Film Review: Ghost Town

Ricky Gervais takes his first lead in a film as an irascible English dentist in New York who, following a botched anaesthetic can hear and speak to dead people. His character is recruited by the ghost of Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) to sabotage Frank's widow's relationship with another man. Dr Bertram Pincus (Gervais) soon finds himself attracted to Frank's widow (Hilary Clinton lookalike Tea Leoni) and in the most bizarre of love triangles.

The plot unfolds with no great surprises for a romantic comedy and the misanthropic Pincus is eventually redeemed. The film does reveal Gervais's shortcomings as an actor who doesn't seem quite as home on the silver screen as he does on TV or performing his standup.


The script is adequate. Gervais has referred to Woody Allen films when interviewed about the film but it lacks the bite of Allen's finest work. Allen's most celebrated work, Annie Hall, ends bittersweetly whereas this is just sweet.