Ghostbusters (2016)

“Ain’t no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts,” says a befuddled Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), reading a comment posted on Ghost News that expresses doubt about the authenticity of a ghost-sighting video posted by the Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination, a group of scientists who are eventually referred to as the Ghostbusters by the media. It’s difficult to know how much of the film’s script was already in place before an internet troll army descended on the cast and crew for having the gall to reboot the franchise with an all female case, because it seems like a number of lines and elements were included to reference the controversial fan reaction to the production. Either way, it makes possible a layered reading of the film as a feminist response to the male chauvinism on display during the online assault, elevating an otherwise solid comedy to something more transcendent in the world of gender studies and interactive art.

First, let’s get the basics out of the way. On the surface, Ghostbusters is not an exceptional film. The plot is slapped together carelessly, lacks a compelling villain, and really drops off in the second half when ghosts starts possessing other characters and the heroines confront a ghost army summoned for a worldwide reckoning. The special effects are serviceable, but the action generally disappoints, perhaps because they’re sometimes poking fun at certain action film tropes, but probably because they’re just mediocrely staged. Overall, the cast is excellent, but Chris Hemsworth isn’t the best fit for his ditzy receptionist role, which is both written and played to extremes that are occasionally funny but more often feel pressed.

However, this Ghostbusters is funnier than the original, with writer/director Paul Feig and stars Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) teaming up again to deliver many laugh-out-loud moments. The dialogue has a nice combination of razor-sharp scripted jokes and looser improvised scenes, boosted by the clear chemistry of the stars, all of whom have worked together on Saturday Night Live or in previous films. Wiig and McCarthy are strong, but Kate McKinnon shines, stealing almost every scene she’s in with her wild hair and oddball demeanor. Ultimately, the weaknesses of Ghostbusters are easier to swallow when you view it as a comedy above all else.

The fanboy fury surprises me because the original Ghostbusters isn’t an immortal franchise; it consists of one very entertaining film following by a disappointing sequel, a comic book and cartoon television series of no significance, a commercialized toy line, and a Hi-C beverage. That’s a mixed legacy. Also, while the original Ghostbusters may be a classic, it’s not a masterpiece. It was successful because it was funny, starred likeable actors as likeable characters, and managed to uniquely blend comedy with supernatural action. Using that template, I can’t imagine how one could approach the reboot better than this. Like the original, it features a cast of SNL stars, it was created with Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Retiman as producers, includes cameos by all the familiar faces, and pays considerable homage to the original while adding its own spin. Feig (wisely, in my opinion) doesn’t convert Venkman, Egon, Ray, and Winston into female characters, instead drafting new ones who are similar in spirit but aren’t as beholden to the archtypes memorably embodied by the original actors. This version amusingly one-ups the original with pseudoscience lingo that attempts to explains various phenomena and equipment, and it has some fun with the intrusive nature of product placements that were also featured heavily in the original.

Nevertheless, the trolls began their cyberassault when the project was first announced, ramping up their vitriol when the (admittedly underwhelming) trailer was released, and culminating with the social media harassment of Leslie Jones that led to Twitter banning alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos for leading a campaign of racist and sexist hate speech against her. Ironically, the film becomes infinitely more interesting when viewed through the lens of this sexist reactions, especially because the film was still being created when the criticism started, thus providing the rare opportunity for Feig and company to color their text with a counter-reaction and ultimately get the literal and figurative last laugh. Swipes at the patriarchy abound, so much that I must compile them in list form:

• There are multiple references to the comments section of the in-film website Ghost News, apropos given how much venom was discharged on YouTube in response to the reboot’s trailer. In reaction to the “Ain’t no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts” line, Abby Yates (McCarthy) tells her colleague, “You shouldn’t be reading this stuff – you’re not supposed to listen to what crazy people write in the middle of the night.” She further adds, “It’s really easy to just sit there and be the naysayer when you don’t actually do anything.”

• When Patty (Jones) attempts to crowd surf at a concert during a ghost encounter and isn’t caught by the people in front of the stage, she quips, “I don’t know if it’s a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell.” While this couldn’t have been scripted as a response to her Twitter harassment – because that ordeal only happened after the film’s release – the character’s line transforms into a commentary about what happened to Jones in real life.

• “Can you tell us what it’s like to walk around in those [high-heeled] shoes all day?,” Holtzman playfully asks Gilbert as she videotapes her during their first ghost exploration. “It’s not fun.” Gilbert replies, alluding to the fact that being a woman sometimes means having to countenance different social expectations than men. Would a reboot with an all-male cast been subjected to this much skepticism?

• The first mockup of the familiar Ghostbusters logo has breasts on it.

• The foursome invert and riff on a secretary stereotype by hiring a ditzy but dreamy male receptionist (Hemsworth) whom they openly objectify.

• Primary villain Rowan is a bullied social pariah who channels his discontent into destroying the world, which teases at the possible background and motives of the film’s loudest detractors, who themselves have demonstrated a social maladjustment and desire to dominate the world, albeit through cyberspace.
• Rowan says, “I am a genius. I see things that no one else does and for it, I am rewarded with nothing but scorn and mockery.” On the Internet, ego-inflated instigators are convinced they are the smartest people in the world and their opinions are the only ones that matter. Commenting on his evil turn, one Ghostbuster says, “Hate it when the smart ones go bad…it’s always the pale ones,” teasing at the stereotype of a basement-dwelling cybernerd.
• When confronting Rowan as he unveils his evil plan, Yates says that they like the world the way it is (ghost free). Rowan says, “Then you must have been afforded the basic dignity and respect of a human being, which I have been denied.” Deadpan, she responds with, “Not really, people dump on us pretty much all the time.“ As evidence, check out the record-setting 1,000,000 dislikes racked up on the YouTube for the trailer.
• Upon initially trying out their proton packs, the ladies suggestively grab them as if they are phalluses, perhaps just like the trolls metaphorically clutched their threatened masculinity when hearing about the reboot’s gender switch.
• Another phallic wink appears as Holtzman exaggeratedly uses an extinguisher to put out a fire in their laboratory.
• When Rowan transforms into a giant ghost near the end, the first place the ladies target is the crotch, signifying an attack on the most obvious symbol of a patriarchal system.
• As a condescending debunker of paranormal claims, Martin Heiss (Bill Murray) visits their laboratory and comments how they “lack the proper equipment.”
• When Gilbert wants to show Heiss the ghost he doesn’t believe they captured, Yates says, “We have finally succeeded at doing the thing we’ve talked about doing since we were kids, and you want to risk it all for him? Who cares if you impress him?” Gilbert opens the trap anyway, which comically leads to Heiss’s death, a symbol of female accomplishment destroying the pall of male judgment.

As mentioned, it’s difficult to distinguish between what was intentionally written to address the misogyny and what we now can read into existing scenes and dialogue. Regardless, it takes an otherwise funny but forgettable film and converts it into a subversive feminist gong that will ring for decades within feminist film theory.

More power to you, ladies.