Ricky Gervais stars as a dentist who dies for seven minutes before he is revived. However, once he’s back in the real world he quickly finds out he now has the ability to interact with ghosts that apparently only exist to annoy him. He’s particularly hounded by a recently deceased man (Greg Kinnear) that wants to to use him to break up his widow (Tea Leoni) and her new man. It’s a fine movie with Ricky Gervais generating most of the humor in his usual awkward and annoyed zingers. I also need to give a shout-out to supporting actress Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live, Knocked Up) who continues to nail her comedic timing and delivery. Don’t go out of your way to see Ghost Town, but there are laughs here if you catch it.
Posts Tagged comedy
Ghost Town
Feb 13
Sunshine Cleaning
Feb 11
The producers of Little Miss Sunshine make another quirky family-comedy-drama with Alan Arkin in a supporting role. Sunshine Cleaning stars Amy Adams (Doubt, Enchanted) and Brit Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada) as sisters that don’t get along, but come together in their need of quick cash. Police Officer Steve Zahn (Rescue Dawn) gives them a heads up on money to be made by cleaning up crime scenes. Little Miss Sunshine is funnier, but Sunshine Cleaning is far more emotional. It’s about dealing with the love, happiness, frustration, and pain in a dysfunctional family in the real world. At 91 minutes, it’s not overly spoon-fed and quite recommended.
Up In The Air
Jan 10
Up In The Air is about the crisis of choice facing modern single professionals (think of a slightly more mature Jerry Maguire or Garden State). Despite the heavy sociological questions posed by the film, it is constantly entertaining thanks to its quick-witted script and effective performances by George Clooney, Vera Farmiga (The Departed) and Anna Kendrick (Twilight). While it hovers above romantic comedy territory, Up In The Air admirably resists the temptation to land on the adopted shorthand of the genre, instead maintaining strong thematic focus and commitment. Highly recommended.
The Castle
Dec 31
A farcical comedy about a lower-middle class Australian family and their fight to keep their humble home from compulsory acquisition. The Castle is part Raising Arizona and part My Cousin Vinny, and earns at least an arguable position amongst those legends. While a working knowledge of Aussie culture will surely add richness, The Castle is immediately accessible to anyone who lays hands on it; it is an inside joke that anyone can get.
What elevates The Castle above more recent jabs at simple family life (Little Miss Sunshine) is its good-heartedness. Even while it skewers the gaudy tastes, casual ignorance and utter lack of ambition of it’s characters, it embraces them. The Castle loves its characters, and we do too.