Stubs - Kindergarten Cop - Controversial 30 Years Later?

Kindergarten Cop (1990) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Screenplay by Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris. Produced by Ivan Reitman, Brian Grazer Run time: 111 minutes. United States. Color. Action, Comedy.

A thirty-year-old comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger might not seem like a controversial film, but Kindergarten Cop has recently been in the news because a recent planned screening was canceled.  Originally scheduled to open the NW Film Center’s Cinema Unbound, a summer-drive-in movie series in Portland, the film was pulled after local author Lois Leveen criticized the movie on Twitter.

According to her, “What’s so funny about School-to-Prison pipeline? Kindergarten Cop-Out: Tell @nwfilmcenter there’s nothing fun in cops traumatizing kids. National reckoning on overpolicing is a weird time to revive ‘Kindergarten Cop.’ IRL, we are trying to end the school-to-prison pipeline. There’s nothing entertaining about the presence of police in schools, which feeds the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline in which African American, Latinx and other kids of color are criminalized rather than educated. Five- and 6-year-olds are handcuffed and hauled off to jail routinely in this country. And this criminalizing of children increases dramatically when cops are assigned to work in schools.”

She went further, stating “It’s true Kindergarten Cop is only a movie. So are ‘Birth of a Nation’ and ‘Gone With the Wind,’ but we recognize films like those are not ‘good family fun. They are relics of how pop culture feeds racist assumptions... Because despite what the movie shows, in reality, schools don’t transform cops. Cops transform schools, and in an extremely detrimental way.”

Having just recently seen the film again, I have to wonder how far up her own ass is Ms. Leveen’s head. The comparisons to Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind are over-the-top clap trap. Those films have been criticized, rightly so, for their depiction of Blacks during and after slavery. Birth of a Nation glorified the origins of the Klu-Klux-Klan for God’s sake. Invoking that film, in connection with criticizing this film, is a disservice to her own cause.

I would almost have to think that Ms. Leveen has never seen the film or hasn’t in 30 years and has somehow twisted the film’s story to fit in with her modern take on the world. Yes, police overstepping their boundaries, especially against children, is horrible. Yes, no one wants to see a “school-to-prison pipeline”. And yes, Black Lives Matter. But none of that has anything to do with Kindergarten Cop.

I’m not saying that Kindergarten Cop is high art and above reproach, but Leveen’s criticism seems misguided at best.

The film opens with a cat-and-mouse chase through a mall. LAPD detective John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is following Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson), an infamous drug dealer. Crisp is on his way to meet Danny (Tom Kurlander), a junkie who wants to sell him information about his estranged wife and child. Even though Danny was told to come alone, he has brought with him Cindy (Alix Koromzay), another junkie.

LAPD Detective John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrests Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson).

When Danny asks for money, Crisp tells him that he’ll take good care of him. But after learning that his wife and child are living in Astoria, Oregon, Crisp shoots and kills Danny. But Cindy is a witness to the murder from behind a box. Crisp dumps the gun in a trash bin and joins his mother, Eleanor Crisp (Carroll Baker), at a beauty salon. Finding Cindy kneeling over Danny’s body, Kimble handcuffs her to the body so she won’t run away. He then goes to the salon and arrests Crisp.

At headquarters, policewoman Phoebe O’Hara (Pamela Reed) interrogates Cindy, but she wants nothing to do with helping the police. After Cindy’s release, Kimble follows her to a drug den, chases everyone out, and promises to harass her until she helps him. Cindy relents and correctly identifies Crisp as the killer in a lineup and he is held over for trial without bail.

Crisp and Kimble talk when the former is in custody.

At the Los Angeles County Jail, Crisp boasts to Kimble that he will soon be free because a junkie’s testimony is worthless, but Kimble suggests that Crisp’s wife, who reportedly fled with $3 million of his drug money, will be happy to testify against him.

