On the surface, Ghost Town doesn't seem like the sort of film Gervais would get himself into.

But when you watch it, you can see why Gervais wanted to make the leap to leading man - even if it was perhaps an unwise leap to take.

Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, a misanthropic dentist who dies on the operating table during a routine operation for seven minutes and wakes up with the ability to see ghosts.

Click here to view Ghost Town trailer

When Manhattan's ghosts realise he can see them, they all want Bertram to do them favours so they can go to heaven - but Bertram is having none of it.

Until adulterous ghost Frank (Greg Kinnear) comes along and promises Bertram that he will keep the ghosts away from him if he help him stop his wife (Tea Leoni) from remarrying.

Bertram finds he is unable to say no.

Gervais has taken the bold step of becoming a Hollywood leading man, but struggles slightly to hold his own on the big screen, and reverts back to the Gervais wit that gained him so many fans for The Office and Extras.

He is a funny man, and he performs well on the big screen in small cameo roles, like in Stardust, but as the leading man Gervais falls just short of the mark.

Needless to say, the film is full of the Gervais humour that has made him the star he is today, and he makes his character likeable when he falls in love with Frank's wife Gwen and wrestles with his feelings.

It is an unusual film, packed with laughs and a few tear-jerking moments, and if you cast aside the unbelievabilty factor that Tea Leoni would fall in love with Ricky Gervais (especially over her stunning fiance), then this is a fantastic film.

Very funny, and very likeable.

Click here to view Ghost Town showtimes at Odeon Silverlink