In this hilarious comic fantasy written and directed by David Koepp, New York City is not only inhabited by millions of hard-working men and women but also by thousands of ghosts who are just as noisy, pushy, and demanding as they were when they were alive. Dr. Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a dentist who dies for seven minutes while having a colonoscopy under anesthesia at a hospital. Back on the streets of the city, he discovers that he is being pursued by a large crowd of persistent spirits who want him to do favors for them so they can be released from this realm.
The term "what we resist, persists" is a common one in modern day psychology, and it certainly applies to the plight of Pincus, a misanthrope who avoids contact with people as much as possible. He can't abide talky patients and is quick to stuff their mouths with cotton or take an impression of their teeth. Then he savors the silence. In the office, he avoids an informal party given by an Indian dentist (Aasif Mandvi) to celebrate the birth of his child. He's notorious for being impolite to doormen and other residents of the building where he lives. Pincus experienced heartbreak in a past love affair and has never gotten over it. He doesn't like people and the pain and grief they bring.
Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), a ghost who used to live in the same building, died after being hit by a bus. He promises Pincus that he'll make all the other ghosts go away if the dentist can break up his ex-wife Gwen's (Tea Leoni) impending marriage to a human rights lawyer (Billy Campbell). Frank cheated on her and now he wants to make sure she doesn’t make another mistake in love. His proposition sounds like a good deal to Pincus who yearns to get back to his old life of blessed isolation. But things are complicated when he falls in love with Gwen.
There are many funny scenes in Ghost Town and some clever dialogue between Frank and Pincus. The film also offers a special spiritual twist described by writer and director David Koepp: "We hit on the idea that traditional ghost stories actually have it all backwards. Ghosts don't stick around because they have unfinished business. They stick around because the living are not done with them yet, because they aren't ready to let go. Perhaps they died and left someone mystified or confused, and until the living come to terms with whatever that thing is, they are stuck here." We are happy to recommend any comedy that exhorts us to see that little acts of love and kindness are preferable to the nastiness of selfishness and separation from others. And as a special added value of Ghost Town, it offers a spiritual explanation for sneezes on the street and elsewhere!
Special DVD features include a commentary by director David Koepp and Ricky Gervais; "Making Ghost Town"; "Some People Can Do It"; and ghostly effects.
