![]() ![]() And yet, the real standout is McKinnon as the delightfully odd and eccentric egghead Holtzmann, a role wholly original and unique that it's now impossible to imagine anyone else doing it justice. As they demonstrated in Feig's ' Bridesmaids,' the two ladies make a fantastic comedy duo, playing to each other's insecurities with pithy remarks not meant to demean but boost each other's confidence as the plot progresses. Meanwhile, McCarthy is the overly self-assured and tenacious intellectual who's continuously surprised when others don't see that as a virtue. Wiig plays the jittery, fearful uptight geek with doe eyes that beg for the approval of others, but a willing pratfall clown who's repeatedly slimed during her spectral encounters. Granted, Wiig and McCarthy immediately settle into familiar ground with quirks and personality traits reminiscent of past performances. However, we soon find out the ladies are not only skilled and highly intelligent, but they are also hilarious with one witty line after another, generating a lively, energetic camaraderie that then animates the rest of the film with their infectious humor. Thus begins a series of astutely-aware wisecracks from silly online comments targeting our heroes' gender ("Ain't no bitches gonna hunt no ghost.") and assumed incompetence (Bill Murray delivers a hilarious cameo as famed paranormal debunker Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) celebrities. ![]() But after the two begrudgingly work together and record evidence for the existence of ghosts, their video goes viral, instantly making them and fellow engineer Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) is forced to confront her co-author and former friend Dr. When a book about the paranormal threatens her tenure at Columbia University, Dr. In either case - and frankly, more importantly for this review - the point is that Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold (' The Heat') cleverly addressed and ingeniously dismissed those concerns with jokes, most of which are at the expense of the female cast. But instead of diving into that rabbit hole, I find it more interesting the filmmakers used those dissenting voices as part of the film's humor, further bringing up questions of the filmmakers possibly fueling the debate with accusations of misogyny - which many are. It would seem the controversy could be viewed as somewhat emblematic our current political situation. While some voices rightly shared concern over remaking a treasured 80s favorite - which this is - others expressed some rather alarming outrage of seeing women don the iconic jumpsuits and proton packs. Even before anyone saw a single frame of it, the internet uproar targeted the concept of an all-female cast replacing the beloved characters originally played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. But months before that, Paul Feig's 'Ghostbusters' came under fire and was almost instantly detested by fans of the original 1984 comedy classic. Most recently, Nate Parker's ' The Birth of a Nation' has resurfaced some disconcerting news about its director. It's unfortunate when it becomes difficult to discuss a movie without also addressing the controversy surrounding it.
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