Getty ImagesAfter a long and somewhat tumultous (for us, at least!) planning process, details of the new Ghostbusters remake were finally revealed yesterday. Director Paul Feig broke the news by tweeting out a picture of the soon-to-be cast, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, and it set off a firestorm of speculation about the final product.
Little is known beyond a few facts: There's (obviously) going to be an all-female twist, shooting is expected to start this summer in New York, and The Heat screenwriter Katie Dippold will create the script. While there are a lot of questions surrounding the already-much-anticipated project, there's no denying the fact that the Ghostbusters' team of talent is responsible for some awesome projects—Bridesmaids, Freaks and Geeks and Saturday Night Live, to name a few.
As such, we developed a little formula that the flick can follow to ensure it retains only the best qualities from its creators (and actors). There's a lot riding on this, and we want to make sure it's the best that it can be. After all, wouldn't it be something if the all-female version was better than the original?
1 Part Bridesmaids raunchy comedy. One of the great things about this anti-chick flick was that it wasn't afraid to be inappropriate when it needed to be. Just because it's a movie about a bunch of women doesn't mean it needs to be all daintiness and tea-drinking. Ghostbusters should keep that same ballsy-ness.
1 part Bridesmaids female friendship. Every movie needs a bit of heart, and this is a great way to find it. Besides all the great one-liners from Bridesmaids, fans loved the way Annie related to pretty much everybody—Lillian, Megan, and especially that damn Helen. Getting the female POV right is key for Ghostbusters.
1 part physical comedy. Paul Feig does this so well, as demonstrated by both Bridesmaids and The Heat. Iconic scenes like Annie breaking down the cookie cake at Lillian's bachelorette party or Sandra Bullock's Ashburn breaking it down at a nightclub were great because he just let the stars run with their weirdness. Since the Ghostbusters cast is full of trained comedians, we're expecting all of the fight scenes to be funny, too.
1 part zingers. One-liners are inevitable in an action flick. They have to be good. We can't repeat our favorites from The Heat because they're so R-rated, but trust.
1 part Freaks and Geeks sarcasm. We miss this show, we miss this show, we miss this show. Have we said that enough? It put Paul Feig on the map, and one of its best aspects was the amazing dialogue. Sarcasm is always great, but dry humor goes a long way when it comes to de-cheesing something as cheesy as Ghostbusters.
Minus 1 part overreliance on Melissa McCarthy's weight as humor. Melissa McCarthy is great at physical comedy, but it's always unfortunate when the running gag becomes her. Movies like Tammy tend to turn McCarthy's appearance into a set piece and end up selling her short.
Minus 1 part serious Kristen Wiig. Dramatic Kristen Wiig is good Kristen Wiig. Her performance as a troubled nanny in Hateship Loveship was beautiful and Skeleton Twins was an all-around great film. But, there is a time and a place for Dramatic Kristen Wiig. Ghostbusters is not it.