Ghost Town: Difference between revisions
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*Dana Ivey as Marjorie Pickthall | *Dana Ivey as Marjorie Pickthall | ||
*Jeff Hiller as Naked Guy | *Jeff Hiller as Naked Guy | ||
==Box Office== | ==Box Office== | ||
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From [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/22188298/review/23178139/ghost_town ''Rolling Stone'']: "The fall movie season achieves comic liftoff thanks to Ricky Gervais, a master of deadpan hilarity playing a dentist who sees dead people." | From [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/22188298/review/23178139/ghost_town ''Rolling Stone'']: "The fall movie season achieves comic liftoff thanks to Ricky Gervais, a master of deadpan hilarity playing a dentist who sees dead people." | ||
==Ricky Gervais Quotes in the Press== | |||
On Bertrum Pincus: ''"He actually was socially awkward, and that's how he survived. No one wants to see clever, handsome people doing well and being nice… But you can get by with anything if you're wounded and hurt and closed. People feel sorry for you because you're missing out. I feel sorry for a rich, lonely person as much as I feel sorry for a poor, lonely person. Loneliness tops everything."'' [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-09-17-gervais-ghost_N.htm ''USA Today''] | |||
On filming in New York: ''"Give me New York any day. Give me cynicism… There's nothing worse to me than a neighbor who wants to be friends. I've got enough friends. Get away! Call me if there's a fire."'' [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-09-17-gervais-ghost_N.htm ''USA Today''] | |||
On improvising with Kristen Wiig: ''“We did about 15 takes, and every take was different,”'' [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/talking_pictures/2008/09/ricky-gervais-s.html ''Chicago Tribune''] | |||
On reasons for choosing Ghost Town: ''“I’m an elitist, unashamed of it… I don’t like committees, and I want to do it my way, good or bad. I did this for the fun of it, not to watch my fat face on a film that I don’t like but everyone else does.”'' [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/talking_pictures/2008/09/ricky-gervais-s.html ''Chicago Tribune''] ''“The reason I took Ghost Town was that it's the best script that I read in five years and also it's very collaborative. David Koepp knew I was a writer and director myself. He and I went off and rewrote the script as I wanted it. I went ‘fine,’ and even on set it was very collaborative.”'' [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/379483_gervais18.html ''Seattle PI''] | |||
On themes of redemption: ''"Redemption is probably my favorite theme now, the older I get… I never understood it. Now I get it. If you want someone to get better and they do, that's a victory for good. It's lovely, and I've snuck it into everything I do."'' [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-09-17-gervais-ghost_N.htm ''USA Today''] | |||
==Production== | ==Production== | ||
Revision as of 23:19, 4 October 2008
| Ghost Town | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | David Koepp |
| Produced by | Gavin Polone, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Joseph E. Iberti, Ezra Swerdlow |
| Written by | David Koepp John Kamps |
| Starring | Teá Leoni Greg Kinnear Ricky Gervais |
| Music by | Geoff Zanelli |
| Cinematography | Fred Murray |
| Edited by | Sam Seig |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release Dates |  18 September 2008  24 October 2008
|
| Running Time | 102 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| IMDB Profile | |
Ghost Town is a 2008 romantic comedy starring Ricky Gervais in his first leading role. It was co-written and directed by David Koepp whose previous work includes: Jurassic Park (screenplay), Spider-Man (screenplay), War of the Worlds (screenplay), and Stir of Echoes (director).
Plot
In the romantic comedy "Ghost Town," Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result.
Cast
- Ricky Gervais as Bertram Pincus D.D.S.
- Greg Kinnear as Frank Herlihy
- Téa Leoni as Gwen
- Billy Campbell as Richard
- Aasif Mandvi as Dr. Prashar
- Kristen Wiig as Surgeon
- Dana Ivey as Marjorie Pickthall
- Jeff Hiller as Naked Guy
Box Office
For the opening weekend in the U.S. the film was on 1,505 screens and made $5,012,315. The next weekend yielded another $2,930,904 on 1,512 screens.
Critical Reception
Overall, Gervais and the film received a high volume of positive reviews from critics. The film has a rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes with 103 positive reviews and 17 negative reviews.
From San Francisco Chronicle : "Both very funny and a bit of a tearjerker, with an on-the-money performance from Ricky Gervais."
From Variety : "Smartly supernatural, and featuring sensational performances by Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni, Ghost Town is a 'Topper' for our times."
From Washington Post: "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."
From Rolling Stone: "The fall movie season achieves comic liftoff thanks to Ricky Gervais, a master of deadpan hilarity playing a dentist who sees dead people."
Ricky Gervais Quotes in the Press
On Bertrum Pincus: "He actually was socially awkward, and that's how he survived. No one wants to see clever, handsome people doing well and being nice… But you can get by with anything if you're wounded and hurt and closed. People feel sorry for you because you're missing out. I feel sorry for a rich, lonely person as much as I feel sorry for a poor, lonely person. Loneliness tops everything." USA Today
On filming in New York: "Give me New York any day. Give me cynicism… There's nothing worse to me than a neighbor who wants to be friends. I've got enough friends. Get away! Call me if there's a fire." USA Today
On improvising with Kristen Wiig: “We did about 15 takes, and every take was different,” Chicago Tribune
On reasons for choosing Ghost Town: “I’m an elitist, unashamed of it… I don’t like committees, and I want to do it my way, good or bad. I did this for the fun of it, not to watch my fat face on a film that I don’t like but everyone else does.” Chicago Tribune “The reason I took Ghost Town was that it's the best script that I read in five years and also it's very collaborative. David Koepp knew I was a writer and director myself. He and I went off and rewrote the script as I wanted it. I went ‘fine,’ and even on set it was very collaborative.” Seattle PI
On themes of redemption: "Redemption is probably my favorite theme now, the older I get… I never understood it. Now I get it. If you want someone to get better and they do, that's a victory for good. It's lovely, and I've snuck it into everything I do." USA Today
Production
In November 2007, Kirsty Wark interviewed Ricky Gervais on the set of the film in New York. The interview was broadcast on 'Newsnight Review' (BBC 2) on 09 November 2007. It can be here viewed on YouTube
Ghost Town was filmed on the Upper East Side of New York City in 2007. Gervais became so enamored with the locale that he purchased an apartment in the area for $1.66 million.
Music
- Geoff Zanelli: "Original music for Ghost Town"
- Beatles: "I'm Looking Through You" (Opening Credits)
- Dusty Wright: "I'm Still in Love (W/ You)"
- Wilco: "Please Be Patient With Me"
- Aram Khachaturian: "Sabre Dance"
- Citizen Cope: "Sideways"
- Franz Joseph Haydn: "String Quartet Op. 1 No. 6 in C - 4th Movement"
- Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington: "Theme from Rawhide"
- Brendan Benson: "What I'm Looking For"
- Mason Jennings: "Which Way Your Heart Will Go"
- John Mayer: "The Heart of Life" (Closing Credits)