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It is alternately tender, sad and smart. It's also very funny.
This just kind of fell flat.
Naturally, Koepp makes it his business to redeem this unpleasant character and recast him as an acceptable stand-in for a romantic lead. But cynics should not despair; it's not a complete makeover.
It's enlivened by the performance of Ricky Gervais as Bertram Pincus, a latter-day Scrooge for whom the living are no less annoying than the dead.
The best part of the movie is watching Gervais and Leoni delight in each other in scenes that burst with spontaneity and genuine warmth.
Sure, it's a light comedy, but it effectively achieves what it sets out to do: amuse us and tug on our heartstrings. And best of all, it's written, directed and acted with intelligence and wit.
Dozens of other movies have romped on the same grass. But Gervais spritzes everything in Ghost Town with a delightfully refreshing comic mist.
The Town isn't as impressive as Affleck's directing debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, but he handles the action scenes with brutal efficiency and gets terrific performances from his co-stars.
Yes, there are gags about mummy penises and canine halitosis, but other sublime moments recall Albert Brooks' social-satire heyday. Given the otherworldly elements, David Koepp's "Ghost Town" sweetly hits the heights of Brooks' "Defending Your Life."
The pudgy Brit looks right at home here on the big screen, starring in a romantic comedy in which we're asked to believe he might have a chance with Tea Leoni. And you know what? He makes us believe.
Ghost Town is funny and moves along briskly, fulfilling the two most important qualities of a romantic comedy.
This is a good romantic comedy, and that is a genre that often gets messed up. Here, the old formula comes out just right.
Rises above expectations, even though it never quite shatters the genre mould.
Gervais' rapport with his equally enjoyable co-stars Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni also keeps Ghost Town on solidly funny ground.
Gervais, Leoni (adorável) e Kinnear estabelecem uma boa dinâmica, elevando o roteiro convencional e divertindo mais do que o material conseguiria naturalmente.
Ricky Gervais is an anti-social dentist who can speak with the dead in this very funny romantic comedy about unfinished business.
a nice little slice of humor and romance that can work for a date night at home with the DVD player
Ghost Town is both a surprise and a departure: it's genuinely funny and quietly original. It also shows what Gervais can do in the right role.
In the end, Ghost Town delivers. Right now, we need all the laughs we can get. Especially kindly ones.
In different hands, this could have been forgettably saccharine fare, but Gervais' genius and an excellent cast of bit players turn it into solidly acerbic entertainment.
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