Ghost Town review

[hellmutt]

A singularly unmemorable name (I typed "Dead City" first, stared at it and then remembered) for a pretty good film, Ghost Town.

I liked it. I cackled a lot. I recommend it.

What I liked a lot about Ghost Town:

• DOG
• Dialogue
• Sadistic humour, oh yes
• General Britishness of the humour, especially in his interaction with his coworker.
• English accent YES YES YES
• Gervais is an atypical leading man for a rom com - middle-aged, British and funny, and not completely castrated by the end.
  • I particuarly liked Gervais leading because the last time I saw him Hollywood-side was a cameo in A Night at the Museum, in which he played the pigeonrole for a British actor: a stuffy, ridiculous and ineffective character.
  • Sometime I'd like to see a hunkish male get together with a dumpy, nerdish female who DOES NOT take off her glasses and suddenly become Miss World, and is sexy because she's intelligent and witty.
• Supernatural element; these always help to avert boredom.
• 'Sidekick' character also flawed, rather than playing perfect advisor to flawed hero.
• Lack of religiosity
• Relieving lack of schmaltz in general. In fact, what's the word I'm looking for here? Oh yes - unAmerican. I'm seriously amazed that both writers are from Wisconsin.
• Beatles song
• No sex scene
• Retro nurse outfit. Um. Was cute.

What I disliked:

• The romance. Yes, it was a rom com so I expected it. I still thought "just because you like him, why are you equating this with lust and naughtiness?" (Then I got annoyed, because as above, you'd expect someone looking like Gervais to play a "funny British non-romantic-interest friend" role, and that's annoying too. Dammit.)
• Bloody New York bloody City. I'm bloody sick of the place. Things bloody happen in other places, you know! They even had to bloody well lampshade a bloody stupid plot point concerning the setting!
• Needed moar DOG

Content warnings: Routine dental procedures.

Oh, and there's a pretty Egyptologist. I'm just saying, looking at nobody in particular here, REE.

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