Ghost Town
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: September 19, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
Both very funny and a bit of a tearjerker, with an on-the-money performance from Ricky Gervais. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
A winning mix of sharp comedy and touching bits that keeps the laughter -- a few tears -- flowing. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A misanthropic dentist, a roguish ghost and a zany Egyptologist: as these unlikely companions scamper around Manhattan in the buoyant comedy Ghost Town, they resurrect the spirits of classic movie curmudgeons like W. C. Fields and such romantic comedians as Cary Grant and Carole Lombard in Woody Allen territory. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
A welcome surprise: a supernatural romantic comedy that works, graced with a cast just off-center enough to make it distinctive. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle Smith
The twists are executed superbly, right up to a climax that fits the David Mamet definition of what makes for a perfect ending: It is both surprising and inevitable. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The astonishingly versatile Kinnear proves note-perfect as a huckster who slowly rids himself of slime. Read full review
80
VarietyJohn Anderson
Smartly supernatural, and featuring sensational performances by Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni, Ghost Town is a "Topper" for our times. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
A sweet and hilarious romantic comedy featuring a breakout performance by British comic genius Ricky Gervais, inspires viewers to pause, reflect and praise one of the most rare and wondrous occurrences in contemporary cinema: the Good Movie. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Leoni and Kinnear are charming, and Koepp keeps the mood appropriately light. But really, this would be just another disposable comedy if it weren't for our unassuming star. Read full review
80
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Ghost Town is a rarity, a contemporary romantic comedy that honors the traditions of the genre without checking them off some plasticized list. The picture is breathing, and alive, every minute. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Though the plot contrives to throw Gervais and Leoni together and then pull them apart, the two leads stay consistently in sync through it all, laughing at each other's jokes and generally sharing the kind of normal adult communication that's often missing from movies about people falling in love. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A lightweight rom-com elevated by its performances. It is a reminder that the funniest people are often not comedians, but actors playing straight in funny roles. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It sounds sappy, and sometimes it is, but director Koepp and co-writer John Kamps stay alert to the humor and pathos of Bertram's isolation. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A good-natured and engaging fantasy/romantic comedy in the tradition of "Heaven Can Wait" or even "Topper." Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
An innovative romantic comedy that is a mixture of British spice and American sugar. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Predictable but amusing. The painfully awkward, stubby Gervais as romantic lead is a funny enough concept, but the actor's ongoing banter with Kinnear is engaging, and their styles mesh entertainingly. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It's a smooth journey across familiar territory to a safe emotional harbor, always professional and occasionally delightful. Read full review
70
SlateDana Stevens
Once Leoni's Gwen comes on the scene, the movie starts to bubble along nicely. Not just because Leoni is a screwball heroine worth, er, screwballing--at 42, she's more attractive than ever--but because her character is given a weight and texture that's rare in a movie of this type. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJan Stuart
Audiences who feel battered by Hollywood's usual hard-sell approach to farce may be disarmed by Koepp's soft touch and inclined to credit blandness as understatement. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
In this comedy by David Koepp, Gervais handles the big, crowd-pleasing gags with aplomb. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Diverting enough, but it's also the kind of high-concept studio concoction Ricky Gervais might have ridiculed in his great backstage-showbiz sitcom "Extras." Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
But by the time this imperfect little film wends its way to one of the most winning exit lines I've heard in a long time, it's turned into something, well, perfectly lovely. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Ghost Town reworks "Ghost" as a romantic comedy with a miserable hero who sees dead people and is really annoyed by them. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
One of those romantic comedies that never quite clicks. At times, its humor is effective, provoking chuckles and laughs. At other times, the comedy feels forced and awkward. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
In Koepp's comedic variation on a similar theme, the dead are not just unhappy -- they're irritatingly needy. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Someone once said about W.C. Fields that he had the rare ability to despise amusingly. I can imagine no greater compliment than to say that Ricky Gervais seems, at his best, like a young Fields. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Eventually, though, Ghost Town buckles beneath the weight of contrivance -- so many ghosts to dispel, so many lessons to learn. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Feels downright ancient. Read full review
40
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
If it sounds all so pale and predictable, it is. Read full review
40
EmpireHelen O'Hara
If you like Gervais' usual schtick, you might be prepared to overlook the hackneyed plot for the jokes and strong cast. Read full review
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