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| Ghostbusters |
The movie has been re-released to commemorate its box office topping run in the summer of 1984 thirty years ago and I can say without hesitation that it remains one of the greatest comedies ever made.
In fact, as I re-watched this film for what had to be the fortieth time, I kept thinking to myself: this is a perfect film. I wouldn't change a single frame, line or note in this movie. I adore it.
It's one of the most fun movies ever made -- anyone can enjoy it from any age or background. It's kind of like Michael Jackson's Thriller in that way. It's pop entertainment at it's best and there's a little something for everyone in it.
In a summer movie season that was hit or miss at best, it's jarring to see such an original and inventive movie again in theaters. I was heartened to see that this film, which is often on television and readily available on DVD and blu-ray, earned over a million dollars last weekend. Pay attention Hollywood, this is how it's done.
So many thoughts and memories came to me while reliving this modern classic. Here are just 25 of the reasons it's a flawless masterpiece.
1) Bill Murray - This film begins and ends with Bill Murray. He may have given more powerful performances in his career (like his soulful turns in Broken Flowers and Lost In Translation), but this was the movie that permanently cemented his "cool" persona. This movie singlehandedly made Murray an icon who young people today still worship as a comedy God. His performance here is so loose and winning, he just oozes one-liners and charm. He is totally in his element and has never been better.
2) Harold Ramis & Dan Aykroyd - But Murray's performance wouldn't work if it weren't for the selfless work of these two, who largely work as a tandem in the Ghostbusters movies. Despite some very funny bits and lines of their own, these two function as brilliant deadpan straight men for Murray's laconic hipster. Their earnestness really helps sell the patently absurd nature of the premise.
3) Sigourney Weaver - The most unsung hero of Ghostbusters is this brilliant, criminally underrated actress (despite decades of great performances she still doesn't have an Oscar!). Not only does she create wonderful, sexy chemistry with Bill Murray but she performs the hell out of an incredibly demanding and oddball role, without making a fool of herself. In under two hours she goes from playing a sophisticated urban woman to playing a possessed sexpot to becoming a dog. Incredible.
4) Rick Moranis - Only diehard fans of Ghostbusters know this, but Louis Tully was originally going to be played by the late, great John Candy. But that legendary comic actor wanted to play the role as an overbearing German. No disrespect to Candy, but Moranis' creation is perfection. Moranis delivers incredibly funny, detailed monologues all in single take without skipping a beat. Pay close attention to his work here -- it's a real acting feat, as well as uproariously funny.
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| Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters |
6) Love of New York City - Hudson delivers one of my favorite lines and moments in the movie, his triumphant "I love this town!" before the film's ending. Anyone who knows me knows I am a proud and passionate New Yorker.
I hope to live here forever and that exaltation is something I say and feel to my core. I literally have made my own shirt with that phrase and an image of Hudson covered in marshmallow. The film is filled with affection and attitude regarding NYC, and I love that about it.
7) The subtle class divide - The film also has some subtle commentary to make on the class issues that are always front and center in New York. While watching the movie last night I was struck by an epiphany -- that I want to write a book about the political undercurrents of the early films of SNL stars. Take a closer look at Caddyshack, Trading Places, Fletch, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Animal House, I could go on -- and all of them have an either overt or thinly disguised slobs vs. snobs narrative. It's inherently political and populist.
8) The soundtrack - Everyone knows the iconic Ghostbusters theme song, and it is undeniably great and unforgettable. But the whole soundtrack is fantastic. I've owned it for years but watching it on the big screen really reminded me of how much I loved deep cuts like "Saving the Day". I literally listened to the whole thing on the way home from the movie.
9) That brilliant rise of the Ghostbusters montage - One of the most fun sequences of the movie is watching the syncopated images of the Ghostbusters as they shift from being unappreciated underdogs to the kings of New York. The magazine covers, shout-outs from Larry King and Casey Kasem -- it's just another testament to what makes this movie work.
10) The commercial - It's not easy to intentionally act badly, but Murray-Ramis-Aykroyd do this brilliantly with their incredibly stilted and awkward fake Ghostbusters commercial. A lazier comedy, then and now, would never bother with little details like this. But these details make the film's world tangible and more fully realized. I believe it's the details that make a comedy great (and worthy of repeat viewing) and the movie is full of little treats like these.
11) It's not afraid to be scary - Ok, so the film is far from terrifying but that doesn't mean it's lightweight either. Ramis and Aykroyd's incredibly dense script effectively creates a creepy villain and subplot with Gozer and his minions, which helps the movie's difficult cocktail of ghost story and comedy go down smooth. The "dog" creature effects may not look seamless at times, but they are still far more frightening than anything I've seen in CGI.
