"Ghost Town" is one of those odd movies that can be funny and serious at the same time. It depicts the journey of Bertram Pincus, a dentist who can talk to dead people (who in turn, want him to grant them favors). Think of it as "the Sixth Sense", but less scary and more funny.

Plot

The film's pace is similar to many of its genre. It starts with a disgruntled man who, over the course of the film, goes through many unique circumstances, in which he becomes a happier man. The screenwriting gives a great amount of witty dialogue and double-entendres. In spite of all this, there is a serious underlying story that is building in the background. The end of the film shows a great moral outcome, as each character changes in their own way. Resolutions are made, some of which bring a serious light to what seemed comedic at the start of the film.

Acting

Ricky Gervais ("the Office" - UK) plays Bertram Pincus, and brings a certain charm to the role. Through some light humor, he conveys the gradual evolution of his character from a senseless, loveless loner to a happy, lovable man. His performance allows the audience to truly care for the character.

Greg Kinnear ("Little Miss Sunshine") does a proper job as Frank Herlihy, a dead adulterer trying to make amends with his widow. Though not entirely convincing, he manages to give his role a strange enthusiasm as he character learns life's important lessons, even after his death.

Tea Leoni ("Fun with Dick and Jane") plays Gwen Herlihy, Frank's widow and Bertram's love interest. Though her sadder scenes don't consist of what I would think to be her best acting, she gives a full performance at the end of the film that is thoroughly convincing.

What makes it unique

"Ghost Town" blends comedy and drama in perfect balance. It's a relaxing movie that gives some good laughs while still maintaining a solid storyline.

Overall

In the end, I would hope that audiences would leave this film feeling relaxed and uplifted. If you're in the mood for this type of film, you should definitely give this one a shot.

The downside was a few loose ends, like wondering how Sarah played by Geena Davis, possessed the power to let the sandworm in, to swallow Beetlejuice when the ghosts were weaker than the worm. Another loose end was how the dead couple got siphoned back to the world of lost souls, although one could figure that something was needed to inform the couple that a mortal had stolen the “Book of the Deceased”.

The imaginative loopholes where the actors like Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis went in an out of the after world, added to the momentum and tension of the film. One suspected that the deceased couple would try to make an attempt to get the new owners out of the house but there had to be complications like the hazard of reverting to the help of Beetlejuice or the additional plague on the already deceased couple because of a meddlesome Otho.

An early performance by Winona Ryder crowned the film. She played a convincing gothic suicidal teenager with a special ability to communicate with the dead couple and acted also to inform her parents that the ghosts were unwilling to be used for show. She interacts with Beetle juice in order to have him remove a ghastly curse on the ghosts but had to sacrifice her celibacy to marry him.

The wedding is comical in the way it is dragged out and ended before it is sealed and so is the combination of special effects and comedy with scenes such as one of he final ones where Beetle Juice has his head shrunk because he switched numbers for some other freak waiting dogs ages to get into the after world.