Later, Captain Salazar (Richard Portnow), over Kimble’s objections, sends him and Phoebe to Astoria to find Rachel Crisp and offer immunity in return for her testimony. It has been arranged that Phoebe will go undercover as a temporary kindergarten teacher at Astoria Elementary School, where Crisp’s son is a pupil. Since their only photograph of Rachel Crisp does not clearly show her face, they will have to uncover her new identity.

Once they land in Oregon, Phoebe gets stomach flu and is unable to appear at school the next morning as a result. Kimble decides to take her place and reports to the principal, Miss Schlowski (Linda Hunt), who was expecting Phoebe, not a huge, muscular man. Miss Schlowski warns that if she feels the children are in danger, she will alert the parents and they will take their kids out of school. When asked, Kimble tries to reassure Miss Schlowski that he has had teaching experience, but in reality the five-year-olds in his class drive him crazy.

Day One: Kimble loses his temper and makes the children cry.

His loud attempts to quiet them make most of the children cry, so Kimble runs to his rented car and brings back his pet ferret to calm them down. It becomes the class mascot. At the end of the school day, another teacher’s, Joyce’s (Penelope Ann Miller), little boy, Dominic Palmarie (Joseph Cousins and Christian Cousins), tells Kimble that he is the worst teacher ever, even worse than his stick ball coach. When Kimble asks if there is anyone he’s better than, Dominic informs him that he doesn’t know that many people.

Dominic Palmarie (Joseph Cousins or Christian Cousins), helps Kimble clean up after the first day. 

Exhausted, Kimble returns to his motel room and collapses after having cleaned up the mess the students have made.

The next day, young mothers linger at the school after bringing their children. Some are interested in Kimble, while others wonder what kind of man teaches kindergarten.

In class, Kimble pretends to play a game with the children by asking them what their father does and where are they now. The children give a variety of answers and Dominic says his father lives in France. Meanwhile, a child named Zach Sullivan (Justin Page) is withdrawn and resists saying anything despite Kimble’s attempts to draw him out.

After a fire alarm drill, Miss Schlowski chides Kimble for taking longer to evacuate his class than the other teachers.

That night, Phoebe feels better, and is hungry. She and Kimble go to a restaurant, where they run into Joyce and Dominic. Sensing romantic possibilities between Kimble and Joyce, Phoebe plays wingman for him, posing as his sister and speaks in Kimble’s Austrian accent. Over dinner, Kimble questions Joyce about other mothers, especially newcomers. Joyce believes many people come to small towns like Astoria to run away from something.

Phoebe (Pamela Reed) gives Kimble advice on how to handle the kids in his class.

Later that night, when Kimble complains to Phoebe that the children take advantage of him, she suggests that he show no fear.

The following day, Kimble gets “tough” and tells the kids he is the sheriff and they are “deputy trainees.” He orders them to march, leads them in physical exercise, and plays games that demand discipline. Thinking Zach is the boy he’s looking for, he places Zach in charge of the ferret. Miss Schlowski is impressed with the children’s improved behavior.

While the children take their afternoon naps, Kimble dozes off and dreams that Colin Crisp shoots him through the classroom window. He awakens as Joyce enters the room. She asks him over for dinner the next night at her house and he accepts.

Kimble finally manages to confront Mrs. Sullivan (Jayne Brook) the next day. She mistakenly believes he is asking about bruises on Zach’s legs, and confesses that her husband is in counseling and begs Kimble not to report him.

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Colin Crisp’s mother arranges for a dealer to sell Cindy a bag of pure heroin that is certain to kill her.

Dominic shows Kimble his backyard hideout.

The following evening, while Joyce prepares dinner, Dominic shows Kimble his backyard hideout, where he has a “laser” he hopes to place on a nearby antenna tower to protect him and his mother from “bad people.” After dinner, Kimble asks Joyce why she and Dominic move so often, and she admits her husband is not in France, but in Los Angeles. After he tried to kidnap Dominic, she assumed a new identity and went into hiding.

