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Ivan Reitman
 Late last year my wife and I were enjoying Ghostbusters: Afterlife well enough. The competent but unexceptional story and characters kept me interested, particularly with the Easter eggs hearkening back to the original 1984 film. I’d hoped and figured that the original Ghostbusters would appear, but when they finally did at the end, I was surprised at how happy I was to see them. Then when the Ray Parker, Jr. theme song played, I became lost in a nostalgic reverie. Perhaps in the 37 years since Ghostbusters hit theaters, I had forgotten how much I loved the film and how much it permeated popular culture. There was a TV cartoon and an almost Star Wars level of merchandising. Parker’s music vidao was everywhere. To this day, if I hear “Who you gonna call?” I’ll respond, as I’m sure most people would, in a completely Pavlovian manner “Ghostbusters!” Ivan Reitman, who died on February 12, directed the first two Ghostbusters. I had not thought about Reitman much recently beyond his son Jason Reitman, director of Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and most recently, the aforementioned Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The elder Reitman’s filmography since the mid-90s paled next to his work from the prior 20 years. But after his passing, I reflected on Ivan Reiman’s work, and rediscovered his talents. He helped transform John Belushi and Bill Murray from TV stars into movie stars. Later, he uncovered Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gift for comedy. As performers, Murray and Schwarzenegger come from two different planets, but Reitman thrived with both. He also made his mark both as a director and a producer. Ivan Reitman wanted to direct National Lampoon’s Animal House, but the studio preferred a somewhat more experienced director, John Landis. Reitman settled for producing the film, which changed American film comedy. By 1978, many of the counter-cultural baby boomers of the late 60s and early 70, were forced to “grow up,” get a regular job and become part of the society they once despised. Now came Animal House, hilariously skewering societal norms with a youthful rebellion. It was one last chance to stick up their middle finger at what they considered self-important, hypocritical, militaristic authority. Of course, the film’s irreverence also appealed to teenagers, which after Jaws and Star Wars, were increasingly the most prized ticket buyers. Reitman and Landis collaborated with John Belushi on his anarchic Bluto, the id but also the heart of the film. Bluto became the perfect vehicle for Belushi’s physical humor, with just enough warmth and charm so that we love him either despite or because of his appetites. After Animal House, Reitman finally got his chance to direct and did so with a new muse. Bill Murray shared John Belushi’s anti-authority insolence but did so in a less physical and more smart-ass way. While Belushi would make us laugh with “a really futile and stupid gesture,” Murray would make a wisecrack about it the way a good class clown would. Reitman and Murray first collaborated on Meatballs, about the summer camp experience we all wished we had. Reitman perfectly captured the movie’s attitude, and the Bill Murray vibe, in a scene where Murray as the head camp counselor rallies the troops by telling them that “it just doesn’t matter". Murray spicing up a summer camp was one thing, going against the military was another. Reitman’s second directorial effort, Stripes, gets the laughs you would expect from that promising premise. To his credit, Reitman went for something more. Instead of casting someone to play the no-nonsense drill instructor Sergeant Hulka as a fatuous joke, Reitman picked the formidable Warren Oates. The hard living, heavy drinking Oates had served in the military and played tough, mean men in many of Sam Peckinpah’s greatest films. He brought an edge and a sense of danger to Sgt. Hulka, heightening the risk in Murray’s character going against him. Besides Oates, Reitman also struck gold by casting SCTV’s John Candy in a supporting role. Candy brought a Belushi-like physicality to the part, making him a valuable complement to Murray. Reitman went even bigger for Ghostbusters, combining the attitude of his earlier films with the big budget special effects that were all the rage in the 1980s. He wove effortlessly between the comedy and the sci-fi even within a single scene. Comedies that go big can easily lose the humor in the spectacle. Few comedies have ever gone bigger than Ghostbusters, but it kept the laughs all the way through. As he did with Stripes, Reitman raised the stakes through casting, first with having Sigourney Weaver play Bill Murray’s love interest. Weaver’s characters don’t suffer fools gladly and having her there shows the audience that Murray will need to work for her affections. Reitman also showcased another SCTV vet, Rick Moranis who, like Candy in Stripes, stole every scene he was in. After the disappointing Legal Eagles, Reitman surprised everyone when he announced that his next film, Twins, would star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Apart from an occasional one-liner before or after his character killed someone, Arnold was not known for his comedic chops. Arnold and Danny DeVito playing twins sounded more like a “Saturday Night Live” sketch than the premise of an actual movie. Yet Reitman made it work. Arnold completely committed to the part, going against type as a wide-eyed innocent. He and DeVito developed a hilarious chemistry that carried the movie. Reitman doubled down on Arnold’s comedic talents two years later with Kindergarten Cop. Arnold had never been a movie star for whom audiences related to. Enjoyed, feared, admired? Yes, but Arnold always seemed superhuman. With Kindergarten Cop, Reitman took the Arnold tough-guy archetype and cut it down to size. Maybe the Predator couldn’t beat Arnold, but some rowdy little kids could. Suddenly we could all empathize with him. For years in my fantasy football draft, whenever someone took Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer, someone would always yell in his best Arnold impression President seamlessly replacing him. Reitman turned the film into a Frank Capra-like fable, poking fun at political customs and the Washington elite, while celebrating the American system of government and the decency of the common man. There are so many ways this film could have gone wrong if it felt inauthentic or preachy. Reitman avoided all the landmines, thanks to a gentle but determined performance from Kevin Kline in the lead role. Yet again Reitman struck gold with the smaller roles, especially by casting Charles Grodin as Kline’s incredulous best friend. Grodin, the master of deadpan, was a perfect counterpoint to Kline’s sunny outlook. Sadly, Reitman’s filmography post-Dave never achieved the heights of 1978-1993. His directing work became more sporadic, as he seemed to focus more on producing. Reitman had some success there, including the David Letterman-Jay Leno battle in The Late Shift, and a middle-aged Animal House update with Old School. He also produced his son’s Up in the Air, which captured the 2008 recession zeitgeist. Looking back through Reitman’s work, I found some surprises, primarily his non-comedy work. He produced Shivers and Rabid, two early horror films from fellow Canadian David Cronenberg, and Heavy Metal, an animated joyride that became a cult film passed from one high school or college kid to another. Later he supported another Canadian director, Atom Egoyan, producing his psychosexual thriller Chloe. Still, it was comedy that Reitman not only excelled at but helped define. He brought out the best in some very talented people. Some of the biggest laughs from my childhood and young adulthood came from his movies. Maybe I didn’t recognize him enough when he was alive, but I sure do miss him now. Adam Spector March 1, 2022 Contact us: |
