Gervais is hilarious as Pincus. He’s able to represent each direction his character goes with natural magnetism, playing both the jerk and the “nice guy” with good humour. Gervais also works well with the other performers, generating great chemistry with the always enjoyable Kinnear and actually working out a believable romantic angle with Leoni. The bit players also give the English comic a bit of help, with SNL’s Kristen Wiig as a surgeon and The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi as one of Pincus’ co-workers.
There is a sentimentality to Ghost Town that sometimes crosses the line into cheeseball terrain. For the most part, though, the dramatic moments work and we believe Pincus’ conversion into a nicer version of himself because of his experiences. It is, in many ways, very sensible to infer that being surrounded by a gaggle of ghosts might have changed Pincus into someone who cares slightly more about others than he did when we first met the self-absorbed ass.
So while it’s not perfect, Ghost Town does make for an appealing and often hilarious hour-and-a-half. Ricky Gervais proves that he is fit for a leading role and the supporting cast gives him more than enough to work with. The story is straightforward, harmless, sometimes tacky, but almost always enjoyable. Koepp’s light-handed approach to the project helps, too, giving these ghosts an spacious quality that other directors may have spoiled.
If it hurts when you smile, Ghost Town might be able to fix that for you.
The DVD features are relatively slim, with a basic Making Ghost Town at the core of the release. There is a commentary that is often very hilarious featuring director Koepp and star Gervais. And a featurette on the effects, limited and rudimentary as they are, helps provide some more insight into the process behind-the-scenes.
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