By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I just read an article where a second Ghostbusters reboot is in the works. This one with Dan Aykroyd teaming up with Channing Tatum to create an all male movie. I am actually looking forward to that one much more than the all female cast. It irritates me that anyone who is dreading the women reboot is immediately thought to do so because they’re sexist.
I can’t speak for everyone and I’m sure there are some who would hate the film regardless of the women chosen, but for me the casting is the biggest problem. The only one that has any talent among the four stars is Kristen Wiig. Though, I never had any interest in seeing Bridesmaids, Wiig did prove herself a comedic talent on Saturday Night Live. I could see Wiig in this specific role with her comedic timing and pulling off a great success.
The next actress is Melissa McCarthy. Though slightly more talented than Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, I have yet to see McCarthy in a good role. She was the guest host on an episode of SNL when it was still funny, and the episode was terrible. I’ve never watched Mike and Molly aside from when it was on at Ford when the hubby and I were getting new tires, and it was awful. Though, I don’t think she has the chops to be funny at least she can act. If she were going to be in the reboot, she would be better as the quirky receptionist than a main character.
Then there are two of the most annoying “comics” ever to exist. Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are the two reasons, I don’t watch SNL anymore. McKinnon’s impersonations of Justin Bieber and Ellen are painful. I get it, Justin always tries to put on the pouty face and Ellen like to dance. Those aren’t bits. I really like Chris Hemsworth so I attempted to watch this week and I couldn’t get through the opening because McKinnon’s impersonation of Hillary Clinton was cringeworthy. I just wanted to punch her in the face.
When Amy Poehler did her impression, it killed not just because it was over-the-top but because it actually was a really good impersonation of Clinton. All McKinnon does is grab at air and frown. It’s stupid. Where the hell are the writers? There was a great topic in the media about Clinton’s emails. There are so many different comedic ways to go with that. Instead, hearing McKinnon just keep saying that she may or may not run despite wanting it since she was in the womb, isn’t funny. It’s not remotely funny. Where’s the joke? Where’s the funny imagery?
Lastly, we have Jones. The first time I saw Jones on SNL was when she was doing a bit on Weekend Update that seemed to come out of the 80s. It was as though her goal was to be a female version of Andrew Dice Clay. Dice was never funny. Jones is NEVER funny. I don’t think I’ve ever disliked two comedians more than McKinnon and Jones. I have no idea if they have a following or if the powers-that-be think they’re talented, but whatever the case, they’re the reason I will not see the female Ghostbusters reboot.
That said, it could have easily been done right. Keeping Wiig, who I think is more than capable, there are plenty of other hilarious comedic women who would be fantastic in the role.
Here is a short list of the women who would be a wonderful addition to any Ghostbuster reboot. June Diane Raphael is comedy gold. She not only has a likability, but is also a strong woman who can be self-deprecating without losing her strength. She was always great in NTSF:SD:SUV, was awesome in Ass Backwards and made Burning Love a Bachelor-style parody one can watch over and over again.
Jessica Williams is mostly known for being a correspondent for The Daily Show. She’s always funny and I could certainly see her putting on the gear and being ready to fight ghosts.
Kristen Schaal is another great choice. She too was on The Daily Show but has definitely branched out to sitcoms, movies and was even on the British Big Quiz Show of the Year. She’s always hilarious and I’d watch her in anything.
Debra Wilson who was known for her Whitney Houston impressions on MAD TV would also fit right in. She’s actually perfect for that role.
Mindy Kaling, Chelsea Peretti, Jenny Slate, Aisha Tyler, Sasheer Zamata, Olivia Munn, Negin Farsad, Maria Bamford, ….the list literally goes on and on. There are so many female comedians who are absolutely hilarious that would have both women and men filling the theaters to see what they do with the material. Instead, we have one very capable comedian but Wiig can’t hold the film together herself.
I love the original Ghostbusters and as a woman, I would adore seeing a film highlighting four strong funny characters who are able to form the comradeship and highlight each others strengths as actors the way that the original did rather than women who can’t get through a two minute skit without making the audience want to scream, “YOU ARE NOT FUNNY! SHUT UP!
What sucks even more is that so much is riding on this movie, and either way the viewing public loses. If it does well, we’ll get a bunch of other movies with these women and the same style comedy. If it fails, then all women will be blamed and they won’t try another all female movie like this for years.
Why can’t we have a movie with a variety of women the way that every character in the original was so different from one another. These women are inter-changable in their comedy.
So, for me – I’ll be sticking with the Channing Tatum version of Ghostbusters as Tatum is a proven comedic success. In both, 21 Jump Street films, he delivered on every level. Therefore, unless something changes on the female front where they get capable comedic actresses rather than ones they are trying to push to the forefront. Other than Tatum, some great choices would be: Anthony Anderson, Mark Duplass, Jesse T. Ferguson, Kevin Hart, Bradley Cooper, Donald Glover, Adam Scott, Richard Ayoade …once again, the possibilities are endless.
If done right and we had a powerhouse Ghostbusters female cast and male cast, a crossover would be inevitable and would be awesome!
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