Friday, November 06, 2009

Ghost Town (2008)

Ricky Gervais is at once both out of place in this movie and its MVP. I can't think of that many other actors who could have saved this movie from being completely formulaic. Bill Murray perhaps...

Gervais is a misanthropic Britsih dentist living in Manhattan who experiences a few minutes of death under general anaesthetic which endow him with the ability to see passed-away predestrians with unfinished business in the Big Apple. Normal folk just sneeze when they walk through one of these invisible shades.

The set-up at least is unusual and includes more off-beat comedy than the subsequent development of the idea. Still, Gervais more or less carries off the role of romantic grinch, with some competent emotive support from Téa Leoni.

Grade: B+(+)

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