The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot is still a touchy subject for the fans and its creators. Amidst the anticipation of Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, actor Melissa McCarthy, who played Abby Yates in the 2016 reboot, is still baffled by the backlash the film created. McCarthy stands by the film and is defending it against critics who bashed it and its all-women lead cast.
“There’s no end to stories we can tell, and there’s so many reboots and relaunches and different interpretations, and to say any of them are wrong, I just don’t get it,” Melissa McCarthy said, per Yahoo. “I don’t get the fight to see who can be the most negative and the most hate-filled. Everybody should be able to tell the story they want to tell. If you don’t want to see it, you don’t have to see it.”
McCarthy has spoken about the Ghostbusters backlash before, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2016, “I just thought, ‘Really? Are we still there?,'” before adding, “It’s a movie. I never gave it another thought. You just have to go, ‘Well, I hope you get out a little more. The world is fun.’ I really think it’s the minority.”
Director of the 2016 reboot, Paul Feig shared his theory in an interview with Jess Cagle’s SiriusXM show last May. “The anti-Hillary (Clinton) movement” contributed to the hate his Ghostbusters film received. “I think some really brilliant author needs to write a book about 2016 and how intertwined we were with Hillary (Clinton) and the anti-Hillary movement,” he said. “Everyone was at a boiling point. I don’t know if it was having an African American president for eight years that teed them up, they were just ready to explode. It’s crazy how people got nuts about women trying to be in power or be in positions they weren’t normally in. And it was an ugly, ugly year.”
Kristen Wiig, who co-starred in the 2016 Ghostbusters alongside Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy, said in a 2015 interview with The Los Angeles Times that the backlash at the mere announcement of the film was “surprising” to her. “Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women. It didn’t make me mad, it just really bummed me out. We’re really honoring those movies.”
Leslie Jones who played Patty Tolman in the reboot considered leaving Twitter as all the criticism and attacks poured in. “I think today will be the day I get rid of Twitter. Gonna really be thinking on it. Not sure I want to need it anymore. Know what I mean?”
I think today will be the day I get rid of Twitter. Gonna really be thinking on it. Not sure I want to need it anymore. Know what I mean?
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 8, 2016
The comments were a stream of condolences and understanding as the world watched the endless bashing of the film. She remained on Twitter, but had some choice words when the fans rejoiced at the announcement of the Jason Reitman sequel.
So insulting. Like fuck us. We dint count. It’s like something trump would do. (Trump voice)”Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers” ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I don’t give fuck I’m saying something!!
— Leslie Jones ???? (@Lesdoggg) January 19, 2019
I didn’t catch the reboot, but I do remember the criticism. When any treasured classic, adored by millions, is reimagined, it runs the risk of the criticism of millions. I’ve been asking for a while regarding my unofficial thesis, what makes us rejoice at a remake? Is there a special ingredient required for the fans to embrace it? As always, any thoughts?