Ghostbusters

Feminist Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀

Overall Rating: ✮

When it was announced that the Ghostbusters reboot was going to have female leads, I went full on Rosie the Riveter, swept up in a whirlwind of female empowerment. Sure, the misogynistic men whined and complained about it but that only made me more excited for them all to be proven wrong. How could Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones fighting ghosts not be funny?

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It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t even a little funny. It was actually downright deplorable. But before I go into my reasons as to why this movie was so horrible, let me be clear: it was not the cast’s fault.

What really works for the original Ghostbusters is its subtly. There aren’t many laugh out loud moments and it doesn’t need them. All we need is a ragtag group of nerdy wise guys to guide us through the bizarre and paranormal narrative with their proton packs and quick quips.

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Instead what we have with the reboot is a clunky and confusing plot with the jokes mapped out along the narrative complete with brief pauses afterword so the audience can get a laugh in. The jokes feel outdated and exhausted. Someone even uses the “English, please?” line. Probably the worst and most over-used joke in the book. Isn’t the writer and director, Paul Feig upposed to be a professional?

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What I really wanted was for the leading ladies to actually share the screen together. Their comedic abilities were wasted on a stilted script while they should have been able to improvise and riff off each other. It is hard to watch such funny women forced to be so painfully unfunny. It almost felt as though they were boxed in by the script, unable to truly be their own hilarious selves.

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Instead what we have with the reboot is a clunky and confusing plot with the jokes mapped out along the narrative complete with brief pauses afterword so the audience can get a laugh in. The jokes feel outdated and exhausted. Someone even uses the “English, please?” line. Probably the worst and most over-used joke in the book. Isn’t the writer and director, Paul Feig, upposed to be a professional?

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What I really wanted was for the leading ladies to actually share the screen together. Their comedic abilities were wasted on a stilted script while they should have been able to improvise and riff off each other. It is hard to watch such funny women forced to be so painfully unfunny. It almost felt as though they were boxed in by the script, unable to truly be their own hilarious selves.

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Okay so it’s a horrible movie, sure—but is it feminist? I would say that it’s mostly feminist. Despite Kristin Wiig’s character trying desperately to win the approval of men, it’s pretty empowering. Each woman has their own narrative arc and they do not revolve around a man and it also passes the Bechdel test. This movie, as bad as it may be, is very, very important. The fact that you can buy female Ghostbusters action figures is so incredible and I would say, for that reason alone, it is extremely feminist. Think of all the little girls who can grow up playing with action figures for them that aren’t the damsels in distress or the romantic interest. Ghostbusters belongs to women now and that is amazing.

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But remember, just because a movie has a female lead(s) doesn’t make it feminist. Do not forget that Chris Hemsworth’s character is in the center of a lot of the posters and promotional material. Do not forget that the Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCartney are geniuses but still need to prove themselves as being worthy of being taken seriously. Also remember that feminism isn’t just for white women. If it doesn’t include women of color, it isn’t true feminism. Leslie Jones' character might not be a scientist but she is definitely a part of the team and representation matters.