Opens: September 19, 2008
Rating: PG-13 (Strong language, sexual humor, Drug references)
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
“He sees dead people … and they annoy him,” or so goes the tag line to the new light fantasy romantic comedy, Ghost Town, starring British comedic sensation Ricky Gervais and American actors Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni.
By and large the critics either like or love this film – which treads on all-too-familiar terrain of romantic fantasy comedies about the living communicating with the dead.
There is near unanimous praise for Gervais – in his ability to breathe a new life and energy into a concept as familiar in Hollywood as the action movie chase scene.
Also praised are the comedic skills for Leoni, once called the next Lucille Ball, with the ability to elicit a laugh or a grimace in the audience with a tilt of the head – or less.
IN the era of gross-out comedies where subtlety describes the differences in the color of various bodily functions, critics were quick to praise Ghost Town for always choosing the more witty and intelligent option rather than the easy laugh of a gross out shot below the belt.
Of the negative concepts, critics were no impressed with the plot of the film – which is so familiar as to have become a cliche. But, most of them say Gervais’ original take on a familiar theme saved the movies from mediocrity and raised the film to near greatness.
WATCH THE TRAILER
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- Talented cast
- Star-making American role for Ricky Gervais
- Gorgeous cinematography of urban landscapes
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- Not an original concept
- Choppy plot development
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{for="Salt Lake Tribune" value="9"}
"Gervais is lethally funny.” – Kyle Smith
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{for=”New York Post” value=”9″}
“… a bubbly and delightful comedy.” – Sean P. Means
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{for=”Vancouver Sun” value=”7″}
“Ghost Town nails some forgotten truisms with a lightness of spirit and a generosity of heart that’s downright moving without being sloppy.” - Katherine Monk
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{for=”CNN” value=”7″}
“Ghost Town doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does goose the formula romantic comedy clichés.” – Tom Charity
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{for=”San Jose Mercury News” value=”7″}
“Striking just the right balance between sarcastic and sweet, Ghost Town breathes new life into supernatural comedy..” – Bob Strauss
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{for=”Washington Post” value=”8″}
“… heart and intelligence that too often are missing at the multiplex.” – Ann Hornaday
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{for=”Washington Post” value=”8″}
“… is both very funny and a bit of a tearjerker….” – Walter Addiego
{/for}
{/rw_score} –>
