The all new, all female Ghostbusters has finally hit the theaters, following a production rife with controversy. For the record, I've been a fan of Melissa McCarthy since she was on the Gilmore Girls, and I've enjoyed all of Paul Feig's directorial efforts since Bridesmaids (not to mention his great cult TV show, Freaks and Geeks); Their collaboration has produced some of the best movie comedies in recent memory. It's always risky to reboot a beloved franchise, but at least they were doing it with top notch talent; and with the massive, premature backlash the film has received, I've been really rooting for them to show up the haters.
I'm sorry to report that the film is merely so-so. That it doesn't rise to the level of the first Ghostbusters isn't a surprise-- even the original cast and crew fell short with their 1989 sequel, and they were all certified comic geniuses. But it also fails to rise to the lofty standards set by previous Feig-McCarthy collaborations.
It's not quite fair to compare this Ghostbusters with the 1984 version-- they were filmed in different eras with different comic sensibilities; but it's interesting to see where the differences lie. I'm surprised at how restrained the original film seems in comparison to the reboot. Part of that was by necessity-- special effects were both lower quality and way more expensive back in the early 80s than they are today; they were forced to develop gags more through the characters and story. But it's shocking to see how much broader the characterizations are in the new film. Kristin Wiig is the closest thing to a straight character in the reboot, but she's probably crazier than all of the original cast, save for Rick Moranis and (possibly) Bill Murray.
I do think it's fair to compare it to other Feig-McCarthy films, however. The last big ensemble movie Feig did was Bridesmaids, with both McCarthy and Wiig, and the relationships between the characters were strong and heartfelt. In Ghostbusters, they seemed a bit cursory-- just enough to get the story going. Both The Heat and Spy were female takes on classic male-dominated genres, and they did a great job of spoofing their source material. Ghostbusters could have used a bit more of that spirit; there were occasional references to the sexist backlash to the production, but I would've liked it to really cut loose with meta-commentary on the whole affair. My suspicion is that, even if the filmmakers wanted to do it, the studio wouldn't have let them. Anyway, spoofing a comedy that never became cliched is harder than parodying entire genres.
I thought the pacing of the film was questionable. Just as the characters were too consistently goofy, so were the scenes in the film-- there wasn't enough time spent setting up the jokes; they just came one after the other. I wish Feig had brought in a few lower key actors he's used in his previous films-- Rose Byrne's subtlety was sorely missed, especially with Kate McKinnon's constant mugging at the camera. The film also spent too much time chasing references to the original movie, while neglecting one of it's best original gags (I don't want to give it away, but they set it up in the third act, dropped it, then brought it back during the credits in a much less satisfying way).
That being said, there are some really funny moments in the film, along with some great special effects sequences. It's a disappointment, but you could do a lot worse at the cineplex this summer.
***
Bonus Content: Back in 2014, I picked my dream cast for an all-female remake (not a reboot or sequel). My picks were as follows...
Mila Kunis - Petra (Peter/Bill Murray role)
Mindy Kaling - Ramona (Raymond/Dan Akroyd role)
Felicia Day - Eberta (Egon/Harold Ramis role)
Jessica Williams - Winnie (Winston/Ernie Hudson role)
Chris O'Dowd - Dana (Dana/Sigourney Weaver role)
Kristen Schaal - Louise (Louis/Rick Moranis role)
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