by Katie Dippold & Paul Feig
Columbia Pictures
So far the game plan of making sure to throw money at movies that make whiney bros mad is working out pretty damn well. (See: Mad Max.) THIS IS NO EXCEPTION.
(Text to the rest of the Bitches as I left the theater: “Sarah I’m really mad at you. Because you won’t let me give Ghostbusters a grade of A++++++++++++++++++++++billion.”)
If you somehow missed all of this, this movie is a remake of the 1984 movie, which starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. In this year’s version, the four leads are played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. McCarthy, Wiig, and McKinnon are scientists studying the paranormal, who team up with Jones as the person who actually knows things about New York in order to stop a paranormal invasion.
Y’all. Y’ALL. It’s PERFECT. It’s EVERYTHING. I laughed so hard I almost peed (I’m not kidding. It was a VERY near thing). My stomach muscles still hurt.
We already know about the comedic genius of McCarthy and Wiig, especially when Paul Feig is involved. They’re amazing. But the real revelations here are Jones and McKinnon. Jones sinks her TEETH into everything, and McKinnon- my god, MCKINNON. She was having the time of her life as the builder of all the toys. I’ve long since stopped watching SNL, but if that’s what I need to get more Kate McKinnon in my life, maybe I’ll have to go back. (I’d really rather not, so Hollywood please give Kate more work in other stuff.)
We also need to talk about Chris Hemsworth as Kevin, the pretty but dim receptionist. He’s REALLY good at comedy, and he should REALLY do more. Lots more. Forget the action star roles, boyo, and be funny! (There’s a gag with glasses that almost killed me.)
Jones’ character has come under some fire for being the non-scientist of the group- why does the only Black character have to be the non-scientist? Jones herself has said she doesn’t care about that, and she does so much with her character, and she’s the one that puts the science together to defeat the Big Bad, so… sure, I’ll take one of the plus signs off the grade.
What made this work so well is that it was a remake, sort of, that referenced and honored it’s predecessor without just being a shot for shot remake. There were homages and cameos aplenty (no Rick Moranis, sadly), but it was it’s own movie with it’s own plot. And it’s VERY clear to me that Paul Feig looked at the brewing shitstorm when it was announced that an all-female remake was being made and turned the misandry up to about 43.
So let’s talk about the Bros who are flooding the online review sites claiming this movie is ruining their childhood. A: No it’s not. Your childhood is right where you left it, unchanged. Another movie that does not replace the 1984 in history doesn’t change a damn thing. B: Shut up. C: Wow, suddenly not 100% of media isn’t catering to you! LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT BECAUSE THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS. D: SHUT UP NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK.
Remaking formerly all-dude properties into all-female ensembles isn’t the be-all and end-all of Hollywood’s woman problem, and barely touches on the lack of PoC problem, but it’s a start.
I watched this in a theater that was mostly full of women, who were laugh-crying, hooting, hollering, APPLAUDING, and generally having a great time. (One dude hollered “SHIT” at the final end-credits scene, much to the delight of all.) The women sitting next to me were as into everything as I was, and we chatted briefly as we were leaving- one of them said “It was all nostalgia. And Perfection. AND SO GOOD.” (NOTE: Stay through ALL the credits. ALL OF THEM.)
I loved the 1984 movie, but it never occurred to me that girls could be Ghostbusters, too. What makes me excited is that there’s never going to be another generation where that’s true. Go bust some ghosts, girls. We all got your backs.
Ghostbusters is in theaters now and you can find tickets (US) at Fandango and Moviefone.
The movie was brilliant. I had no trouble with Jones being a non-scientist – sometimes you need some balance, and she definitely provided it. (And I say this as a science type myself). Chris was having TOO Much Fun, and our whole group fell in love with Kate McK. All of us. Male and female. This could get nasty, folks.
