Journey Into DVD: Ghost Town (2008)

Here's the problem Ricky Gervais faces if he's going to be a movie actor: No matter what level of creative involvement he has with the film, whether he's a hired hand or not, we are going to expect it to be as good as "The Extras" and "The Office." We may understand on an intellectual level why this is unfair to everyone concerned, including ourselves, but unless it's something so clearly NOT like those two superior British TV comedies--paging "A Night at the Museum"--we are going to have to fight to lessen those expectations.

So with this in mind, I tell you that Gervais' 2008 film "Ghost Town" is not brilliant comedy at the A+ level of his famous television work. It's "merely" a very good, underappreciated romantic comedy from director/writer David Koepp. The movie has plenty of laughs, a good deal of charm, and Gervais is great in it. Yet it seemed to just float away into nothingness after its theatrical and DVD releases. I wonder if it's because people didn't want to see Gervais in something other than an A+ TV comedy...or maybe not nearly as many people saw "The Office" and "The Extras" as I'd hope. Still, this flick deserved more buzz, more critical praise, more anything that it got, and I urge you to check it out on DVD.

This film takes a huge risk at the beginning in focusing on some unlikable characters: Ricky Gervais being a prick and Greg Kinnear being Greg Kinnear. But eventually, you warm up to them--well, Gervais, anyway--and they change, and you find yourself rooting for them. I always say the most important thing in a romantic comedy is actually desiring the leads to be together, and Gervais and Tea Leoni make an appealing, surprisingly credible combination. Leoni, in fact, is so good you wish she had more to do--particularly verbally, as she does get a few physical bits--and you wish she did more movies, period.

Gervais gets plenty of laughs and does enough of an acting job to create a genuine character here in his misanthropic dentist who communicates with dead people. Kinnear's ghost asks him to help him finish up some business by keeping his widow, Leoni, from remarrying a guy he finds insufferable. Complications ensue. It's not revolutionary like "The Office," but so what? It's a funny movie with Ricky gervais being funny, and it's very good.

Let me also mention that while you can see where it's all going, that isn't always a bad thing when it's well done. Besides, Koepp and his stars create a perfect ending. It's really one of the most evocative final scenes I've watched in some time, a stellar capper on a delightful experience.

The DVD has some featurettes and such. If you're interested in the making of the ghostly special effects, you can learn more about that. The most prominent extra is the feature-length commentary of Koepp and Gervais. It's an amusing one that entertains throughout, but eventually Ricky's self-deprecation becomes exasperating. He also mocks the very idea of doing a commentary track, sometimes while Koepp is trying to explain something about the filmmaking. But fans of Gervais will enjoy this bonus, as they will the whole DVD package. Just don't expect "The Office" or "The Extras," and don't blame me if it's not quite like those, OK?