MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | GHOSTBUSTERS

Getting this weeks script in early! The legend that is… GHOSTBUSTERS!

Plot in a nutshell: Three wacky scientists set up a ghost catching business after witnessing a ghost at the local library. Then they get busy. Apocalyptically busy...

Childhood fave. Classic film. One of those films I would happily watch as my last film. Not a bad word to say about its legacy (2016 remake aside).

But, we are here to talk about the script.

Honestly? Not as funny as I’d hoped. A definite positive is that the action directions are beautifully descriptive and well written (watched a couple of Dan Aykroyd interviews recently and he loves to get into the weeds and explore his thoughts in detail). They carry the action well, especially across the finale. But the dialogue is, at times, very different (read not as funny or has dated badly) towards the end of the film and some of the scenes that were either not filmed or cut, were either unsuitable for a family audience (two sex scenes, one with a ghost that later became the dream sequence) or superfluous (two bums discussing the merits of marshmallow). The story definitely flows for the most part and you get a clear definition of every character and their objectives as they grow through the film (apart from Venkman who just seems to follow the rule “get laid or get paid” constantly).

So what one piece of writing wisdom did I take from GHOSTBUSTERS?

Well, just this I guess; that if I am lucky enough to ever have a script produced and it involves hiring some very talented performers to act out my comedy writing, that there is a lot to be said for trusting the performers to riff and change here and there, and to be open to line changes on the day. Because the end result may be much better than anything I had previously written.

After all, film is a collaborative effort and making the piece the best it can be should be everybody’s aim.

Link to the script;

https://bit.ly/3G6rKvJ