Scores: Script B, as I think there was just a bit too much harking back to the old movie (although the cameos were lovely). It gets A for showing how the crippling self-doubt that is taught to women can often be the biggest thing holding them back. It gets A for a glorious mix of bodies and ages. And A+ for Kate.
So overall B+ – well worth the seeing. I’m going again next week with a friend who is 10, because she needs to see that she needn’t be afraid of no ghosts.
Sadly, I am not a theater-going person so I’m going to have to wait until this (and Finding Dory and Secret Life of Pets) gets released to DVD. But definitely thanks for the heads up regarding it.
I admit to having been somewhat ambivalent towards the film originally, mainly because most of the remakes I’ve seen weren’t worth the effort (of anything really, up to and including seeing them, much less making them). So I’m very glad to hear that an all female ensemble hit it out of the park.
I loved it. I was really young when the original came out so some of the references went a bit over my head. But yeah, really funny the ladies were brilliant, Kevin was hilarious. All in all a fun time at the cinema. (Idiot blokes complaining about their childhood being ruined should watch the Transformers films. Now that’s wrecking my preteen memories).
I don’t really go to the theater any more, but this… I will make an exception for this. I felt so ambivalent about this movie, when it was first announced, because I want women to have their own stories and not simply have a male-centric one re-written for them, but the trailer cracked me up, and your review tipped it over the edege. Now, where can I find a free afternoon? There has to be one hidden away somewhere, right?
Yay! The movie would have had my money anyway, for all the reasons you mentioned, but woohoo, a billion A pluses! Can’t wait.
Personally, I’d give it an B+. Whole lotta fun, but it meandered a bit too much at times for my taste.
Oh please don’t give up on SNL. It actually had quite a good season this year. And if you love Kate you must immediately search for the Alien Abduction skit she did with Ryan Gosling. It is priceless – and includes one of the best phrases ever: “I was porky pigging it in a drafty done.”
*dome. (Side eye glance to autocorrect)
I saw it last night and I agree that it was a whole lot of fun. My husband and I have been doing Kevin quotes all day. “Which picture makes me look more like a doctor?”
Kate McKinnon is sex on a stick. I say that in a movie that also features a gleeful, dumb as a box of rocks Chris Hemsworth (who is having the time of his life). She is everything, and I demand a billion movies with her in them, and please for the love of puppies don’t let Hollywood smooth out her weirdness.
THIS MOVIE MAKES ME SO HAPPY. While the plot was a little light at times, I love the character development we get and it really nicely sets up for all those sequels we’re going to get, right, Sony?
Seconding everything in the review and adding that I love the score so much; reminds me a lot of John Williams and Howard Shore, and when it crescendos into the hero themes while four badass women are being badass on screen…this just means so much to me. So much.
Also while I can’t speak to the role of Patty in terms of representation, I loved that her “That makes sense because historyhistoryhistory” seemed so similar to Holtzmann’s “Well I’ve scienced the sciencescience”. YAY HISTORY NERDS.
Writing this on my way to see it a second time and I am so happy to be going again.
Huh.
I’m surprised the remake was reviewed well. I’ll admit that reading about the circumstances behind this remake interested me more than the film itself.
Especially since I found report videos that summed up what happened behind the remake’s creation and the weird PR behind the film.
I can share the name for the videos if anyone wants them.
But that’s good you had enjoyed them.
I saw it yesterday and loved it. I think I’ll go see it again in the theater so I can vote with my dollars for more movies like this.
I’m seeing it with my daughter today. She’s 9, and the hubs and the son opted out. One of the best things about having a daughter is being able to shrug and be like, “Smell ya later, gents.” She has very similar tastes to her mama, and so I have a built-in movie pal. We’re both really excited for it.
*I should probably note that the husband is just not that interested, but his level of interest in most things tends to level out at, “I’ll wait for DVD” (I think it’s because he’s kind of cheap). As for the son, he prefers animated fare. I did give him the option, but he asked if Dad could take him to the bookstore instead. I think they plan to watch the race and then go wander around a bookstore. I say all this to say that their refusal is not based in the idea of a female Ghostbusters team.
