Ricky Gervais sees dead people. All the time. They annoy him.
Gervais is an unlikely lead for a romantic comedy, but he’ll win you over through sheer force of will, with an impeccable sense of comic timing and a stammering charm. Koepp takes a break from writing mega blockbusters (Spider-Man, War of the Worlds) with this throwback to old school screwball comedies like Topper. Greg Kinnear does his best to step into Cary Grant’s shoes with his yuppie lounge lizard act while SNL’s Kristen Wiig makes a small, but hilarious, appearance.
Much like Run, Fatboy, Run (starring Gervais’ countryman, Simon Pegg), it is only the talented lead that is able to elevate a film that can’t quite escape its own cloying sentimentality. Would the movie have worked as well with anyone else in the lead? Doubtful.
Gervais is an unlikely lead for a romantic comedy, but he’ll win you over through sheer force of will, with an impeccable sense of comic timing and a stammering charm. Koepp takes a break from writing mega blockbusters (Spider-Man, War of the Worlds) with this throwback to old school screwball comedies like Topper. Greg Kinnear does his best to step into Cary Grant’s shoes with his yuppie lounge lizard act while SNL’s Kristen Wiig makes a small, but hilarious, appearance.
Much like Run, Fatboy, Run (starring Gervais’ countryman, Simon Pegg), it is only the talented lead that is able to elevate a film that can’t quite escape its own cloying sentimentality. Would the movie have worked as well with anyone else in the lead? Doubtful.
Rating: ** 1/2
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