Movie review: Ghostbusters

24 July 2016 - 02:00 By Elizabeth Day

'Ghostbusters' writer Katie Dippold: 'They said it was the worst movie ever, before I'd written a word'

Katie Dippold always knew that signing up to write the new Ghostbusters movie would be kind of a big deal. But she hadn't known quite how big.Dippold, one of Hollywood's most sought-after screenwriters, had grown up watching the original 1984 film, starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, and loved it so much that when the opportunity came along to re-make it for a new generation, she didn't think twice."I said yes immediately," says Dippold. "If the younger me could have seen me now, it would have blown her mind."She realised there were some hardcore fans out there who could recite every line of the original screenplay and who would be anxious that the rebooted version might lose some of its charm. The first Ghostbusters had been pretty poorly received at the time, only later acquiring the cult status that made it a sort of sacred text for geeks who genuinely believed that any sequel should be made by exactly the same people and star precisely the same cast. (This is what happened with the forgettable Ghostbusters II, released in 1989).Dippold was aware of this. Still, she hadn't quite anticipated the level of animosity. When one online commenter took to Twitter to say they wanted her to burn to death in a house fire, Dippold says with masterly under-statement, she was "a little surprised".Dippold's humour is dry; her demeanour unflappable. She compares the Twitter troll to a child playing "prank calls" . What struck her most about the online outcry was its absurdity."There were nasty comments before there was even a movie," she says. "There's nothing for you to watch, nothing is written and you're already saying it's the worst movie in the world!"And yet the fury kept mounting. When it was revealed by the director Paul Feig that the new Ghostbusters would be all-female, it was instantly condemned as "gimmicky", "patronising" and - even worse - in danger of being "ruined by feminazis".Twitter was abuzz with disgust: "Women ruin everything," said one user, in all apparent seriousness. Another insisted that: "feminists just f***** my childhood".When the trailer was released in April, it was accused of racism because Patty, the only black Ghostbuster (played by Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones) is a blue-collar worker for the New York City transit agency, while the other three - portrayed by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, all white - are scientists.Dippold suppresses a sigh."The very first draft of the script, there was no cast," she explains. "To be honest, for that part, Melissa [McCarthy] kept popping in my head because there's something so funny about her up against any sort of snobbery. But Leslie has such strong energy and we wanted someone to be that powerful in that role. The race thing didn't come into my mind ... I'm bummed people feel that way because it all came from a good place."It's worth pointing out that there are plenty of sane people who think an all-female Ghostbusters is a fantastic idea - not least Sony, the studio taking a considerable punt on it being a box-office smash.Much of Dippold's writing comes from a feminist perspective that is genuinely funny. Her experience of working in film surrounded by women has been "super collaborative" and not remotely bitchy. She says of her lone male mentor Paul Feig that: "I don't even think about being female and him being male; that's how equal it feels."On the Ghostbusters set, she was on hand to pass Feig last-minute jokes on Post-It notes and she delighted in watching the cast improvise some of the best material including a brilliant scene in which Kevin, the dopey himbo receptionist played by Chris Hemsworth, asks if he can bring "my cat" to work. When McCarthy's character reveals she's allergic to cats, he claims he is actually referring to his dog, whose full name is "Michael Hat" but Mike for short.Dippold counts herself "lucky" never to have experienced sexism in the industry. She acknowledges it's "a huge problem and I wish there were more female directors" but doesn't feel qualified to opine more about it."I'm sure I'll have a horrible experience soon - a real horror story - and be able to talk about it with more authority," she says.Female camaraderie is evident in the new Ghostbusters (the 30-minute taster footage I was allowed to see before the interview was hilarious) and Dippold's next film is a mother-daughter romp starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn.She seems to be drawn to the idea of female friendship. "Yeah," she nods. "I grew up with every movie being just about finding your romantic partner and I am all for romance but - I don't know how to put this - it's kind of empty, yet that wiring is so strong in each of us."I wish I'd grown up watching movies about female camaraderie - having good friends, laughing with your buddies and then from that, having a healthy relationship, having the romance."So I've been trying to build from there because if a kid can grow up and see a group of really fun female Ghostbusters and think 'Maybe I want to be a scientist', that would make me happy."The Daily Telegraph, London• 'Ghostbusters' is in cinemas on Friday...

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