Ghost Town

Ricky Gervais knows what makes people laugh and he is very particular about what roles he takes. This means if Gervais takes a role, you know he is going to shine, and shine he does in "Ghost Town."
Gervais plays annoyed-with-the-world dentist Bernard Pincus who would rather sit at home drinking laxative than spend one minute with the people in his office or on his street or in his building. After a standard medical procedure, Pincus begins to see people dressed strangely [or in some cases not dressed at all] following him everywhere he goes. He returns to the hospital where his procedure took place only to find he had died on the operating table for a little less then seven minutes.
Pincus quickly discovers the people he sees are ghosts and they all want something from him. As someone annoyed with the living, the apparitions quickly find there is not a worse person in the world to ask a favor from. One particular ghost, Frank Herlihy [Greg Kinnear] is particularly pesky and wants Pincus to help him break off his widow's upcoming nuptials to a "real scum bag."
After seeing Herlihy's widow, Gwen [Tea Leoni], Pincus decides he will break off the marriage by seducing the woman.
The movie is Gervais' first leading role in a film and he is fantastic. He is not playing someone who is likable, in fact he is playing someone normal people would hate because he is a jerk who doesn't care about anyone. He is also awkward to boot so you are wondering why such a character would be someone the audience roots for at any time in the movie.
Then something magical happens.
While it is cliche to watch a scrooge type character shed his armor and fall in love, "Town" delivers this formula to perfection. I found myself buckled over with laughter throughout most of the film, but I also occasionally found a lump in my throat in several surprisingly poignant moments. Gervais is one of the main reasons the transition from hate to love works so well. He does a fantastic job of being mean to people, but he also does a fantastic job of convincing the audience he is a nice guy and just "misunderstood."
Kinnear also shows he can hold his own with a comedy powerhouse like Gervais. While at first you may think Kinnear's character is the sympathetic one of the bunch, but quickly discover not only is this not the case, he is actually probably the least likable. And he still makes the audience laugh and not hate him like they should.
Leoni does fine in her role, neither shining nor stinking, but her character is just kind of there to fill a void. You don't really care what happens to her because you like her, but more because you like Pincus and want him to be happy. I have never really seen much in the ways of talent from Leoni, she pretty much always plays the same role. She does fine with the role, but she isn't ever memorable. Luckily, Kristen Wiig, who plays Pincus' surgeon makes the audience laugh enough for herself and Leoni. While she is only a small role, Wiig absolutely steals the show from everyone but Gervais.
Billy Campbell also has some scene stealing moments as Leoni's "scum bag" boyfriend who turns out to be a peace-loving human rights activist. I'm not sure if it was Campbell himself or Gervais' interactions with him that were entertaining, but either way, I enjoyed it.
I am a big fan of films which reel you in under the pretext of comedy, then immediately tug at your heartstrings and make a movie something profound. If the audience allows themselves to be immersed in the film, they can learn valuable life lessons and be better people for doing so. The great thing about the film is even if you are just going to laugh you will enjoy the movie. You will probably still be touched, but you will laugh out loud, guaranteed. If you are going for a romance, there is one buried in the plot, which is probably more realistic than any movie with Diane Lane and Richard Gere.

Ghost Town
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni
Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and thematic elements
Rating: 3 stars