Plot: What’s it about?
One of my favorite “guilty pleasure” television shows is “Ghost Whisperer”. In it, Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Melinda Gordon, someone who can see and hear (and therefore interact) the spirits of the dead who have not yet crossed over to the “other side.” During the first few minutes of “Ghost Town”, I thought I was watching a feature-length version of this show under a different name. But hey, let’s face it, movies are just fancy television shows right? And how about that Ricky Gervais? I was a huge fan of the UK version of “The Office”, though sadly it only lasted a couple of years. Gervais has a future ahead of him, though you probably couldn’t really tell from this movie. Forgive me if I’m rambling, but I’m trying to think of the best way to get to the plot synopsis.
Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, a dentist who, well, doesn’t really like people. He’s finically sound and after a routine medical procedure he discovers something very odd. What is it, you ask? Well, he can now see and hear (and interact) with the spirits of the dead in New York City. Naturally word travels fast among the dead that someone can actually talk to them and each one has a request for Bertram. But Bertram is somewhat of an ass so he ignores them all except for Frank (Greg Kinnear). Frank died in the opening scene of the movie and we see what a despicable person he really was. Frank is trying to break up the impending marriage of his girlfriend (Tea Leoni) from beyond the grave. Bertram reluctantly agrees to help out so that he’ll be left alone from all of the spirits pestering him. Naturally Gwen (Leoni) is the kind-hearted type who starts to grow on Bertram once he actually lets someone in his life. Will Bertram develop a conscience and help someone out or will he be destined to live out the rest of his pathetic life lonely and annoyed?
Well what do you think? And before I go on any sort of tirade I’ll say that “Ghost Town” is a perfectly nice little movie. It’s not the kind of movie that will stay with you long after you leave the theater, but it’s got a nice message and some decent performances. A word about the casting I don’t really get it. I think Gervais nails his part, but Tea Leoni (who was last seen in a leading role in 2005’s “Fun with Dick and Jane”) seems a bit miscast as does Kinnear. Don’t get me wrong, they were decent in their parts but I could see any number of actors in their respective spots. Alas, what’s done is done and we can’t do anything about that. For those who haven’t seen “Ghost Whisperer” on TV, this might be an intriguing idea and the movie does have some soft spots. By and large it’s good, but nothing I’d watch again anytime soon. But you be the judge.
Video: How does it look?
Like the movie itself, “Ghost Town” looks perfectly good in its 1.85:1 AVC HD transfer. Colors are bright, the detail is good and there’s really no fault with the way the image looks. What’s lacking is that “WOW” factor that really sets this movie apart from everything else. The image looks a bit flat for the most part and we don’t really get that 3-D image that some of the Blu-ray’s tend to have. On the surface it looks good, but this one is above average to say the least.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack has a few moments, but by and large this is a dialogue-driven movie. Most of the sound is relegated to the front stage with the surrounds only kicking in a few times. Dialogue is very warm and rich, with no hint of distortion and I’m hard-pressed to find much more to say about the way this sounds. It’s good, yes, but again, nothing really stood out either.
Supplements: What are the extras?
We do get a pretty informative commentary from writer/director David Koepp and Ricky Gervais. I was surprised Koepp directed this movie as he’s far better-known for his skills using the pen as opposed to behind the camera. Still, it’s a good track and fans will enjoy it. Three brief featurettes are included as well: “Making Ghost Town'” is fairly straight-forward as we get some views on the script, the cast and a few behind the scenes shots. “Ghostly Effects” show how some of the effects were done, like people walking through cars. Admittedly, this really isn’t that impressive these effects have been done for a few decades now (see “Ghost”) and could probably be done by someone on their home camcorder. Lastly we have “Some People Can Do It” which is basically an outtake reel of Gervais messing up his lines. Informative.
