What’s Aged the Best?
New York City, lasting iconography, economical storytelling, ensemble improvisation, and the movie’s cultural afterlife
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:51Read transcript
- New York is treated as a character, and the film is praised for using the city in a way that feels impossible to relocate. — Bill Simmons
- The logo, firehouse, Ecto-1, marshmallow man, uniforms, and proton packs remain instantly recognizable cultural symbols. — Chris Ryan
- Everyday product placement such as Cheez-It, Coca-Cola, Perrier, and canned Budweiser still feels familiar rather than dated. — Van Lathan
- The lack of childhood backstory is praised because the movie establishes the characters without explanatory trauma. — Chris Ryan
- The team's financial peril, including Ray's high-interest mortgages, gives the first half comic stakes.
- The original SNL ensemble appearing across one another's movies is praised as a durable model later extended by the Apatow circle. — Bill Simmons
- Murray's dialogue is described as partly written and partly generated through multiple alternatives during filming. — Bill Simmons
- The Real Ghostbusters cartoon helped keep the property culturally active between movies. — Van Lathan
- Slimer is described as the filmmakers' Belushi-like party-animal tribute, and slime itself is credited with a long cultural afterlife. — Bill Simmons
- The promotional phone number, the spread of 'busters' as a suffix, and the no-ghost logo's reuse are cited as unusually durable marketing. — Bill Simmons
- The movie is credited with popularizing 'toast' as slang through Venkman's line. — Bill Simmons
- The final reflection says friends making movies together may be what aged best. — Craig Horlbeck