I really liked it. For the most part, I did not love it, except for Holtzmann. I felt like Kate McKinnon was starring in a deliriously brilliant over-the-top movie that happened to intersect with a pretty good, pretty funny movie with Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig. I like Leslie Jones as sort of the voice-of-normal in the team, and I did love Hemsworth as Pretty but Dumb Kevin.
Honestly, for me the missing piece was in the relationship between Melissa McCarthy’s and Kristen Wiig’s characters; I didn’t really buy the emotional weight of the tie between them. If that had been stronger, and the script had been a smidge tighter, the rest of the movie might have risen to the level of Holtzmann: The Movie.
I feel like this is a situation where the sequel might be better than the first film, because you don’t have to establish the world and the backstory.
I wanted to love this movie going in. The entire cast is funny and there are so many great one liners in this film, and I like the fact that even though they joke around they all seem to genuinely like each other. I would definitely like to see this cast together again in a sequel. HOWEVER, I wasn’t feeling the villain AT ALL. Plus I didn’t like the ‘lets discuss the touchy- feely emotional back story on why we hunt ghosts.’ None needed. They are scientists that study the paranormal and kick ass. Enough said. I give it a ‘B’.
I agree with 100% of this review. I also came close to peeing my pants (but I didn’t – phew!)
I’m super duper excited to see this. Can anyone tell me if it’s appropriate to take a 6 and 7 year old with me?
I wouldn’t, personally. I mean, you know your kids and I don’t, so if you see it, and then go “well, they can handle it” then that’s your call, but there are enough scary parts that I can’t recommend it.
Some parts are a little scary and some of the humor is adult (but they probably won’t get it) There were a BUNCH of kids in the theater and they were totally fine while I hid under my husbands arm at the scary parts (I am a massive wimp).
Overall I really enjoyed it. It was a nice reprieve from general HORRIBLENESS that is the world right now.
We loved it.
Between this and The Force Awakens, my daughter is growing up in a world where being a badass Jedi or an awesome Ghostbuster and being a girl are no longer mutually exclusive and I am HERE FOR IT.
I enjoyed the movie a lot (full review at http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2016/07/ghostbusters.html ) and gave it a B+. While I loved the cast (especially Kate McKinnon), the effects, and the comedy, the story felt a little light (as were the characters: Erin got over losing both tenure and her job damn quickly — not to mention going back to being the “girl” no one believed really saw a ghost); and did Bill Murray’s character die? They *really* skipped over that part!
Oh, and I hope everyone stayed for the post-credits scene (which I hope laid the groundwork for a sequel).
This movie gets a B- from me. I can’t believe the mere presence of a buncha women in a remake somehow makes characterization and plot so much less important. Start with the obvious: Janine vs. Kevin. In the original Janine was snarky, focused on herself and her own interests, but not dim. The woman did answer a phone. Kevin is a caricature, and dumber than a bag of dirt. I do not find this attractive.
Next, Venkman vs. Erin. Venkman is a horndog and conman, with high enough IQ and survival instincts that he wouldn’t be goaded into releasing a dangerous ghost. He might do it on purpose . . . but Erin, having supposedly worked so hard to obtain proof of ghosts is ready to throw that proof away for a split second of gratification. (Was the debunker killed? That’s usually the result of a high dive onto concrete. Did any of the ladies think that Erin’s actions set a bad precedent?) Erin’s character is soppy, insecure, incompetent and unlikeable. Her “connection” with Abby is unbelievable.
Abby is tolerable, but that wide-eyed bouncy energy quickly becomes annoying, and there is little evidence of independent scientific worth. She’s the techie who came up with the fart joke. Wow! Huge strides for womankind in the movies there.
Holtzmann carries them all in the science department. She also has the genuine mad genius quirk department covered. The gun fight was one of the few really fun action sequences in the movie.
