Although it doesn’t look at all like your expected candidate for the lead role in a romantic comedy, Ricky Gervais actually looks quite plausible in the recently-released “Ghost Town.” However, the movie that stars the creator of the BBC version of “The Office” has very few surprises for its viewers. It’s just what you’d expect from a romantic comedy, but Gervais gives it a nice acid savor.

Gervais plays the role of a misanthropic New York dentist called Bertram Pincus who doesn’t like people period. He’s exactly the kind of dentist you wouldn’t want to handle your teeth and he enjoys being one very much. Pincus has a lot of fun sticking clamps and drains in the patients’ mouths.

However, fun’s over when our misanthropic dentist develops a gastric affliction and heads to the hospital to undergo surgery. During the intervention he dies “a little bit” as his lawsuit-shy surgeon played by Kristin Wiig says. However, after the 7–minute death, Pincus leaves the hospital and, on his way out, finds himself interacting with the dead people of New York. One thing leads to another and he becomes some sort of an emissary between NY’s ghosts and its living people.

Among other ghosts, Pincus meets with Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), a womanizer who asks him to contact his widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni). While trying to prevent Gwen from marrying another man, Pincus falls for her. The film follows the usual pattern and something happens to almost ruin what might have been between them and then something else happens and they get together.

However, Gervais’ role as the misanthropic dentist makes the film worthwhile. The humor it offers counters the film’s boring script.