Director: Simon Hynd
It’s been three long months for the Ghosts of Button House since Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) moved out and the developers moved in to turn the house into a hotel and golf course. But things change. First, a group of kids sneak into the abandoned house to try out their Ouija board, and the Ghosts discover a new way to interact with the living. Then eco-campaigners move onto the land, putting the hotel development at risk. But not all is what it seems, and the Ghosts need help. With their newfound young friends, they set off to find Alison and Mike, tackle the less-than-eco-friendly aims of one of the protesters and the local MP, and save Button House’s future.
There’s always a risk in taking a much-loved TV show and giving it a feature-length cinema outing, but the team behind Ghosts don’t put a foot wrong. They deliver a heartfelt, sweet and funny 97 minutes back in the company of well-loved characters.
There’s lots that big-screen adaptations can get wrong, but here the new characters are well thought out. They give the Ghosts an opportunity to expand their horizons in a way that doesn’t feel forced, and they get a story that works.
The film loses none of the show’s charm, mingling plenty of laugh-out-loud moments with some pathos as the Ghosts get a chance to “sample life” once again, and in some cases do things they never got to do.
All the cast are here: Lolly Adefope, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond. All get their screen time, some more comedic, some more touching. The new additions, especially Sian Clifford and Scott Ellis Watson as Janine and Jack, bring plenty.
It won’t change the world of comedy and isn’t cutting edge, but as a funny, touching and heartwarming big-screen version of a loved TV comedy, it works a treat.
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