99 out of 102 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent

A Customer from Huddersfield, 25th October, 2008

Went and saw this last night and I thought it was excellent. If you're a fan of Extra's then this is for you as Gervais' character is similer to Andy Millman with regards to his sarcasm, cinicism and humour. If you're not a fan of the above (like my fiancee) you probably won't think much of this film. Very good debut as a lead role...

22 out of 29 people found the following review helpful:

No what we expected

A Customer from Hove, 26th October, 2008

Not very funny romantic comedy, long boring and not worth a cinema visit

19 out of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Not The Office but Not Bad

A Customer from Edgbaston, 26th October, 2008

Yes, this is a rom-com with an up-beat ending. However, it is markedly better than the standard releases we are served up with. If you have any liking for Gervais's ascerbic comedy then I think you will like this. I went along expecting to be disappointed by being presented with a Gervais Hollywood sell-out, but he hasn't really done that. His character is quite unpleasant much of the time and even if his character reform is rather sudden and a touch incredible (within a story about a man who can see ghosts), it is just about swallowable because there is enough within Gervais's portrayal for you to want him to change. Special mention must go to both Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear for their first rate supporting performances. The whole thing is a light, funny (not belly-laugh), rom-com that does not have to resort to stoner or gross-out gags to try to get a laugh.

16 out of 19 people found the following review helpful:

ALL THE LAUGHS HAVE BEEN SHUUUUT DOWWWWN!

Norman Barry from Surrey, England., 11th March, 2009

I love Gervais, but this is she-ite. He looks like he's been embalmed most of the time. Stood out like a British sore thumb, Hancock-esque at times. Very poor choice. I can only assume it's part of the suck-up process needed to get his foot further in the Hollywood door. Selling / sold out? Exemplifies everything he rallied against through 'Extras'.

13 out of 13 people found the following review helpful:

Superb, Definately a Ghost to Rent...

A Customer from Ashton-Under-Lyne, 26th October, 2008

Grumpy and reclusive Manhattan dentist Bertram Pincus (brought to life ! ? by Ricky Gervais) has enough problems communicating with the living, when he dies for a few moments under anesthesis during a rather personal op, he is cursed with the rather unwanted ability to communicate with the departed. Finding a vent for their frustrations at being in limbo the dead hound the reclusive Pincus with their demands for messages they need passing to the living. This is a great idea and a well thought out and hilarious comedy that really tickled our funny bones. Whether you are a huge Gervais fan or not, definately rent this ghost, we are sure you wont be disappointed.

12 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

RICKY GERVAIS/MEL GIBSON:SEPARATED AT BIRTH?

Englishteacherguy from , 11th April, 2009

I was very intrigued to see whether Gervais could make the transition to the big screen - so few Brits do. Simon Pegg made it by consolidating his UK TV success in Brit movies, thereby hanging on to the thing that made him successful in the first place - the blend of humility, pathos, cruelty and irony that makes British humour unique. Whether he will have lasting success in the irony-less USA mainstream remains to be seen. Ricky Gervais's British success is based on a very specific brand of humour. He is always hinting that the cruelty of his character is actually real. Basically, he convinces as a completely unlikeable character. It's a bitter persona, with its roots in Basil Fawlty or Blackadder (neither of whom ever had a genuine romance in their TV series). I'd see him as a hit man or a serial killer before I'd think of him as lead in a romantic comedy. He'd have done better as the principal ghost in this film. The trouble is, this genre has too many hard-and-fast rules. It has to start with a flawed male (after all, it's usually the ladies who watch these things) show his redemption in the middle and end with a marriage to the babe who engineered his transformation into something marriage-worthy. This film loosely follows the plot of 'What Women Want' a fairly innocuous romcom starring Mel Gibson. That film was fun, light entertainment, but only worked because we all knew that Mel was already a good guy deep down and the film got a lot of humorous mileage out of its unique feature - the fact that Mel Gibson could hear women's thoughts. Ghost Town misplaces the focus on Gervais, giving him lots of rope to hang himself. The schmaltz of the last few scenes does not sit well with someone who has been inspiring loathing in his fans for a decade. It's like meeting the guy who mugged you last week doing community service in Mothercare. The inclusion of Ghosts in the plot is utterly pointless. The film is not about them, and they get in the way of the main plot which is 'learn to love Ricky Gervais, he is going to be a big star one day - honest'. As soon as any ghost gets on screen, Gervais shoos them away. I'd say that this film has been warped out of shape - there is no real story, just a very long 'Gervais Promo' which shows that he could do something funny in a movie, but - the lead in a romantic comedy? He's just not that kissable.

11 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

Half hour of Ricky's enough

Wooster from , 8th March, 2009

This could've been a good romantic comedy if someone like Jim Carey had starred. Ricky Gervais was completely wrong as the lead, or maybe just out of his depth in a full length feature film. He was dull and morose, just as in The Office - in fact he played the same character as in The Office and Extras - and didn't add anything to the plodding plot, although the basic idea was good but given the lifeless direction, forgettable characters and Gervais' uninspired performance the film failed to get off the starting blocks.

8 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Surprisingly good

William Brown from Edinburgh, 10th April, 2009

Usually can't stand Ricky Gervais but he is very good in this as are the rest of the cast. Maybe he should do other people's material more often. Laughs and a nice unchallenging story line. Not a classic but definitely not a waste of a night in.

7 out of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Ghost Town

A Customer from Purley, 2nd April, 2009

As a huge fan of The Office, Extras and the hilarious podcasts I was extremely disappointed by this film. Ricky Gervais appears to have left all of his values and credibility at the studio door by opting to do this lame Rom-Com that made me cringe throughout. In interviews and in Extras, Ricky Gervais frequently stresses the importance of leaving behind a body of work to be proud of and criticises celebrities for disregarding their integrity and chasing fame. Maybe this film would have worked as a parody of the genre but as it stands this film is just like a thousand other unimaginative Rom-Coms. Perhaps, Gervais should have heeded his own advice before embarking on this venture.

7 out of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Rainly Sunday Afternoon film

lynnesmiler from , 24th March, 2009

Well if you like Ricky then this film is acceptable but it felt like i was watching an episode of the Ghost Whisperer Thin story, thin plot and did not live upto expectations