Ghost Town
Directed by David Koepp
- comedy
- romance
- drama
- fantasy
The story
Bertram Pincus, a cranky, people-hating Manhattan dentist, develops the unwelcome ability to see dead people. Really annoying dead people. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy, a smooth-talking ghost, who pesters him into a romantic scheme involving his widow Gwen. They are soon entangled in a hilarious predicament between the now and the hereafter!
What it’s like
Cold, bright Manhattan winter: grey-blue streets, steam rising from grates, and warm amber interiors in hospital corridors, a cramped dental office and an apartment where the light falls soft and flat across the furniture. The camera stays fairly conventional and unhurried, with plenty of medium two-shots that let Ricky Gervais's deadpan and Greg Kinnear's smooth, slightly sleazy charm play against each other. The score is light and bouncy with gentle piano and string touches, and the city sounds (traffic, sirens, crowded sidewalks) keep the film grounded rather than eerie. Its vibe is wry, warm and a little bittersweet, a comedy with a melancholy undertow about grief and second chances. It suits a cosy weekend afternoon, a rainy evening on the sofa, or a comfort watch when you want something funny without being silly. The pacing is brisk and the arc follows a bitter, isolated man slowly softening and opening up to other people. Intensity is low: some crude jokes and mild adult humour, a few deaths referenced rather than shown, and no meaningful violence or gore. It's for viewers who like romantic comedy with a sharp edge and a sentimental heart.
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