There is hardly a bigger sin in movies than wasting the talent of a funny actor. Forced to deliver poorly-written lines and immersed in a hopeless plot, all viewers can do is hope the comedian got a hefty payment for selling their soul. Ricky Gervais, co-creator of The Office,"" made his U.S. on-screen debut with ""Ghost Town"" last weekend, and while it doesn't commit that ultimate crime, it comes uncomfortably close.
Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, an anti-social dentist who dies (briefly) during surgery, giving him the gift to see ghosts wandering around New York City. Since these ghosts realize that Pincus is a bridge to their living friends and family, they want him to help take care of their unfinished business. Requests range from helping surviving children find toys to offing a guy with a .38 caliber pistol.
Understandably, Gervais' character gets a bit annoyed when needy spirits start pestering him all the time. So when one of the deceased - a former adulterer (Greg Kinnear) trying to keep his wife (Téa Leoni) from remarrying - tells Pincus that if he helps out the dead philanderer the ghosts will go away, the introvert bites at the idea.
That wife, it just so happens, lives in Pincus' building and, predictably, he gets ""in too deep"" caring for her while trying to play home wrecker.
If it sounds like ""Ghost Town"" is shaping up to be a formulaic romantic comedy, that's because it basically is. We've seen the Pincus character before, though he's usually played by Matthew McConaughey or (for more British flavor) Hugh Grant. However, unlike McConaughey or Grant, Gervais can make real jokes - and his comedy saves the film. If anyone else had taken the starring role, it would be a bad movie, at best.
The problem with putting all of the funny into one actor is that it makes the film revolve around him, another fault in ""Ghost Town."" The only memorable jokes in the film come from Gervais' character, and although Kinnear and Leoni are capable as supporting actors and ""Daily Show"" correspondent Aasif Mandvi has a few good lines as Dr. Prashar, they are vastly outdone by the brilliant Gervais.
Let's be thankful, though. ""Ghost Town"" could have been for Gervais what ""Night at the Museum"" was for Ben Stiller. Thankfully, it's not a total waste of great talent. While it is dull and formulaic, ""Ghost Town"" provides American audiences with a view of Gervais' comedic prowess. Hopefully, they'll like what they see.
Grade: BC
