by Jared Garrett

Created on: January 03, 2009

Was it "Burn After Reading," an uneven comedy wherein good actors forget timing and simply mug instead of act? No.

Was it "Pineapple Express," a knee slapper at times, but really only because of one phenomenal performance by James Franco? Sorry, again, no.

Was it "Tropic Thunder," an at times funny movie that is also schizophrenic and can't tell when to lampoon and when to glorify? When the funniest part of the movie is Tom Cruise in a fat suit, dancing in his office, the answer quickly becomes "nope."

Truth is: with 2008 being the year of the sequel and the year of the major comedy, a small, rather forgotten romantic comedy actually takes home the award of Best Comedy of 2008. The movie is "Ghost Town," and if you haven't seen it yet, it's on DVD so go for it.

"Ghost Town" stars Ricky Gervais in his first lead role in a major Hollywood production. There is no doubt that the studio took a major chance on Gervais. Good thing it paid off.

Gervais plays a cranky, introverted, by-the-numbers, people-hating hermit of a dentist, transplanted from England to New York. His life is straightforward: he does dental surgery, goes home to a rather large apartment and his routines, and does his best to avoid any spoken contact with other human beings.

Unfortunately, Gervais's character, Bertram Pincus, must undergo a colonoscopy. After a perfect scene of the night before the procedure, wherein Pincus struggles to down a lot of laxative, Pincus goes to the hospital. Another perfect scene where Pincus objects to the many questions asked by the admitting nurse follows.

We next see Pincus after the procedure. Unfortunately for him, he sees people that nobody else sees. They're ghosts and when they realize he sees them, they go after him to get him to help them with their unfinished business. This is one of the gems of the movie: the ghosts are a wonderfully vivid cross-section of New York's population, with an old couple, three well-meaning construction guys, a naked guy (who provides some of the better gutbusters of the flick) and a man who suffered death by falling AC unit. This is Frank Herlihy, who is played with a perfect touch by Greg Kinnear.

It becomes quickly clear that Pincus has people issues dating back to some unpleasant event in his past. Herlihy enlists Pincus to help him, mainly by promising that he will get the other ghosts to take off. Herlihy wants his widow to not marry some guy she's been seeing. Problem is that Herlihy was having an affair and his wife, Tea Leoni, found out the day he died.

We know what's going to happen: Pincus is going to fall for Tea Leoni and likewise, Herlihy will realize he's been a jerk, Pincus will help other ghosts and will come out of his shell, but it will be almost too late.

The wonderful thing about this movie is that it's all done with an eye to the comedy of each moment, with Pincus making spectacular observations and not pulling even one punch. Meanness is not glorified, instead it is used as a barometer for Pincus's development.

Audiences laugh throughout the entire movie, even during the most touching parts of the flick, of which there are several. With Gervais and his perfect timing and delivery, supported by Kinnear and Leoni at her comedic best, this movie is the best comedic entry for 2008.

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