"Ghostbusters" revisited

Rating: 9/10 (1 September 2006)

I can hardly believe I submitted a comment on the IMDb that not only gave "Ghostbusters" a paltry '6' rating, but also had the audacity to claim that the humor hadn't aged well. Since the dawn of my obsession with film, friends of a more casual viewership have always claimed that I take the medium far too seriously. And while I do think an intellectual embrace inspires thoughtful critique, I am not beyond getting giddy over a film just because I can, reasoning be damned.
Case in point: "Ghostbusters." Back in 1986, I started my school career as an extroverted kindergartener with a love for Saturday-morning (and weekday-afternoon) cartoons. Out of all I'd watch, "The Real Ghostbusters" was the most entertaining; I was endlessly fascinated by the premise of 4 guys running around New York (plus other parts of the world and even outer space) with their 'positron rifles,' blasting deformed comic apparitions. In hindsight, this mixture of comic hijinks and supernatural mayhem is probably what piqued my long-standing love affair with horror films.
I didn't actually view the film version of "Ghosbusters" until I was a well-ingrained fan of the TV show, to the point where I had to adjust to the difference in appearance of the live-action characters (as opposed the other way around). Despite this, I warmed up to the film instantly--I laughed my butt off and was amazed by Richard Edlund's brilliant FX (which look f*cking incredible to this day). Bill Murray's portrayal of the coolly sarcastic Peter Venkman is one of my all-time favorite performances (and cemented Murray as my favorite comic actor); the efforts of Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson also contribute to an unmatched cooperative of quirky humor that works better than one might imagine.
The premise of "Ghostbusters" is so utterly ridiculous that it's something of a miracle it works as well as it does. The script, by Aykroyd and Ramis (back when they knew 'funny'), involves our heroes sweeping the ghost population of NYC while dodging EPA toady Walter Peck ("Die Hard"'s William Atherton, in a hilariously straight performance); in the meantime, Venkman woos musician Dana Barret (Sigourney Weaver), whose apartment becomes a portal for ghoulish baddie Gozer to enter through. Over the course of the movie, we'll cross paths with people who transform into hell-hounds, a giant marshmallow man, and a ghoul that would give David Bowie a run for his androgynous money.
Through all its absurdity, "Ghostbusters" works well because of the characterizations--while everyone has a distinctive personality quirk that is somewhat exaggerated, they are fleshed out to the extent of being believable and worth rooting for. Not once does the film lapse into farce at the expense of character, which makes the humor even bolder; this also helps make the Armageddon scenario that arises in the third act the stuff of Vonnegutian genius (in the face of imminent global catastrophe, humor keeps the human spirit aloft). Due credit should go to director Ivan Reitman, who manages a seamless interplay between the comedic and the horrific without allowing one to awkwardly dominate.
Personally, "Ghostbusters" is a wonderfully nostalgic trip back to my childhood, a film that makes me grin as excitedly now as when I was 8...perhaps because nothing in it looks particularly dated (the effects actually look BETTER than anything that's come since), and the humor is still as fresh as it was upon my first viewing. While I could probably write a dissertation on "Ghostbusters"' impact on cinema and popular culture, I think I'll conclude by saying this is an entertainment everyone should be exposed to at least once. If you don't like it...well, that's your loss.