Movies |
Ricky Gervais
By
Published: Mar 04, 2010
Category:
Comedy
There is no awards show sillier than the Golden Globes — it’s not quite possible to buy a nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, though wags like to say it is — but I watched this year because Ricky Gervais was the host.
He did not disappoint.
‘Just looking at all the faces here reminds me of the great work that’s been done this year… by cosmetic surgeons,” he began, as the camera quickly cut away from Meryl Streep. “You all look great. I’ve had a little bit of work done. I’ve had a penis reduction. Just got the one now… and it is very tiny. But so are my hands. So when I’m holding it, it looks pretty big.”
He pointed out that actors aren’t just loved in Hollywood — they are beloved icons around the world. “You can be in the Third World and you get a glimpse of a Hollywood star and it makes you feel better,” he said. ‘”You can be a little child, a little Asian child, with no possessions, no money — but you see a picture of Angelina Jolie and you think, ‘Mummy!’”
When it came time to introduce the stars who would be presenting the awards, he was just as tart.
“I like a drink as much as the next man… unless the next man is Mel Gibson.”
“One stereotype I hate is that all Irishmen are just drunk, swearing, hell raisers….please welcome Colin Farrell.”
But I’m not doing this justice. Because, in black and white, you can’t deliver the essence of live comedy. In this case, you have to picture a round-faced Brit. Not as slim as he might be. Smiling, always smiling. And, with sincerity and innocence and in total violation of his promise to the network, savagely skewering people he’s meant to praise.
Oh, why not just watch him in action:
Thinking back, I realize I didn’t much care about Ricky Gervais until I saw Ghost Town. I had never watched The Office or Extras. I’d missed his first few movies. But a lot of “Ghost Town” was filmed on my block. And the reviews were extremely favorable. Was it possible that someone had taken the weary old concept of dead people talking to the living and made a smart urban comedy?
Someone had indeed. And someone — the director, David Koepp — had wisely cast Ricky Gervais as a character much like Ricky Gervais: a dentist named Bertraam Pincus, a dentist. Brit by birth, New York by choice. Pleasant, as Brits are. But not really nice — this is a man who became a dentist, in part, so he could work in silence, with people who can’t talk back.
A routine colonoscopy renders him dead for almost seven minutes — and bestows a terrible curse on him. He sees dead people. And they see him. Even worse, they talk to him, hoping he’ll help them with their unfinished business on earth.
Greg Kinnear, suave as Cary Grant, is the dead man who gets the dentist’s attention. In life, he was chronically unfaithful. Now he wants to make apologies to his widow, Tea Leoni. A triangle ensures. Not, as you may imagine, very satisfactory. Gervais falls in love with Leoni. (Who wouldn’t?) But his people skills are as invisible as her dead husband.
This is not “Ghost.” Or any of the ‘30s movies that used this convention. It’s a slick, witty comedy built around a high concept. To my delight, it was almost devoid of mawkish sincerity. And when it had to go there, it was actually touching.
“Ghost Town” opened in September 2008. Its commercial death came soon after. A few nominations drifted its way, but nothing major happened that would make you notice or care. At $11.50, the DVD is a bargain. At $2, for a used DVD, even better.
A nasty man who seems kind — if that’s your kind of guy, you can wallow in Ricky Gervais.
To buy “Ghost Town” from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy “The Office” (The Complete Collection BBC Edition: First And Second Series Plus Special) from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy “Ricky Gervais: Out of England – The Stand-Up Special” from Amazon.com, click here.
