Oh, Ghostbusters reboot. If we lived in a fair world, I could easily brush you off as a mild, toothless popcorn flick just as so many male-led reboots are. But we don't live in a fair world and so I have to pay attention to you and what you represent.
Reboots, remakes, sequels, prequels and the like are a dime a dozen these days and I'd say maybe 20% are really, truly excellent (Mad Max: Fury Road; The Dark Knight), 20% are shit (Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice; the Matthew Broderick Godzilla), and the middle 60% range from "fun and forgettable" to "could be worse".
Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot is, in my personal opinion, a "could be worse".
I did not find the film particularly funny, aside from a few clever gags. I did not find the action particularly interesting. I did not find the plot particularly compelling. Ghostbusters gets a "C+" rating from me--a little better than average, but not remarkable.
But, as we all know, Ghostbusters isn't allowed to be just a "dumb popcorn flick". Because it's a big summer action movie starring four women in the lead roles, one of whom is a minority, and all of whom remain fully clothed and minimally sexualized (apart from Kristen Wiig's thirst for Chris Hemsworth's hot, stupid secretary and Kate McKinnon's ambiguous sexuality), Ghostbusters is holding so much more on its lady-shoulders. What it represents is much bigger and more important than the film itself.
And from my perch as a film snob, I can look at Ghostbusters and say "why bother?" If you want feminist-friendly action, watch Mad Max: Fury Road instead. If you want a hilarious film with an all-female cast, watch Bridesmaids instead. If you want movies directed by women, starring women, come to me and I can create a list for you.
But here's the thing. Ghostbusters is bigger than me. Ghostbusters is a PG-13 movie, which means that young people can watch it. Nine year old girls (and boys) aren't gonna be watching Bridesmaids and Mad Max and fuckin' If These Walls Could Talk. Nine year olds don't want to appreciate a film for its intersectional feminism...nine year olds want to watch people get slimed, act silly, and fall down. They want to buy action figures and toys--and wouldn't it be cool if, for once, those actions figures were 1) female and 2) not princesses? What happens if they see women wielding (non-violent, except to ghosts) weapons and dressed in jumpsuits? What happens if the goal for all of these women is to save New York City rather than find love? What if their relationship with one another as friends was the real love story?
So, no, I was not all that into Ghostbusters as a movie lover, but I was into it as a feminist.
As a movie lover, I can say that the jokes in Ghostbusters stuck the landing maybe 1/3 of the time. Ironically, the funniest scenes (to me) involved a man--Chris Hemsworth playing Kevin, a dumb, hunky secretary for the ghost busting gals. And each of the ladies has her memorable moments. Kristen Wiig plays uptight, intellectual Erin Gilbert, who wrote a book about ghosts with her colleague Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) years ago that she has tried to leave buried in the past as she works toward tenure at a respectable university. But, just like with the mafia, as soon as she thinks she's out, ghost busting pulls her back in. After investigating a haunted mansion with Abby and Abby's zany, engineering-whiz colleague, Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), Erin once again believes in ghosts...and just in time, as New York City seems to be absolutely crawling with the suckers.
The ladies pull in Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), an MTA worker with an encyclopedic knowledge of New York. Thus, the Ghostbusters are born.
There's a requisite baddie--Rowan North (funny character actor Neil Casey), a nerd who wants to take revenge on a world that tormented him by opening a portal to the afterlife and unleashing a slew of the undead on the Big Apple.
Comparisons to the original 1984 Ghostbusters are kind of beside the point but inevitable. The original is better, hands down. It's much, much funnier (particularly with Bill Murray at peak deadpan humor). I do wonder if the 2016 Ghostbusters would have been much funnier if it was rated R. Melissa McCarthy is especially hilarious when delivering filthy jokes and insults. An R-rated Ghostbusters would likely be closer to a vulgar Judd Apatow film but with ghosts. I would have enjoyed watching Kate McKinnon smoke a bong and Kristen Wiig have crazy gymnastic sex with all brawn and no brains Chris Hemsworth. But...but...but...think of those nine year old girls!! A toned down version of the bawdy humor that could have been (for what it's worth, there is a queef joke they managed to sneak into this one) is what lets those young ladies (and gentlemen) see four strong women kicking ghost-ass.
So, to summarize: strictly going on its merits as a film, Ghostbusters is pretty meh. At least to me--I have many friends who really loved it. But as a glass-ceiling buster, it's pretty cool. And hey, this is 2016--shouldn't four women be allowed to headline a mediocre summer popcorn flick? After all, men have been doing it for decades.
Grade: C+
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