Who ya gonna call? Conceived by Dan Aykroyd, fleshed out into a screenplay by Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and rewritten during filming with improv by Aykroyd, Ramis, and Bill Murray, Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters is one of the funniest, sharpest, and most inspired comedies ever made. It has memorable characters, an engaging plot, and a surplus of hilarious set pieces.
The popularity of Ghostbusters launched a lucrative Hollywood franchise, but from its disappointing sequel to its disappointing reboot, no subsequent entry in the franchise has been able to scrape the brilliance of the original. Here are the 10 funniest scenes from Ghostbusters.
10 The Opening Library Scene
What sold Ghostbusters to the moviegoing public was the comic energy created by its three stars — Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis — as well as the impeccable on-screen chemistry they shared as a result of their real off-screen friendship.
This was instantly established in the opening scene, in which the Ghostbusters are down on their luck, treated like laughing stocks, and attempt to bust a ghost in a library (and find themselves hopelessly unprepared).
9 Ray Gets Slimed
The hotel featured in Ghostbusters became so iconic from the movie that it’s now a tourist attraction. While facing off against Slimer, Ray is coated in ectoplasm.
He collapses on the floor and wipes the green slime from his face. Instead of being disgusted to be soaked in paranormal goo, Ray is thrilled: “Actual physical contact!”
8 “I Love This Town!”
It’s hard not to feel bad for Ernie Hudson. When Eddie Murphy dropped out of playing Winston Zeddemore, the role was drastically reduced — but only after Hudson was cast. Having seen the script that would’ve been performed by Murphy, Hudson was expecting to appear in a ton of scenes.
However, in the rewritten version that went into production, a lot of Zeddemore’s scenes were cut, and the character was sidelined in the scenes he did appear in. But his final line in the movie is still a classic.
7 Louis Locks Himself Out Of His Apartment
Rick Moranis as Louis Tully is one of the funniest supporting performances in Ghostbusters. He’s madly in love with his neighbor, Dana, and whenever he can hear her out in the hallway, he stumbles out of his apartment to talk to her.
One time, Louis comes out into the hallway, speaks to Dana, and then can’t get back into his apartment — because he’s locked himself out.
6 “It’s True...This Man Has No D***.”
Some of the funniest moments in Ghostbusters revolve around the guys butting heads with the villain, Walter Peck. In an argument involving Walter and the Mayor of New York, Ray says, “Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by d***less here.”
Walter insists, “They caused an explosion!” So, the mayor asks, “Is this true?” With pitch-perfect comic timing on the pause, Venkman replies, “Yes, sir, it’s true...this man has no d***.”
5 Ray Lists All The Repairs Needed For The Ectomobile
The Ghostbusters’ signature vehicle, the Ectomobile, is one of the most iconic cars in comedy movie history, along with the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine.
When Ray first buys the Ectomobile for a cool $4,800, he lists off all the things he needed to have fixed: “Everybody can relax, I found the car. Needs some suspension work and shocks. Brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear-end...also new rings, mufflers, a little wiring...”
4 Dana Finds Zuul In The Refrigerator
A lot of the best scenes in Ghostbusters are the ones that put supernatural elements into a familiar or relatable setting. A prime example of this is when Dana is restocking her kitchen after returning from the grocery store.
A ghostly presence in the room makes itself apparent when the eggs all start cracking on their own. Dana is truly terrified when she opens her refrigerator and sees a cosmic dimension in there, with an evil paranormal entity that identifies itself only as “Zuul.”
3 “Don’t Cross The Streams.”
In the Sedgewick Hotel, when the Ghostbusters first try out their Particle Throwers, Egon warns his colleagues about the dangers of crossing the streams, as it would result in “total protonic reversal.”
A curious Venkman asks what would happen if they did cross the streams and Egon says, “Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously, and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.”
2 “We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Its A**!”
When the Ghostbusters prove that supernatural entities are real and their services are important, it doesn’t take them long to adjust to their newfound fame.
After busting their first high-profile ghost, the guys go out in front of a crowd of spectators, and Venkman paraphrases Julius Caesar: “We came, we saw, we kicked its a**!”
1 The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
The most iconic moment in Ghostbusters is when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is brought to life as a kaiju-sized monster and marches down the streets of New York. The juxtaposition of a Godzilla-sized spectacle against a silly-looking corporate mascot is hysterical.
So few comedies have the vision to go out with a bang like Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman wasn’t afraid to put a gigantic man made of marshmallow in the climactic set piece of his movie.
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June 20, 2020 at 05:30AM
