Ghostbusters was my first foray into the world of fandom, cartoons, toys, etc. My first movie memories are of the Bill Murray movie (why my mom let me watch it at 5, I’ll never know) that I imitated constantly. Unlike the chauvinistic backlash surrounding this Ghostbusters, I was only worried it would be a repeat of the first. Fortunately, Paul Feig constructs a delicious concoction of past and present, while putting funny PEOPLE front and center, regardless of gender. I like this franchise’s future, with Feig’s league of comediennes front and center.
A scare at an old mansion reunites Erin (Kristen Wiig) with Abby (Melissa McCarthy). Erin and Abby used to study ghosts together until Erin went straight. Alongside genius physicist Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), the three agree to go into business studying and capturing paranormal phenomena. They eventually recruit Patty (Leslie Jones) for her New York and hearse acumen, and Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) a dimwitted hunky actor turned receptionist to finish their team just in time to combat an explosion in phantasm activity in New York City.
This will end up being Paul Feig’s greatest accomplishment. Picture the sheer number of land mines he has to avoid. The movie has to be an homage but not a remake; it has to work in fan service, including cameos by the original cast members (including the emotional shout out to the fallen Ghostbuster); you need a familiar but not retreading plot; the apparitions need to be updated; you need to develop 5 (including Hemsworth) new lead characters; and it has to be FUNNIER than the original to justify the women Ghostbusters. Yeesh, that’s as difficult as the Civil War hurdles without strong studio backing from Marvel. But Feig check’s off the boxes pretty well. The ghosts have been suitably updated: hitting the sweet spot of scary when necessary, silly when necessary. For the script, Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold use the simple strategy of keeping the backdrop and history similar, but completely changing the story. This makes the characters blank slates, and can be built to the actress’ and actors’ strengths. In addition, you can then have these new characters experience some parts of the original and wink at it a little bit (like the rent on the firehouse in the CENTER of NYC). Yes, the plot and villain are underdeveloped, but that’s ok because of Feig’s focus on the people who have to carry the series.
Screw the Internet. This is as good of a set of comedy superstars as you’ll find since the Channel 4 News Team. Wiig and McCarthy are both playing the straight person here, grounding the story. Pieces of their comedic personas come out during the riffing, but they glue the production to the ground like seasoned pros, and get a very sweet moment at the end for their diligence. This gives room for the 3 standouts/newcomers. Leslie Jones is reigned in by Feig just enough to keep her from going off the rails, so that when she dials it up, she extracts maximum laughter. I can’t wait for her to get more to do. Chris Hemsworth is a pleasant surprise as the hunky idiot receptionist. Much of his dialogue looks improved, and Hemsworth is great in the several pieces he’s asked to come up with, creating jokes for each new level of assistant incompetence. But as I expected, Kate McKinnon is the breakout here. I’ve loved her the minute Saturday Night Live gave her more to do. McKinnon has this way of drawing attention to herself in every scene with just a look. There’s a science conversation in one scene, and McKinnon draws laughs with just a soda and a straw and no dialogue. Unexpectedly, the actress’s enthusiasm pays off in the third act, when she gets the best scene in the entire movie that got me cheering aloud in the theatre. If the mega-talented McKinnon can learn to be a leading lady instead of just a weird sidekick, she’s gonna become a superduper star.
Bridesmaids. The Heat. Spy. Ghostbusters. Paul Feig’s movie choices feature talented, funny women showing off how talented and funny they are. Feig even gets a couple jokes at how vilified these women are for being in a movie previously starring funny men. I don’t really hate the too macho manly men commenters who think women aren’t funny. I pity them, because they are missing out on some really great laughs. Who am I gonna call? Paul Feig, to gather his stars to deliver the funny, again and again.