Director Paul Feig, writer Katie Dippold, and the cast of the new Ghostbusters have a lot to say about your weird critiques of the film. New set visits reveal they focused on friendship and being funny.
From being unhappy that Feig cast funny women as Ghostbusters in the first place, to saying nasty things about a charity event, and being pissed off about how the male character of the film is portrayed, some Ghostbusters “fans” are being pretty ridiculous. But don't worry, the folks involved in Ghostbusters know exactly what they're doing and are really happy about it.
From a set visit IGN.com reports:
“Everyone thinks that when we said ‘female Ghostbusters” it was going to be a ‘chick flick” version of Ghostbusters. It”s so crazy, people are like ‘Oh, they”re going to trip in their high heels!” Like, what do you think we”re trying to do here? It”s just four scientists who are obsessed with ghosts and are going to go on this adventure. That”s it. It”s not about a love interest or anything like that,” Dippold said. She cited that she was excited at the possibility of a little girl leaving the film wanting to become a scientist rather than find her Prince Charming, but overall she just hoped kids enjoyed it period.
Yes, an inspiration for the next generation of scientists! That's what I like to hear. ET Online has a bit more on this from Feig:
“I think when people first heard that I'm doing an all-female Ghostbusters, I think they assume there's going to be a lot of dress-shopping montages and trying on hats,” Feig revealed with a laugh. “My only goal was to make this as kick-ass as I can, and we have our ladies kicking major ghost butt.”
“I want this movie at its core to be a funny film about friendship,” Feig told ET's Kevin Frazier. “That's what drove the original one. It's all about those personalities. Then, I wanted to put them into much bigger situations.”
ET reveals a bit about the friendship between two of the characters, Kristen Wiig's Erin and Melissa McCarthy's Abby.
“My name is Erin Gilbert,” Wiig introduced herself. “My character and Melissa's character, Abby, were friends when we were in high school. We both believed in ghosts, wrote a book, then went our own separate ways. I went into the sort of education-science world, and left that behind.”
“I stayed a believer,” McCarthy continued of her character, Abby Yates. “I don't care if people make fun of me. I believe in the paranormal, and she's ditched me to go into less confrontational waters…I'm the one that”s always believed and has worked on it my whole life.”
And the friendships weren't limited to the characters either. “I don”t know if I can say this, but Kate [McKinnon] has literally become my bitch,” Leslie Jones told them. “That is my bitch for life. Like, she is my heart and soul. Kristen is one of the sweetest, open people that I have ever, ever encountered, and Melissa is like a mother. She”s just, like, really very nurturing … I”ve taken a lot of love from this group.”
Speaking of McKinnon, she calls her character Holtzmann a “genius freak” and we learned something very cool from Mashable's set report: “McKinnon is also wearing a necklace that”s unique to her character: a pendant with a little screw and the letter U.”
I need one immediately.
Don't worry, even if this film still doesn't sound like it will work for you, fans of the original have something to look forward to. According to Entertainment Weekly, “On June 8, the anniversary of the original 1984 release, Fathom Events (the event company shared by AMC, Regal, and Cinemark Theaters) will re-release the original film in more than 750 theaters across the country. (An encore date of June 12 has also been scheduled.)”
But wait! There's more!
BBQ Films, a company that puts together super cool immersive movie experiences for fans (I saw The Fifth Element on a yacht!), are holding a three-night Ghostbusters extravaganza! This one will be taking place in a big warehouse in Brooklyn and you can expect a screening of the film, hands-on training with ghostbustin” gear, personal ghost sighting consultations and more with your ticket purchase. Or, with a slightly more expensive option you'll also get reserved seating, two complimentary adult ecto-beverages, and a commemorative gift.