12) Slimer - Only a movie as fantastic as Ghostbusters could make a genuine icon out of a disgusting blog with no lines and just a couple short scenes. Inspired by the late, great John Belushi, this green, beer-guzzling creature is responsible for one of the most beloved moments of the film -- the sliming of Bill Murray. Also, 12.5 -- the scream Murray lets out when Slimer attacks him is a thing of comic beauty.
13) The romance - As I mentioned before, Weaver has note-perfect chemistry with Bill Murray. He's worked well with female partners since (most notably Andie McDowell in Groundhog Day and Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation) but he never seemed to connect with a co-star more than he did with Weaver. They seem to genuinely be falling for each other and it's a real shame they haven't teamed up since. It's a testament to them both that between all the jokes and special effects they manage to create a fizzy romance as well.
14) Special effects are used sparingly - Speaking of special effects, unlike every modern blockbuster, the makers of Ghostbusters wisely knew when to take their foot off the gas. Although the movie boasts (for its time) cutting-edge special effects, they serve the story -- the story doesn't serve them. We remember the jokes far more than the pyrotechnics, as it should be.
15) Marshmallow man - That said, the movie's special effects showpiece is a doozy. The reveal of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is one of the most unbelievably amusing moments of any film ever. I'll never know what inspired Ramis and Aykroyd to come up with such an incredibly innovative idea but a whole generation of fans will forever be grateful. I currently have a Marshmallow Man-shaped piggy bank in my bedroom, just one of several examples of Ghostbusters swag in my life.
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| Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters |
17) The Columbia scenes - I went to Columbia University for journalism school and one of my great pleasures was strolling around the same hallowed ground where Bill Murray delivers his charismatic "call it fate, call it karma," speech to Dan Aykroyd. And how can I forget the obnoxious Dean Yeager and Murray's flirtation with his student, the lovely Jennifer Runyon? She was a "genuine phenomena."
18) Crossing the streams - Comedies need rules because eventually those rules need to be broken for comedic purposes. For instance, Aykroyd warns Ramis not to look directly into the trap, so with perfect timing he immediately does. Ramis warns us that "crossing the streams" could bring about the end of the world, so naturally the film's rousing conclusion would require them to do that. And yet the payoff is in no way predictable.
19) The mayor's office - I have no idea how realistic this sequence is, in terms of portraying a NYC mayor handling a crisis in Gracie Mansion, but it's how I'd like to imagine it playing out. Bill Murray's "mass hysteria" line literally inspired the name of my long-running improv group and the inevitable rejection of the film's villain, Walter Peck, is glorious.
20) William Atherton a.k.a. Walter Peck - Speaking of Peck, we have to give William Atherton his due. He was a character actor who played people you just love to hate. In Ghostbusters, and later in the first two Die Hard films, Atherton took on the largely thankless role of playing the sniveling, snide foil for our heroes. But if he wasn't a formidable guy the stakes in those films wouldn't be as high.
21) It's not overtly kid-friendly - Kids love Ghostbusters, I actually thought it was a real profession as a child and told a caricature artist at Disney World to portray me as one. Yet the movie is very grown-up. Everyone smokes in it for example. There's also that scene, which I totally didn't get as a youngster, when Aykroyd gets seduced by a ghost.
22) The Ecto-1 - Only the DeLorean from the Back to the Future trilogy rivals the Ghostbusters' signature car. I still have a toy replica of this beautiful looking piece of machinery, which is, simply put, one of the coolest vehicles to ever appear in a major motion picture.
23) "So be good for goodness sake..." - What could have been a boring scene of exposition -- set in a prison cell, no less -- works beautifully because of the loose improvisational style of Murray and company which enlivens the scene and showcases the genuine affection these actors appear to have for each other.
24) The cheering crowds - I love the scenes of New Yorkers, of all different backgrounds (including rabbis and priest), who have gathered together to cheer for the Ghostbusters during the final showdown with Gozer. Bill Murray working the crowd is one of the most appealing bits of acting I've ever seen. It feels improvised and exhilarating.
25) The one-liners - "I collect spores, molds and fungus" "Tell him about the twinkie" "You will perish in flames!" "Back off man I'm a scientist" "Do you want this body? -- "Is that a trick question" ... I could really do this all day. So I'll stop here. See this movie again if you haven't seen it in a while. And if you've never seen it I feel very, very sorry for you. Comedy isn't pretty and it's very hard to get right, but this is a movie that does -- flawlessly.
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