As a writer, director, producer and actor Ricky Gervais showcases his effortless talent as one of the hardest working blokes around. One of the most interesting transitions to watch has been his growth when it comes to feature films. He came to North American audiences in a quiet underrated picture called Ghost Town (2008), his first leading role where he played the misanthropic dentist, Bertram Pincus. The film has a quiet dignity about it that almost makes you think it could have been James Stewart playing the part of Pincus.
The Invention of lying (2009) soon came along which put Gervais in the writer/director chair. In this high concept comedy, in which the gene for lying never evolved in humans, Gervais plays the first man that can lie, Mark. The film still left me wanting more honesty from Gervais, I know there had to be another script somewhere underneath the safety net of this Hollywood film; and we finally got it.
Alas, Cemetery Junction (2010) (formerly titled The Man from the Pru). The film just from the trailers, soundtrack and interviews with Gervais will show that it has all lead up to this. His honest portrayal of an earlier time in England with so many autobiographical references it’s hard to keep up. Listening and watching Ricky after all these years has led me to a point where it’s almost like I’ve been studying him and Cemetery Junction is the final exam. I will go on at length with Cemetery Junction in an official “preview” post, so get ready for that.
Before the big 3 films mentioned above we can also look at earlier works; Gervais’ first film role was in 2005 in the animated feature Valiant where he did the voice for the character Bugsy. In 2006 Gervais appeared briefly in the Christopher Guest film For Your Consideration as Martin Gibb, a slick studio executive for the film within a film, Home for Thanksgiving. Gervais also had a small role in the film Night at the Museum in 2006, where he played the museum director, Dr. McPhee, opposite Ben Stiller. Gervais rounded out his small cameo roles in 2007 when he appeared in the film Stardust as Ferdy the Fence with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer. Gervais also made a cameo appearance in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian in 2009. Gervais is also working on an animated version of Flanimals which is currently announced, but yet to begin pre-production.
Let us watch some trailers:
Tags: cemetery junction, ghost town, ricky gervais, the invention of lying, trailer