Along with Holtzmann, Patty was the only other character that “fit” into the story without giving off a “I’m only here to do stand-up comedy” vibe. Book smart and street smart, willing to step up and do what needed to be done in a weird situation, in a Patty vs Winston comparison, Patty kicks butt.
I went to G2 with my daughter. We clutched each other at the beginning, and laughed throughout, but it was throat laughter, not belly laughter. And when we left the theater we were talking about shopping, not the movie. What was the villain’s name again, and why was he steampunking New York? Don’t forget to pick up q-tips . . .
And . . . I forgot to mention the phantom elephant in the room: Zero clever poking of fun at supernatural genre/tropes. Ghostbusters 1 humor vs. Ghostbusters 3 humor . . . G1 wins without trying.
My gut instinct when I first heard about this movie was NO! I had fond memories of being at a drive through as a kid and seeing the previews of the first Ghostbusters. My sister and I got so excited by just previews and when I finally saw the movie I loved it. I think it says something though that, like you, as a girl with a very vivid imagination I never imagined being a ghostbuster.
My feeling toward this movie being made changed when all the bro’s started screaming “you are getting icky girl parts all over our manly movie”. I hadn’t realized that guys see these movies as “theirs” and it pissed me off that the only problem they had with the remake was that it was an all female cast. It made me want this movie to be amazing and I am so glad it is.
Saw this movie yesterday and WOW – what fun! How refreshing to see a predominantly female cast that has conversations that *gasp* aren’t always about men, relationships, and/or babies!
My favorite scene was Holtzmann’s showdown/fight scene where she licks the barrels at then has at it. Go girl!
Also, Patty…OMG…THE POWER OF PATTY COMPELS YOU!
I was my daughter’s age when the 1984 Ghostbusters came out.
That Halloween, my BFF and I dressed as … Ghostbusters.
It never occurred to us that girls couldn’t be Ghostbusters. This movie responded to that gut instinct we both had back then at the tender age of 6 – Ghostbusters can be whoever/whatever we say they are.
Oh, and yeah, I loved this movie and am trying to decide whether or not to take my 6-year-old. (I’m 95% on the side of “yes” but I do have concerns about some of the jump scares because I never know what’s going to scare her. *shrug* Parenting.)
My daughter’s (12 & 17) and I all loved it! Kate McKinnon totally killed it! I want to watch more movies with her! And Chris H. in a comedy roll was terrific! The rest were great too but they still the show in my opinion!
After we got out of this movie, my friend and I were SWAGGERING through the parking lot, we were just so crazy high on seeing four women kick ass.
I really didn’t know that seeing a movie where the women are not objectified even a little bit (no visible tits or short skirts), and nobody once mentions their love life or their families, because they are there to do a job and just do it — well I didn’t realize how deeply this would affect me. Even Angelina Jolie in her kick ass roles was always super sexy looking. But these women were just competent, silly, smart, kooky and kind to each other.
I turned to my friend afterwards and I asked, “Is this how men usually feel coming out of the movie theatre? And when they watch TV? No wonder they feel like they’re made to rule the world.” It just felt so good.
Representation. So good.
We’ve already made a plan to return later in the week and bring more girlfriends.
Just saw the movie this morning and loved it. Kate McKinnon in this role may have supplanted my girl crush for Amy Walters.
I just saw this yesterday and needed to jump in to say that I am hard-core in love with Kate McKinnon’s Holtzmann. She just oozes sexy confidence and is just so gay, so gay in all the best ways. Like any time she was in a scene I just couldn’t stop looking at her. I would watch a movie that was just 3 hours of Kate McKinnon bouncing around, being goofy, and setting shit on fire.
Also? I felt like it would make 100% more sense if they made Erin/Abby as exes text and not just subtext. Because seriously that just makes the whole movie make more sense. Also, I feel like McCarthy and Wiig would have had tons of fun living in that awkwardness and making it worse.