There is an attempt at explaining why Pincus is the way he is. A girl he was in love with left him for another man, leading to a life of anti-social behavior. He steals cabs, purposely closes elevator doors, has no compassion for his patients or fellow man...that sort of thing. To him, talking to someone is to risk his emotions again. Of course, that much is never said, so the script wants us to fill in the blanks. That would be a problem in other films, but not here. "Ghost Town" is a comedy which doesn't reach too far for the humor. You won't find an Adam Sandler gag here; rather, it's more restrained, slightly more sophisticated and sublime than most entries in the genre. Even "Burn After Reading," I think, has more potty humor laughs than "Ghost Town."

When Kinear and Gervais share the screen, a palpable dichotomy emerges. Here is Pincus, a man who doesn't want anything to do with people, and Frank, a man who is most at home being the center of attention, the ringleader if you will. Whether on purpose or by accident, the script presents these two men (to illustrate the difference perhaps?) as two parts of the same coin. The actors play off one wonderfully in either the comedic moments or in the serious ones. A banter crosses between them, engaging the audience and allowing us to feel comfortable with a ghost and man who can talk to ghosts. In other words, comfortable with the characters.

"Ghost Town" finds itself rushed, though, when Leoni's Gwen is given screen time. The theory is she can begin to take a liking to Pincus, "forcing" her to break off the engagement with Billy Campbell's Richard.

Why? Simple, really. The boy chases girl part of the story flashes by entirely too fast. What aspect of Pincus does Gwen find remotely amusing? And how does she forgot about being stuck in the rain with a package when he takes her cab? How about that elevator door he purposely closes? Um, yeah. Who cares. One moment she rips him to shreds; the (seemingly) next, they're talking about his ex Sarah. It's the quickest "frenemy" conversion in movie history.