As beloved as the silly, slimy cult classic “Ghostbusters” was in 1984, its 2016 remake is fighting not to become a major box office flop — and it’s not even in theaters yet.
Both Apatow and Feig may be missing the true reasons people have criticized the “Ghostbusters” reboot.
The reboot, due July 15, has become a political mess, rife with feminist issues and Trump-bashing, thanks to the film’s producer, Judd Apatow, and director Paul Feig. Both have recently lashed out at the film’s many critics.
Apatow, the infamous producer-director who gave us such gems as “Girls,” “Trainwreck,” and “Knocked Up” says that anyone who remotely criticizes the upcoming remake must be a Donald Trump supporter.
“I would assume there’s a very large crossover of people who are doubtful ‘Ghostbusters’ will be great and people excited about the Donald Trump candidacy,” he told Uproxx. “I would assume they are the exact same people.”
What Apatow seems to be saying — it’s necessary to try to interpret such a muddled line of reasoning — is that he believes the negative comments come from those who think he reincarnated the 1984 film simply for the sake of having an all-female cast. Such people, in his point of view, say the cast is politically correct for the sake of political correctness or feminism. Therefore, such people say “Ghostbusters” is negative because Donald Trump has taken aim at political correctness.
In simpler, more liberal terms, he is actually saying, “If you don’t like my film, then you’re a terrible person.”
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As for Feig, who wanted the all-female cast, he says he has been attacked with “misogynistic” comments about the film.
During a panel discussion at the PGA’s annual Produced By Conference this past weekend, he added, “I used to [hear] that people had haters, and I was, like, ‘How does that happen?'” Now he knows.
He also told The Wrap, “We still get called in the press as a ‘chick flick.’ We are always referred to as the all-female ‘Ghostbusters.’ It’s just an uphill battle and I can’t believe we are having to deal with it.”
For his part, Feig has also responded to the backlash poorly. He did have a point in his tweet to several who panned the film, saying, “You all have no idea what we did, so stop acting like you do. Enough is enough. Just let this movie happen.” But shortly after that, he told critics to “go f*** themselves.”
Both Apatow and Feig may be missing the true reasons people have criticized the “Ghostbusters” reboot.
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First, it’s directed by Feig, who is deemed by many as a bastion of cinematic poor taste, having written, produced, and/or directed such films as “Trainwreck,” “Bridesmaids,” and “Spy.” Some people — often those with good discrimination and decorum — simply aren’t fans of Feig’s previous work. Many aren’t fans of Apatow, either, for that matter.
Second, “Ghostbusters” is a remake — and a remake of a beloved film that was a part of many people’s childhoods. Of course there is going to be backlash, and Feig should expect it. Especially when the original cast is swapped out for the opposite sex. While there is nothing at all wrong with changing a cast or switching a cast’s gender, Apatow is taking a huge risk to dabble with such a favored classic.
It’s also important to remember that a “Ghostbusters” remake was first mentioned in 2014 with an all-male cast, and there were critics of the film even then. Rather than retaliate against his so-called haters, Feig should welcome their feedback and show them how his movie is just as good as the original, if that’s possible. Instead, he proffers schoolyard retorts and drops f-bombs.
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Apatow also told Uproxx, “It’s not like anybody really cares about a couple of idiots who hold onto the idea that things never evolve. I always think, you know, we have our past and if you can come up with a new, cool way to do something, then that’s exciting and hopefully it will make a lot of people happy.”
While it’s true that movies and concepts can evolve, it’s inaccurate to claim Hollywood has done a good job repackaging “Ghostbusters” — at least its trailer —into something “new,” “cool” or “exciting.” Since trailers often contain some of the very best morsels of a movie, this one isn’t at all hopeful. In a world of countless, poor-quality remakes, Feig needed to knock this film out of the park. Indications seem to say he has not.
In fact, the trailer, which went up in early March, has become the most hated thing on YouTube. Granted, this judgment is unfair to the actual film, but the trailer numbers certainly indicate something amiss for Apatow and Feig. The YouTube comments speak even more, with such scathing remarks as, “My childhood is dead,” “Well, they’ve ruined it now,” and “Ghostbusters for preschoolers.”
Mike Matei, the film critic who initiated the female cast questions, simply wrote, “Ghostbusters 2016. No review. I refuse.”
So, people are already panning this film because they do not care for Feig’s previous work, they don’t believe a classic film needs to be remade, and the trailer is horrible. Even Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Kristin Wiig, the film’s leading cast, didn’t defend the movie. They hardly spoke of it during their recent “Ellen” appearance.
Do you see any sexism in the reasons for people’s criticism so far? Any social hatred? Any mention of Donald Trump, one way or another? No.
You have to wonder whether Apatow and Feig — and Sony — scramble onto the politics train to breathe new life into a film they now question.
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