The following day, Phoebe investigates Joyce’s finances and can find only a checking account with less than $1000. Kimble is convinced Joyce is hiding $3 million somewhere, but Phoebe thinks he suspects her because his growing feelings toward her frighten him.

That morning, Zach arrives late to class, and Kimble finds a large bruise on his back. He chases Mrs. Sullivan back to her car, where Mr. Sullivan (John Hammil) is waiting. Kimble confronts him, and when Sullivan takes a swing, Kimble knocks him down.

Miss Schlowski calls Kimble into her office. He’s pretty sure that she’s going to fire him, but instead she approves of him punching Sullivan, even asking him what it felt like to hit him. She also, surprisingly, praises his teaching skills.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Captain Salazar identifies Cindy’s body at the morgue. Without Cindy’s testimony, he will have to release Crisp from jail, so he tells his assistant to inform Kimble and Phoebe that Crisp will soon be coming to Astoria. If Crisp’s wife wants police protection, she will have to reveal the whereabouts of the $3 million she supposedly has.

Eleanor Crisp picks up her son outside the jail, telling him, “We’re gonna be a family again”, and they drive to Astoria.

At the school fair, Phoebe and Kimble confesses to Joyce that they are police and can offer her protection from Colin, but she must turn over the stolen money. Joyce claims there is no money. Her husband spread a lie about her having $3 million to give others an incentive to locate her, enabling him to kidnap Dominic.

Fearing that she’ll flee, Kimble goes to see Joyce, who is hysterical because Dominic is missing. He remembers what Dominic had told him, and Kimble leads Joyce to the antenna tower, where they find the boy stranded on a ladder while trying to plant his lasers.

After Kimble rescues Dominic, he confesses that he lost his own son because his ex-wife wanted him out of her life, but he does not want to lose her and Dominic. They kiss.

Unbeknownst to her, Miss Schlowski (Linda Hunt) takes Crisp to where his son is.

The next day, in an effort to provide assistance, Phoebe comes to Kimble’s class to discuss strangers. Meanwhile, Colin visits Miss Schlowski’s office, posing as a father who wants to enroll his son in kindergarten. She allows him to look in on a classroom, and he recognizes his son. But when he sees Kimble, Crisp excuses himself and hurries outside to tell his mother.

Later, Crisp sneaks back into the school and sets fire in the library. The fire alarm prompts Kimble and Phoebe to lead their classes into the smoky hallway. Dominic stuffs Kimble’s pet ferret under his shirt, but when Kimble helps a girl who had been knocked down in the hall, he loses track of Dominic.

In the confusion, Crisp grabs his son and spirits the child into an empty classroom. He tells Dominic he is the boy’s father, but Dominic does not recognize him. Kimble searches the hallways for Dominic, while outside, Phoebe realizes that Dominic is missing and tries to return to the building. Stopped by local firemen at the front door, Phoebe hurries to a side door with her gun drawn.

Seeing her, Eleanor drives her car into Phoebe, knocking her down and, with Phoebe incapacitated, grabs her gun. Inside, Kimble finds Crisp in the boy’s locker room. But the drug dealer holds a pistol to his son’s head and makes Kimble put down his gun. He plans to shoot Kimble and Joyce, but the ferret, who never bites, suddenly goes after Crisp. Dominic manages to escape, and Kimble picks up his gun and shoots Crisp. Though fatally hit, Crisp fires off a last shot that wounds Kimble in the leg.

Eleanor Crisp (Carroll Baker) wants her grandchild back.

Soon after, Eleanor Crisp arrives and shoots Kimble. She follows his blood trail into the shower and fires a couple of shots near him to get him to tell her where her grandson is. When Kimble won’t tell her, she’s about to shoot him when Phoebe knocks her out with a baseball bat.

