Reboots are always a tricky type of filmmaking endeavor. Either you love them or you hate them. They invite comparisons to their original inspiration, and when the original is as beloved as Ghostbusters, fans can get a bit intense about the whole thing. People have lambasted the Paul Feig's Ghostbusters from day one, and all eyes have been on it to actually make us laugh when it finally hit theaters.
Against all odds, Ghostbusters seems to have done the impossible: it's actually a funny movie. Opinions will vary regarding whether or not it can rival the original, but the abundant humor evident throughout this modern version of the classic film should prove more than enough to silence the haters. Having said that, we've compiled a list of the nine funniest moments in the latest Ghostbusters film. Now let's the ball rolling with No. 1.
The Opening Museum Tour
Paul Feig has a very distinct comedic sensibility as a filmmaker, and Ghostbusters lets you know that you're watching a Feig movie almost instantaneously. The film opens on a young man (Silicon Valley's Zach Woods) leading a tour group through a museum, professionally spouting off ridiculous facts with deadpan precision. Between absurd historical tidbits about "face bidets," and "Irish defense systems" to describe the supposed luxury of an old 19th century Victorian manor, we as an audience immediately know that we're in for a movie that will make us double take or think twice when we hear a hilarious one-liner.
The First Ghost Encounter
The first scene in the new Ghostbusters that properly shows the team facing off against a paranormal entity pretty much sets the tone for the hilarious affair. Tracking a spirit to a haunted mansion in New York, Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), and Jillian Holtzman (Kate McKinnon) come face to face with a real life ghost. Abby films the whole affair while Erin tries to make contact and Jillian simply crunches on a tube of Pringles -- or "salty parabolas" as she calls them. It's a great character development scene that shows us how this ensemble of funny females will interact with one another for the entire film, and it's punctuated by a solid gross-out gag in which the ghosts spews up ectoplasm all over Erin.
Kevin's Interview
Although Paul Feig's Ghostbusters is a movie primarily centering upon funny women, it's worth noting that the central male member of the ensemble, Chris Hemsworth, is no slouch. During his first scene as dumb-as-nails receptionist Kevin, Hemsworth shines by making complete fun of himself. From his absurd graphic design logos for the Ghostbusters team, to his request to bring in his cat, who is named Michael "Mike Hat," who is actually a dog, Hemsworth brings the funny in ways we have never seen from him before. It's one of the single best scenes in the movie, and it's made even better with the knowledge that Hemsworth improvised most of it for over an hour while the cameras rolled.
The Heavy Metal Concert
As soon as the Ghostbusters become a full-fledged team, they find themselves called to a paranormal disturbance at a local heavy metal concert in what stands as one of the funniest prolonged sequences in the entire film. The sequence begins with the venue owner (played by Mad TV's Michael McDonald) ominously warning the women about his shrill feminine screams, then continues as Patty finds herself chased by a living mannequin, and culminating with the team catching the ghost in question after it perches itself upon a terrified Patty's shoulders. It's a high energy scene full of phenomenal physical comedy, as well as great lines of dialogue, and the funniest moment comes when Kate McKinnon's Jillian Holtzman passionately destroys a guitar and tells its player that she cannot pay for it.
Kevin's Horrible Phone Etiquette
Once Kevin actually gets his job as the receptionist for the Ghostbusters, it quickly becomes clear that he lacks many of the fundamental skills required for the position. Several scenes throughout the film show him struggling to grasp even the simplest of phone-related tasks, but Erin continuously cuts him some slack because of how beautiful he is. Hands down the funniest moment in the entire film comes when someone leaves a message for the Ghostbusters, and the team's outgoing message is simply Kevin saying "Ghostbusters, what do you want!?" It's a hilarious moment that honors original Ghostbusters receptionist Janine Melnitz while still feeling true to Kevin as a character.
Testing The Proton Packs
It's simply not a Paul Feig movie without some hilarious physical comedy pulled off his preferred leading lady, by Melissa McCarthy. As Abby Yates, the actress gets the honor of showing us the first fully functioning proton pack in this new Ghostbusters universe, and it doesn't exactly go off without a hitch. With her friends and partners surrounding her in an alleyway behind their building, Abby attempts to use the advanced weapon -- only for it to send her flying all over the place. In a movie full of amazing dialogue and snappy one-liners, it represents a welcome moment of slapstick humor.
Erin Warning The Mayor
As the straight woman of the Ghostbusters ensemble, Kristen Wiig spends most of the movie setting up jokes so the other women can knock them out of the ballpark. However, she gets a genuine moment to shine towards the end of the movie when she goes to warn the Mayor (Andy Garcia) that the city will soon be overrun with the paranormal. In a scene fueled by manic energy, Wiig's character Erin Gilbert struggles to enter a posh New York restaurant (thinking every window is a sliding door) and subsequently begins to have a meltdown as security drags her away from the table and she screams, "get out of the city!" at the top of her lungs. It's a scene that will forever be remembered on Kristen Wiig's acting resume, alongside her MacGruber coffee shop scene or her "look at that fucking cookie" freak out from Bridesmaids.
Kevin Catching The Sandwich
Okay, last Kevin entry, we swear. Although it's one of his final good jokes in the movie, the moment in which Kevin catches the sandwich is pure comedy gold. After stating that he genuinely believes that he's responsible for sending all of the invading ghosts back through the portal, Kevin begins gleefully munching on a sandwich that he got from a deli while looking for his bosses. After realizing that he decided to get food while thinking they were dead, Abby angrily throws the sandwich off camera into the crowd, only for someone to simply throw it back to him and allow him to keep eating away. Everything just seems to work out for this guy.
Literally Any Time Holtzman Is On Screen
If there's one performer in the new Ghostbusters who definitively owns this film, then that honor has to go to Kate McKinnon for her role as Jillian Holtzman, A living, breathing cartoon character -- in the best possible way -- McKinnon commits every muscle in her body to her performance as the looney engineer. She maintains a constant state of insanity that absolutely sells this new universe as being distinct from our own. Every scene devoted to her character is pure gold, but the best moment has to be her introduction, during which it's impossible to tell if she's hitting on Erin Gilbert or being mean to her. Someone give Kate McKinnon her own major film franchise this instant.
