison	...	Accident Bystander #2
Tyree Michael Simpson	...	Sneezy Cop (as Tyre Simpson)
Julia K. Murney	...	Sneezy Lady
Ricky Gervais	...	Bertram Pincus D.D.S.
Claire Lautier	...	Upper East Side Lady
Aasif Mandvi	...	Dr. Prashar
Bridget Moloney	...	Receptionist
Raymond J. Lee	...	Greenpeace Guy (as Raymond Lee)
Joey Mazzarino	...	Food Delivery Guy
Brad Oscar	...	Day Doorman
Kathleen Landis	...	Resident

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44426) | UK:12A | Australia:M | Ireland:12A | Sweden:7 | Sweden:Btl | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The Beatles' "I'm Looking Through You" is used in the movie, one of the very few occasions where the original version of a Beatles song has been used in a film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frank harasses Dr. Pincus at the bar, the toothpick and olive in the dentist's martini suddenly reverses (toward/against) the bar edge, and suddenly grows about two inches.

Quotes:

Bertram Pincus: [walks through a ghost, sneezes]
Day Doorman: Bless you.
Bertram Pincus: Oh, god, thank you.
Bertram Pincus: [walks through a ghost; sneezes]
Day Doorman: Bless you.
Bertram Pincus: Thank you...
Bertram Pincus: [walks through a ghost; sneezes]
Day Doorman: Bless you!
Bertram Pincus: Thank you.
Bertram Pincus: [walks through a ghost; sneezes]
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "Women's Murder Club" (2007)

Soundtrack:

I'm Still In Love (w/You)

Ricky Gervais Sees Dead People

A strong formula comedy that gets an extra jolt of originality from an improvisatory performance by Ricky Gervais.

Gervais plays a Manhattan dentist with an over-sensitive gag reflex who hates people. When he accidentally dies for seven minutes during a routine medical procedure, he finds upon waking that he can see and converse with dead people, who want his help in finishing up unresolved business. One of these, a smarmy, cheating husband (played by Greg Kinnear) wants him to help prevent his widow (Tea Leoni) from marrying a guy he doesn't like. Guess what...Gervais falls in love with her himself.

There's a lot of standard obligatory plot in "Ghost Town" that's specific to the genre: we have to sit through the requisite scenes of Gervais thinking he's going crazy because he can see dead people; he and Leoni have a falling out when she thinks he's tricking her just to get close to her, etc. But the acting is so good, especially from Gervais and Leoni, who absolutely lights up the screen whenever she's on it, that it's easy to forget we've seen much of this before.

One of my favorite parts of the film was the brief but hilarious performance of Kristen Wiig, who plays Gervais's doctor. You may remember her as Kathryn Heigle's passive-aggressive colleague in "Knocked Up," and though she always does the same schtick, she makes me laugh every time.

Grade: A-