[Sundae]

Hello hello.

Stopping by to tell you what I thought about the new Ghostbusters, as I have no-one to talk to about it here. Clod – I haven’t heard anyone react with the kind of vitriol I’ve read (mostly in quotes) online, but I have genuinely heard with my own ears people who have openly said they will not see the film because the leads are female. A few men I know, who I would not trust to recommend me any film or book, and one woman who I only know as someone’s wife, who believed the casting was a gimmick and refused to be suckered in.

I really enjoyed the film. I really, really enjoyed the film. I was always going to see it anyway, because Ghostbusters, but the fact that there were people actively trying to reduce the box office takings because the leads had vaginas, made me determined to see it in the cinema rather than wait for DVD or TV release. Still did it in the cheapest way possible (daytime discounted ticket, took own water and snack), but they got my £ and my head was counted.

I walked out with such an enormous smile on my face. I barely recognised myself in the toilets afterwards, the grin was so wide it nearly made my lips bleed. I enjoyed it as a spectacle. The set pieces were very good – loud, well-scored, visually arresting and a dizzying blend of styles. I like froth when it comes to film, so I couldn’t care less if the ghosts were 60s era in 70s Times Square in an 80s franchise or whatever it is I read in one review. I thought it was fun. The original didn’t seem too bothered about a theme which explained the traditional lady ghost in the library with the cartoon Slimer after all.

Personally, I didn’t get the racist vibe from Leslie Jones’ character. I read that it was written with another actress in mind – a white actress. Surely the fact that she was played by a black actress is a blow against racism – an actress cast for talent rather than colour? Because the criticisms I’ve read haven’t been that she is the “token” black woman, only that she plays the character with the least qualifications. But someone had to, it’s the way the team was put together. And she is smart, and funny, and brave. I would have played her second in the playground (more of who I would have played first below, but I’m sure you can guess).

I loved the fact that it aces the Bechdel test. Are any of these women married, in relationships, mothers? What did their fathers do? Did they inspire them to go into their current work? We don’t know! We don’t care! In the same way we didn’t know or care with Stantz, Spengler, Venkman or Zeddemore. The only back story involves a neighbour (who happens to be female, but could have been a pet for all it matters).

For me, Kate McKinnon’s Jillian Holtzmann stole the show, which is a pretty good ensemble piece otherwise. I just thought of her as Tank Girl. She was the one I wanted to be. She’s been accused of mugging for the camera. Sorry, was this supposed to be a knockabout Summer blockbuster, or a performance of Hedda Gabler? She made me laugh the most, and I did laugh – out loud – a good few times. And danced in my seat a little. And wanted to cheer, but the cinema was almost empty and anyway I didn’t want to miss anything. And put my hands over my mouth during one of Patti’s scenes…

It’s not a perfect film. But for me it ticked all the boxes for why I went to see it. It was enormously entertaining, feel-good and I felt better going out than I did going in. For all their sound and fury, I cannot say that about any other Summer blockbuster I’ve seen, even those I’ve considered worth the price of admission.

It is a far better heir to the original film than Ghostbusters II.
Yes, I missed Rick Moranis in cameo too, shame. Lovely to see Annie Potts again though.