Kimble and Joyce (Penelope Ann Miller) are reunited upon his return from the hospital.

After a few days in the hospital, Kimble returns to school and Miss Schlowski offers him a permanent teaching job. The kids are overjoyed to see him. Kimble and Joyce embrace and kiss to everyone’s delight.

Made on a budget of $26 million, Kindergarten Cop made about $202 million when it was first released, making it a hit by the standards of the day.

Thirty years later, the film holds up pretty well. There are still a lot of laughs in the film and you do find yourself worrying about Dominic, even if you have seen the film before, like me. This is not to say that the film is perfect. There are a couple of holes that have to exist for the film to work.

We’re told that Kimble has been following Crisp for years, so it seems odd that he wouldn’t have more intel on him, like who is wife is and what she looks like. There are such things as marriage certificates and even without the internet, people still found out what other people looked like. But if Kimble knew what she looked like then the whole plot of the movie has to be thrown out the window.

I’m also a little surprised that Kimble and Phoebe, knowing Crisp was in town, would let Joyce and Dominic return to school the next day. However, if that didn’t happen we wouldn’t have the final shootout at the school. You would expect that they would put her and Dominic in protective custody rather than use them as bait.

While the happy ending and the kiss between Joyce and Kimble promises a future for them together, did she not go visit him in the hospital? Wouldn't this big mushy kiss have happened there?

And there is Kimble’s pet ferret, who is the one that causes Crisp to misfire his gun. A real important plot point in the story and he’s apparently necessary to the film. However, he’s not discovered until Kimble and Phoebe have already flown from Los Angeles to Portland. I know comfort animals were a thing a few years ago but not 30. I’m not sure how a live animal would have gone undetected for that long on a plane.

So, while I think the writing has issues, there are still some pretty funny lines, including this exchange between Kimble and one of the students.

Detective John Kimble: I have a headache.

Lowell: It might be a tumor.

Detective John Kimble: It's not a tumor! It's not a tumor. At all!

That line is made funny by Schwarzenegger’s delivery, making it sound like too-mah, as in “It’s not a too-mah”, a line which was repeated in practically every story about the film’s recent controversy. Schwarzenegger has shown that he is surprisingly adept at playing comedy and his performance here is more nuanced than that in Twins, his breakthrough comedy hit.

The rest of the cast is good, though it wouldn’t be hard to imagine others playing in the supporting roles, including Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, and Carroll Baker. One of the film’s more memorable roles was that of Crisp as played by Richard Tyson; he has evil written all over him from the start.

Richard Tyson's Crisp is evil throughout the film.

So, let’s take a look at Leveen’s complaints about the movie. School to jail pipeline: no children get arrested. If anything, Kimble’s tactics are more in line with the scared straight program. The children receive discipline in the form of rules and behaviors to follow. Is he strict? Sort of, but there is no corporal punishment and in the end the children seem to love him as they learn to work with him while he learns to work with them.

African Americans, Latinx, and other kids of color are criminalized rather than educated: That’s not present in this film. This is mostly a white classroom but there are one or two black children and at least one Latinx depicted. There is no sense that they are treated any differently than the other children in the class and everyone seems to be depicted accepting of everyone else.

Cops traumatizing kids: If someone yelling at them was a new experience then perhaps, yes, the children might be traumatized by Kimble. But there is no indication of that happening. He gets their attention and they go from there. The real traumatization would come from the school burning down, which is not played for comedic effect in the film. And the one who sets the school on fire is the bad guy.

What about the shooting at the school, wouldn’t that traumatize the children? Perhaps if they’d seen it. The gunfight takes place while the children are outside because of the fire. They don’t see it nor do they hear it over the other noises. The only child in the room, and I’m not even sure he’s shown as being there, is Dominic. I believe he escapes out of the boy’s locker room before the shooting takes place. The only kids that might be traumatized are the two older students who are making out during the fire and are surprised by Kimble, who does have his weapon drawn when he bursts into the room they’re in.

