Episode 420: Ghostbusters: Lean In to the Proton Pack

On the Overthinking It Podcast, we discuss the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, directed by Paul Feig.

Rachel D, Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, Ryan Sheely, and Matthew Wrather start a scrappy small business to self-actualize and provide mutual support while, by the way, busting the ghosts of the patriarchy as they overthink the 2016 Ghostbusters remake.

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Get ready for the reboot of Ghostbusters by checking out The Overview, our series of live commentaries on the movies we love. We’ve got a Ghostbusters-inspired Virtual Box Set of Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, and Bridesmaids to put you in the right frame of mind for the 2016 remake. And save over ten percent when you use the code SLIMER at checkout.

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9 Comments on “Episode 420: Ghostbusters: Lean In to the Proton Pack”

  1. David Gian-Cursio #

    The 2106 remake of Ghostbusters is going to be fucking amazing. Say what you will, but I think the time will be right for an all-android lead cast.

    Reply

  2. Erin Church #

    Dude. I’m sorry. You lost me as soon as your contributor suggested “The Monuments Men” without having even seen the movie. Do your homework. Then we can talk. You’re really going to try and have an intelligent conversation without having even seen the movie you are trying to talk about?

    Reply

    • Rambler #

      Out of curiosity… When you say they “lost you” does that mean you did or didn’t finish listening?

      Reply

      • Erin Church #

        I begrudgingly finished listening. I still don’t know what the point was.

        Reply

    • benzado Member #

      That was just the question of the week segment! In the past they’ve done *entire episodes* about movies they haven’t seen.

      It’s been a while since those days, though. If you ask me, they’ve kind of lost their edge.

      Reply

  3. Mark Lee OTI Staff #

    I started this on Twitter, but let’s keep this list of Ghostbusters-themed food that’s served from a food truck going:

    BOO-rito
    Quesed-EEE-lla
    Ecto Taco

    And while we’re at it, a name for the truck? I propose:

    PKEatery

    Reply

    • clayschuldt #

      Tossed Streams Salad?

      Reply

  4. An Inside Joke #

    I haven’t seen the 2016 film yet so I might be off base, but I’m intrigued by the differences between the slogans “Who you gonna call” vs. “Answer the call” and how they pertain to the gender question.

    Specifically, “who you gonna call” is addressed to a potential customer of the Ghostbusters, which makes sense because it comes from the advertising jingle the Ghostbusters directed at potential customers. However, as an audience member, being asked “who you gonna call” puts me in the place of the passive observer, which is literally true (I’m watching the movie) but alienates me from the protagonists, who are being called.

    “Answer the call” sounds like it’s directed toward the Ghostbusters, who are receiving calls from the customers. As an audience member, being told “answer the call” makes me feel like I’m on equal footing with the Ghostbusters – I have the power to answer that call and join them.

    That’s most interesting to me because it seems like a (probably unintentional?) subversion of typical male gaze/objectification narratives. The 80’s male Ghostbusters exist to be called – they are the passive objects we act upon by calling. The 2016 Ghostbusters are active participants along with the audience – they (and we) make the active decision whether or not to answer the call.

    Reply

    • An Inside Joke #

      Ugh, I screwed up my passive/active distinction between paragraphs. Ignore my confusing flip-flopping, but does anyone else have any thoughts on the gender dynamics of the slogan, if any?

      Reply

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