HE SEES DEAD PEOPLE... "GHOST TOWN"

You may or may not have figured out as you browse the pages of this humble blog that I have a soft spot for comedy. I like making people laugh in life and I like people who make me laugh. So I have a soft spot for comedians as well. And as far as people I have a soft spot for goes, Ricky Gevaise features pretty highly on the list. He first made a name for himself with The Office (the ORIGINAL BRITISH version) as the absolutely stranglable boss David. In addition to all this, he keeps knocking off some pretty damn good films, and Ghost Town is one of them.
Meet Bertram Pinkus (Gervaise). He is a dentist. And also, very possibly, the most antisocial and stranglable man on the planet (yes even more so than David) . He hates human contact of any kind, thinks most human beings idiots and would prefer to be left well alone which is just as well because not a lot of people like him. However one day, during a colonoscopy, his life changes. He dies you see. Only for a couple of seconds but he does die. When he comes back, his life has changed : He can see dead people. It turns out that the dead walk among us (those who have unfinished business with the living naturally) waiting for someone who can transmit their last messages to us. They naturally flock round Bertram begging him to help. Bertram just gets annoyed and tells them to piss off. The ghosts insist. They are decidedly at an impasse when a rather unexpected member of the “living” dead come along. Frank (the talented – and Oscar® nominated Mr Greg Kinnear) is a businessman who was killed in a freak accident. His wife has got over is death pretty quickly (because he was rather a cad and had been cheating on her) and is infact preparing to remarry. Frank is at his wits end because he can see that her fiancée, despite looking perfect in every way, is a con artist. He decides she deserves better, especially after the way he treated her. Being a savvy businessman among other things, he sees his opportunity and makes a deal with Bertram : If he helps him separate his ex-wife and her fiancée, he will help Bertram with “the ghost problem”. Bertram who is also at his wits end at this point, accepts. But as they start working on Frank’s “cunning plan”, another complication shows its head : Bertram seems to have grown feelings. And the feelings are all centering round Gwen, Frank’s ex-wife…
The thing about most of Ricky Gervaise’s comedy is, in a bizarre way it tends to be a bit of a “niche” event. I mean, The Office. I LOVED that show but personally felt that a lot of the situations in that would mean very little to anyone who hasn’t worked in the private sector. Again, another movie of his, The Invention Of Lying. I am told it is hilarious (I haven’t watched it) but reviewing the subject matter I have a nasty feeling it would be lost on you unless you were an atheist (I may of course be wrong, but that’s what I gathered on first inspection). Ghost Town isn’t like this. Bertram is a common or garden annoying anti-social bloke and I’m sure you know at least one person like him. So you will by definition LOVE seeing him in trouble. And if by any chance you watched The (British) Office and thought David was funny you will LOVE this (experience talking) . It’s very VERY good quality situation comedy, with a bit of Hollywood thrown in. Ok, I mention Hollywood and there is NO getting away from this matter here especially at the end (For God’s sake,the tagline for the film is: “He sees dead people. And they annoy him.” If you see what I mean.) So Ok, it will not change your life. But the sight of poor bloody Bertram trying to grapple with the ghosts will make you laugh out loud. And really, you DO NOT want to watch serious stuff the whole time. I mean, the frowning will give you wrinkles to start with… ;)