And frankly, my dear, if Kindergarten Cop was half the movie Gone with the Wind was, that would be great. Instead, it is a fun film. Now it was and still is for that matter, rated PG-13, which means it wasn’t made for small children. If parents were to take them in to see it, any traumatizing would be on them.

The NW Film Center should be ashamed of itself for capitulating to Leveen’s misplaced complaints. While John Lewis was a great man and a worthy subject, and I’m not complaining about the documentary, I don’t think it evokes the same fun time at the drive-in. Leveen’s complaints are the type that ruined Saturday Mornings by complaining about the cartoons not being educational. Now, drive-ins can’t be fun places to go, either, I guess.

Kindergarten Cop is light fare and would be worth seeing, especially if you were wondering what the fuss was about. You know a good place to see it? A drive-in.

Stubs - Twins (1988)

Twins (1988) Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett, Tony Jay. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Screenplay by William Davies, Timothy Harris, William Osborne, Herschel Weingrod. Produced by Ivan Reitman. Run Time: 107 minutes.  USA. Color. Comedy, Crime

By 1988, Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the world’s top action heroes. The Austrian-born bodybuilder turned actor had his big breakthrough as the title character in Conan the Barbarian (1982). He would go on to a string of films including Conan the Destroyer (1984); The Terminator (1984); Red Sonja (1985); Commando (1985); Raw Deal (1986); The Running Man (1987); Predator (1987); and Red Heat (1988).

Perhaps as unlikely as Schwarzenegger’s stardom might seem, was Danny DeVito, a four-foot ten-inch actor from Neptune Township, New Jersey. Best known for his role as Louie De Palma on the television show Taxi (1978-1983), Devito had also appeared in films, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975); Terms of Endearment (1983); Romancing the Stone (1984); The Jewel of the Nile (1985); Ruthless People (1986); Tin Men (1987) and Throw Momma from the Train (1987) to name a few.

The idea of matching these total opposites was the brainchild of Ivan Reitman, a Slovakian-born director and producer of such films as National Lampoon's Animal House (1978); Meatballs (1979); Stripes (1981) and Ghostbusters (1984).

Twins is the story of mismatched fraternal twins separated at birth. Julius Benedict (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Vincent Benedict (Danny DeVito) were born as part of a secret U.S. government project to develop a perfect child. A single woman, Mary Ann Benedict (Heather Graham) was fertilized by a mix of sperm from six distinguished men, who were either brilliant or athletic. But the experiment went awry and the embryo split in two, resulting in two not so equal boys.

Twins at birth and quickly separated.

One, Julius has been whisked away and raised on a tropical island by Professor Werner where he’s learned science, literature and multiple languages as he assists with the doctor’s research. He also developed muscles to spare.

On his 35^th birthday, Julius is informed by Werner that Vincent exists. Excited that he has a brother, and thinking he is like him, Julius can’t wait and rows himself to the nearest island with an airport for a flight to the U.S.

He goes to the orphanage and quickly learns that his brother is not like him at all. Not only did Vincent start the only fire they’d ever had at the orphanage, but he also was kicked out after having had sex with one of the nuns. Vincent’s file is empty, but the Mother Superior (Frances Bay) tells Julius that Vincent is most likely in jail.

And that’s where Julius finds him. Vincent, a small-time crook, has been arrested for unpaid parking tickets. But Vincent doesn’t believe Julius at first but he lets Julius bail him out and get his car released. But that’s where Vincent leaves Julius.

Julius (Arnold Schwarzenegger) saves his twin brother
 Vincent (Danny DeVito) from a loan shark enforcer.

Julius, though, is undeterred and follows Vincent to his place of business, an office where he runs a shady operation by an aware Secretary (Elizabeth Kaitan). But after she’s gone, Vincent is visited by Morris Klane (David Efron), a loan shark enforcer intent on making Vincent pay for being behind on his loan. Julius arrives just in time to save Vincent’s life and subdues Klane. Now Vincent likes Julius and brings him into his inner circle.

