Ghostbusters

There seems to be a popular sentiment among the upper crust of moviegoers that somehow popular comedy is unfunny.  This sentiment hit me as I watched Ghostbusters the other night.  One of the most popular comedies of the last 30 years, Ghostbusters maintains a comic edge without dropping random pop culture references.  Still Bill Murray's greatest performance not to mention; Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, Ghostbusters feature a terrific cast that know how to sell the story and humor.  Yet, some don't deem this as a great comedy in the way many film scholars might deem The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby and Some Like it Hot great comedies.  Maybe I'm still too close to the picture to see that newer younger film scholars will give Ghostbusters its proper credit.  This point was made even greater to me watching Luis Bunel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.  Even a film that satirizes the elitist classes is only truly enjoyed by the more elitist film watcher.  The movie is funny to be sure and brilliantly made, but it only helps to prove further while a movie like Ghostbusters, while vastly popular is often overlooked.

Yet, there seems to be a popular sentiment that an average audience is unable to comprehend a smart yet accessible comedy.  Yet, one look at the popularity of Inception and one sees that a film can be very intelligent and still be craved by the larger masses.  The most popular comedies anymore come with an R rating and involve men behaving badly.  I recently saw the new trailer for Little Fockers at Comic-Con and realized how far that franchise has fallen.  I often wonder what happened to the comedy an entire family could enjoy.  Ghostbusters contains definite adult material while remaining a safe option for your average child, yet today most comedies are either aimed directly at the 10 and under crowd, or at an adult crowd.  Rarely does a PG or a light PG-13 movie get made anymore that can truly be called a "family" film.  Not a family film in the sense that the entire family sees it together, but that neither does it feel like the film was made for the kiddies nor just for adults.  I suppose Pixar tugs this line very closely, and while being brilliant films the fact remains they are made with kids in mind first.   Yet, I'm to blame as much as the next person, I really dug The Hangover.  The movie was profane, boisterous and downright funny, easily one of the funniest R-rated films since Animal House.  Yet, I still hope for a movie that remains funny from its script and performances, without resorting to Wes Anderson type of quirky characters.

And one last thing, if someone asks if you're a God, "You say yes!"