'MO - September 2008 - (Page 23)

p/reviews FEATURE FILM REVIEW Ghost Town Reviewed by Matthew McQuilkin Directing: B+ Acting: B+ Writing: B+ Cinematography: B Editing: B Overall: B+ It’s pretty easy to pigeonhole Ghost Town as a comedy cross between The Sixth Sense and Ghost: Surly dentist Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) goes in for a colonoscopy, dies for seven minutes on the operating table, and when he comes back, he can see ghosts all over Manhattan. All of these ghosts are shocked to find that Pincus can see them, and so they follow him everywhere, trying to get him to help with unfinished business in the lives of the people they left behind. The most persistent of them is Frank (Greg Kinnear), who is convinced his job is to prevent his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni) from marrying her fiancé. A lot about this setup, and especially Frank’s far-from-intriguing apparent purpose, feels both tired and predictable. But like Pincus says about a sugarless treat, the script ultimately proves to be surprisingly delightful. With reliable consistency, every time you think you know what’s going to happen, something else that’s completely unexpected does. These are deliberate fake-outs (such as when Frank steps out of the way of a falling air conditioner at the last second), but a big part of what makes Ghost Town fun to watch. Director and co-writer David Koepp revels in turning comedy conventions on their head. Instead of pounding the notion of honoring the dead, he makes Frank an imbecile, albeit one with a shred of humanity—something that Kinnear plays well. And while having someone who’s a prick turn into a better person (or having Gervais play a prick, for that matter) is nothing new, Gervais infuses the part with his trademark wit. In fact, nearly every character gets some level of fresh wit and genuinely funny lines, easily separating Ghost Town from the countless other run-of-the-mill comedies at the multiplex. The overall story arc is still fairly rote and safe, but sometimes that works better than, say, the comedic arrogance of Judd Apatow movies that are far too preoccupied with how supposedly edgy they are. The reason is in the details, both in the characters and how the actors perform them. Koepp eschews the self-aware and truly unrealistic zingers of movies like Juno, where people say things no one would ever say in real life, and makes his characters both funny and realistic. Téa Leoni is actually quite lovely as Gwen, believably falling for Pincus as Frank eggs him on in an effort to break up her engagement to a smug humanitarian. Granted, she doesn’t get as many of the funny lines, most of which are taken by Gervais, who handles his first starring role in an American film with aplomb. Greg Kinnear is a fairly gifted actor, but he looks boring next to Gervais, although the two actors have a kind of chemistry together none would ever suspect. Ghost Town is really Ricky Gervais’ movie, and it has the potential to do for him what many hoped Baby Mama would do for Tina Fey—make him a bona fide American star. And that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Ghost Town opens nationwide on September 19th. Are you a ’mo? Join us on Facebook for more SceneOut photos, and other fun stuff. Search for ’mo magazine and become a fan. moseattle.com 23 issue 19 | september 2008 http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/mo-Magazine/25781270409?ref=ts http://www.sensitivedog.com http://www.moseattle.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - September 2008

'MO - September 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Instant Activist Pet Project Legally Speaking: Starting Your Own Business EarthTalkTM: Soak Up the Sun ’mo-BIZ: Sternola-Brown Interiors HRC President Hails Biden as V.P. Pick Governor to Attend Annual GSBA Candidate Forum Form & Function: Cable Exercises Build Definition Gay City Health Project Makes a SHIFT Throw a Lifejacket Around Your Home’s Value Feature Film Review: A Jihad for Love Feature Film Review: Ghost Town, starring Ricky Gervais The Return of The Puyallup Fair Book Review: Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone Live Event Preview: Shrek The Musical at The 5th Avenue Feature Film Preview: Trumbo Now on DVD: Itty Bitty Titty Committee SceneOut: People@Places Capitol Hill Guide

'MO - September 2008

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