Ghost Town’s Bertram Pincus, D.D.S. gives dentists a bad name. He’s the epitome of a reclusive, unsocial “prick” who would rather be the only person on Earth than have someone strike up a conversation. He also happens to have died for 7 minutes during what was supposed to be a straightforward medical procedure. This “event” triggers an ability in Bertram to see dead people unable to complete their journey to heaven due to unfinished business on Earth. To the dead people who discover Bertram can see them, he is their only potential savior.
Ricky Gervais of The Office fame, thick British accent intact, plays the dentist to despise dead or alive people indiscriminately. He’s quick to rudely shoo ghosts demanding his assistance away until recently deceased pompous Frank (Greg Kinnear) convinces him to help break up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni) with a perfectly acceptable human rights lawyer.
Anyone but Gervais in the role of Bertram would turn the predicable romantic comedy journey in Ghost Town into rubbish even with strong supporting performances by Kinnear and Leoni. He owns every scene he’s in which amounts to well over half the film. Whether stumbling through socially awkward situations, reacting with anger at the futility of others (scenes with his surgeon are priceless humor) or slyly mocking Leoni’s fiancée, Gervais’ line delivery and quirky facial expressions are true comedic genius.
When Gervais isn’t aiming for your funny bone he’s remarkably likable. Bertram has become lost in loneliness and forgotten how to enjoy the company of others, a natural perfect match for Gwen who loves the Egyptian mummies she studies more than her fiancée. Frank tasking Bertram to make moves on Gwen elicits a natural reaction to pull for Bertram’s success despite knowing the romantic comedy formula dictates the eventual outcome.
Bertram’s courting of Gwen offers Ghost Town’s best laughs while the home stretch becomes bogged down in “the truth is…” melodrama. The closing 20 minutes are the heaviest templated “chick flick” moments which set aside humor in favor of touching your heart. Keep those tissues at bay because unless you’re firmly opposed to Ricky Gervais, take solace in knowing Ghost Town will make you laugh before cry.
Dreamworks presents Ghost Town on Blu-ray Disc in 1.85:1 1080p video encoded in AVC MPEG-4. Koepp and his cinematographer have deliberately chosen a slightly watered down color palette for the predominant city setting which has been translated to Blu-ray mostly clean of specs, debris or artificial noise reduction. There is a light persistent grain throughout that grows in intensity during a small handful of establishing long lens shot of the city. Otherwise details are crisp, blacks are strong and the overall video presentation is a worthy step-up from DVD quality.
The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track is tasked with delivering clean and strong dialogue which it does. There are limited scenes where the subwoofer or surrounds are engaged, mostly for subtle ambient effects like rain falling, music or random sounds of the city. Nothing in the mix is designed to write home about but does what it needs to do in relation to the film.
All of Ghost Town’s bonus features are presented in high definition, a nice surprise for a romantic comedy. The only oddity is the absence of a theatrical trailer.
Audio Commentary – David Koepp and Ricky Gervais team up for a commentary that promises laughs and doesn’t disappoint. Gervais’ first lines are funny and before the opening credits can close they’re both mocking the futility of typical commentary tracks. Gervais, as expected, spearheads the humor, including calling their combined commentary effort “drivel” and insulting his audience, while Koepp dishes out all the requisite production tidbits. Like the film, this commentary is carried on the back of Gervais and because of his presence is well worth a listen.
Making Ghost Town (22:40, HD) – There isn’t much you can work with for a making-of piece on a romantic comedy other than some raw behind-the-scenes footage and talking about how the story came about. Those elements take up about 7 minutes of this featurette while the remaining 15 minutes are dedicated to regurgitating the film via clips and interviews with some inter-cast and crew back patting for good measure.
Ghostly Effects (2:01, HD) – The score plays over progression reels for how each ghost effect where a ghost walks through an object or person was created. It also breaks down the cool opening panning shot where an empty city instantly transforms into a bustling city. Great for effects fans, passable for anyone else.
Some People Can Do It (6:21, HD) – I had no idea what to expect when cueing this up but was pleased to find a humorous outtakes reel dominated by Ricky Gervais. I don’t want to spoil the treasure trove of funny lines but do have a new appreciation for Gervais’ improvisational humor after cracking up at this, the gem of the bonus features.
David Koepp has Ricky Gervais to thank for pulling Ghost Town together. His dry British humor and distaste for the human species carries the original but predicable ghost love story on his back. Even if in the most unlikeliest of scenarios you can’t find a single laugh in the film, the Gervais-led commentary where he promises “there can’t be people listening to this” and HD gag reel without the constraints of a script will make your side hurt.
Ghost Town quietly came and went from theaters with little fanfare or box office returns. Most Blu-ray player owners have likely never seen it which makes Ghost Town a great rental option, especially for a date night where laughs will lighten the mood.
– Dan Bradley
