Ghost Town

Bertram Pincus isn’t what you’d call a people person. He’s the sort of dentist that you don’t mind having, as he’s good at his job, but his bedside manner leaves more than a little to be desired. One day, following on from a routine operation, he realises that it isn’t just people that he has issues with; the dead won’t leave him alone either! It’s the classic comedy of someone who can suddenly see ghosts. There’s the crazy looks for talking to “nobody”, the shudders for walking through spirits and there’s a ghost who wants one last thing done regarding the life he’s left behind.

Okay, so I have to concede that this film is not overly novel in terms of plot, but there are so many lovely subtleties to it that it’s definitely worth seeing. Importantly, it heralds the first step into the lead-role for Ricky Gervais, who uses his expertise to keep you interested, before turning his character around as the film progresses. There’s also solid support from Leoni and Kinnear, resulting in a rom-com that makes you feel good.

David Koepp is one of the most under-rated people in the script-writing business, having had key input on films like “Jurassic Park”, “Panic Room”, “Spider Man” and the latest “Indiana Jones” offering. However, with “Ghost Town”, he’s gone back to one of his best in the form of “Death Becomes Her”, to bring us his best film so far as a director. This is a decent film and as a comedy, it’s suitable for all, so come and see Ricky Gervais on the big screen!

Robert Gardner