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After going in for a routine colonoscopy, Dr. Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) starts to see the dead that are still on earth. He finds out that during the operation he died for seven minutes and now he must deal with the dead haunting him for favours. Pincus has never been a people person but Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) makes a deal with him that the other ghosts will leave him alone if he does him a favour. Frank needs Pincus to break his widow’s (Tea Leoni) new relationship up, but in doing so Pincus falls in love with her.
Ricky Gervais is known for being very particular over what movies he does and he has turned down a lot of offers, including hosting the Oscars. Why then did he chose this film to play a leading man in a romantic comedy, a genre that you wouldn’t ideally put someone like Gervais? Well I can’t answer that for you but I can tell you that he probably read the script and thought it was a winner, whilst it’s not going to be on every ones lips this certainly is a good film. Riddled with Gervais usual tone and demeanour and actually drawing the audience into the love story when you wouldn’t expect it of him.
The film is harmless fun, not award winning comedy, not gross out humour but pure entertainment that you get so rarely from films in this genre today. Being a romantic comedy would usually be an instant turn off for any male but throw in the popular Gervais and you’ve doubled your audience. The story is fresh and although seems to follow the standard ups and downs will keep you smiling. The reason for the presence of ghosts on Earth is refreshingly different although raises the questions of how ghosts who’ve wandered for thousands of years are ever going to pass into the next life.
In terms of transfer to your home entertainment system this certainly isn’t going to test your specs. There are no action sequences or a dramatic score but the image is crisp if a little high on the yellow and oranges. Overall an entertaining watch that doesn’t drag or dip like many of its rom-com siblings.