Ghostbusters

Something weird, and it don't look good.

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are a dream team for a  Ghostbusters requel; these four top SNL comics are at a similar point in their careers as the original cast was in 1984, and a female team should have minimized comparisons.

These gals have great onscreen chemistry, but somehow they and director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) can't seem to scare up a good time. 

The format of all three Ghostbusters movies (washed up scientists capture a ghost, earn redemption, get arrested by government officials, have the tables turned when a friend is possessed, see a ghost hole open, get attacked by a huge puffy cartoon character, shoot things at it and save NYC) may be at fault. It leaves very little freedom for the characters to make us laugh, especially Wiig who's stuck as the straight man. Luckily for the audience, they break format a few times and those moments provide some chuckles, so this is not condescending or insultingly bad like SIsters or Baby Mama.

I should add that the director has no idea what to do with the male characters either: a potential villain that never comes to fruition, Andy Garcia's unmemorable politician, three snoozy cameos from the original cast and Chris Helmsworth, who obviously had a major comic scene cut from the film (and added to the credit roll). Since the whole film is disoriented anyway, they should have kept it. I'm pretty certain the ladies I saw the film with would have paid ten bucks just for the Helmsworth dance scenes in the credit. Instead, we get the scene where something gets big and they blow it up into a hole in the universe. Ugh, we have DC movies for that, folks.

Simply put: A movie with this cast fighting the paranormal in a much-loved franchise should have worked, but Wiig was three times funnier (as Bachelorette JoJo) on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last Thursday. 

Award potential: Not even a Best Motion Picture Comedy Globe. As far as being awarded a sequel? There's a (spoiler alert) teaser for Zuul to return at the end, but don't hold your breath. I"m not expecting an afterlife for this franchise. 

The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.