Parents' Guide to

Ghost Town

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Comedy is sweet, but a little short on romance.

Movie PG-13 2008 102 minutes
Ghost Town Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Ffffffred
Ffffffred Adult
October 11, 2019
age 14+

Not kid friendly

This film references porn, prostitution, and other sexual activity

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
January 25, 2010
age 12+

Get ready to cry tears of laughter!

Thought it was outrageously funny! This is the kind of film that really gets you laughing off your chair. I loved the humor, storyline and characters. I felt sorry for the main dude, even though he had a bad attitude, made it more great. The jokes throughout are horrendously funny & stuff you haven't heard before. The ghosts rocked even though they were totally annoying. Language was not too bad..but an "f" word pops out when you least expect it & some "s" words as well as others. Not recommended to those under 12.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Great messages
Great role models
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is an ill-natured Manhattan dentist who likes his profession because he doesn't have to chitchat with his patients. In fact, he's loathe to socialize even on the barest level, pressing elevator buttons furiously so he doesn't have to ride up with his neighbors and skipping out when his associate celebrates the birth of his child. But after a colonoscopy goes awry and he technically dies for seven minutes before coming back to life, Bertram won't be left alone anymore. He sees ghosts everywhere -- and they're a talkative bunch, imploring him to help settle their unfinished business. The most persuasive is Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), a tuxedoed philanderer who wants Bertram to help stop his widow's (Tea Leoni) impending remarriage. Bertram agrees to come to his aid, but only if Frank keeps the other spirits at bay and promises to leave him alone when the job's done. But soon Bertram learns he has unfinished business, too.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (7):

It's refreshing to find a romantic comedy that doesn't try too hard. There's an ease to the storytelling in GHOST TOWN that eschews the typical look-at-me-I'm-so-cute style that too many others adopt. It also ably balances pathos with humor, mining the sadness in a moment -- the film is about death, after all -- while preventing it from getting too mournful and breaking the mood.

That said, the story takes a little too much time to unfold; the first 30 minutes are on the cusp of being slow. And then the end feels compressed, the romance rushed. Plus, the chemistry between Gervais -- who's certainly appealing in his oddball way -- and Leoni is nonexistent. While you can imagine them hanging out at a cocktail party and having an unexpectedly great time, they're unconvincing as a potential couple. The real winner here is the city of New York, which, though haunted by ghosts, is showcased at its glowy, autumnal best.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's message. What point is it making about how to live life while you can? What does Bertram learn from the ghosts? Is his transformation believable? Families can also discuss how this movie compares to other romantic comedies. Can you think of any movies it's similar to?

Movie Details

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