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Ghostbusters

year 1984decade 80sdirector Ivan Reitmangenre Supernatural comedy

105 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Ghostbusters | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduardo Ocampoproducer Matt Pevic
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Roger Ebert's review

Roger Ebert's stated score is three and a half stars.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:43Read transcript
  • The stated review score is three and a half stars.
  • The quoted review praises the film's many quotable lines and the survival of its fragile comic vision inside an expensive production.

Casting What-Ifs

Michael Keaton is the favored alternate Venkman, Jeff Goldblum interests the panel as Egon, and numerous reported candidates receive credibility checks.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:36Read transcript
  • Chevy Chase's claim that he declined Venkman is treated skeptically, though a preliminary conversation is considered possible.
  • Michael Keaton is the favored Venkman alternative because he had already played comparable fast-talking comic leads.
  • Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Steve Gutenberg, and Richard Pryor are listed as other reported Venkman possibilities with varying credibility.
  • Christopher Walken, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, and Jeff Goldblum are discussed as reported Egon candidates; Goldblum draws the most interest.
  • Daryl Hannah, Denise Crosby, Julia Roberts, and Kelly LeBrock are reported as Dana audition possibilities, though the panel doubts some claims.
  • John Candy is reported to have declined Louis Tully after proposing a German accent; Sandra Bernhard reportedly declined Janine.
  • Paul Rubens is mentioned as an alleged Gozer possibility, but the claim is explicitly doubted.

Recasting Couch

John Candy as Louis Tully is the selected alternate-casting thought experiment.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:02Read transcript
  • John Candy's proposed version of Louis remains the most interesting recasting option even though the group values Moranis's performance.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers the title rights, effects company, Stay Puft suits, library puppet, deleted ghost encounter, rooftop power, and Murray's last-minute commitment.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:27Read transcript
  • Frank Price is said to have sold Columbia the Ghostbusters title for $500,000 plus one percent of profits.
  • The special-effects supervisor used part of the effects budget to establish Boss Film Studios.
  • Eighteen toxic foam marshmallow-man suits cost nearly $600,000 and required a separate air supply; shaving cream stood in for marshmallow debris.
  • The original library-ghost puppet was considered too frightening and reused in Fright Night.
  • A more extensive sexual encounter between Ray and a female ghost was deleted.
  • The rooftop set reportedly needed 50,000 amps, forcing Columbia to shut down its other stages.
  • A Vanity Fair account says Murray arrived late with a stadium horn, reviewed the rewritten script with Ramis and Reitman, offered no changes, and agreed to proceed.

Picking Nits

Dana's apartment and attraction to Venkman, falling debris, city oversight, and jailhouse blueprints are questioned.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:29Read transcript
  • Dana's expensive Central Park West apartment is questioned, then defended through her implied family wealth and career.
  • The group revisits why Dana likes Venkman and suggests his new success and cash changed her view.
  • The finale appears likely to kill many street spectators with falling debris.
  • The city's limited response to paranormal chaos and reliance on four recently dismissed academics are called implausible.
  • The team being allowed to study building blueprints in a holding cell is questioned.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

The panel asks whether Belushi or later effects would improve the movie and rejects both changes.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:51:32Read transcript
  • Replacing Murray with John Belushi is judged to make the movie worse even though the role might have become a major Belushi vehicle.
  • Releasing the movie years later for better effects is rejected because 1984 is considered the perfect moment.