Julius helps his brother by unwittingly helping to steal a car.

He uses Julius, who is quite naïve about the real world, to help him steal a car from a garage at the airport. Vincent has a contact, Al Greco (David Caruso), who lets him know that an expensive late-model Cadillac Sedan de Ville has been left. Vincent needs the money he can get for selling the car to a chop shop to help pay off his loans. Telling Julius that he’s there to pick up a car for a friend that’s going to be auctioned to help children, Vincent innocently breaks in, since the keys weren’t left like they were supposed to be. When the car alarm goes off, Julius lifts the car to the right angle to turn it off and then drives Vincent’s car out, his first time to ever drive a car.

Vincent introduces Julius to his girlfriend Linda (Chloe Webb) and her much hotter sister Marnie (Kelly Preston).

Using car phones, Vincent calls Julius and instructs him to stop at a grocery store. Pulling into the parking lot, Julius manages to get the car up onto two wheels before parking. In the store, Vincent runs into his long-suffering girlfriend Linda Mason (Chloe Webb) and her sister Marnie (Kelly Preston). Marnie dislikes Vincent but is taken by muscle-bound Julius.

Over a microwave dinner at home, Vincent shows Julius a document he stole from the orphanage, showing that their mother was alive when he entered the orphanage, but believing that she abandoned him, Vincent has no interest in finding her.

Julius finds one of their possible fathers, Granger (Hugh O'Brien), at an address he had for their mother.

Later, jogging to the address on the document for their mother, Julius finds instead that one of their six fathers Granger (Hugh O’Brien) lives there. He directs Julius to Professor Mitchell Traven (Nehemiah Persoff) at the White Sands lab where the experiment took place.

Meanwhile, Vincent steals a late-model Cadillac Sedan de Ville from airport parking for his chop shop contact. While driving, he plays a cassette tape that is in the player and learns that he has a prototype fuel injector in the trunk that was to be delivered to an industrialist, Beetroot McKinley (Trey Wilson), in Houston. When Vincent calls pretending to be the deliveryman, trying to sweeten, he finds out that the deal is worth five million dollars. Vincent is headed to Houston.

However, the real deliveryman, a mercenary known as Mr. Webster (Marshall Bell), starts looking for Vincent. Webster doesn’t like anyone to have seen his face, so he offs his original employers and Al at the parking garage. Webster pursues Vincent.

Finding out that Vincent is going to Texas, Julius decides that he will go right by Traven’s lab, so he invites himself along on the trip. Then Linda and Marnie arrive with a belated birthday cake for the twins. Linda insists to go along and Marnie wants to go if Julius is going.

Professor Mitchell Traven (Nehemiah Persoff) initially lies to the boys.

When they get to New Mexico, Traven originally lies to the boys, but when Julius gets mad and knocks down the door, Traven changes his tune. He tells them that their mother is alive and living in an art colony outside of Santa Fe.

Finally, with matching outfits, Vincent and Julius are indistinguishable.

Before they leave town, Vincent gets Julius something better than shorts and a t-shirt to wear. They end up in matching outfits, but they are still easily told apart.

The Klane brothers catch up to them, but it doesn't end well.

En route, they stop at a nightclub. On stage is a band which includes Nicolette Larson as the singer and Jeff Beck on guitar. There the Klane brothers, who are already walking wounded after their own encounter with Webster, try again to collect their money from Vincent. And once again, they don’t account for Julius.

Julius is a changed man after one night with Marnie.

That night, while Linda and Vincent get better acquainted, Marnie seeks refuge in Julius’ motel room. Julius starts out on the floor but Marnie joins him and the 35-year-old virgin is no more.

The brothers come to an art colony looking for their mother.

The next morning, they end up at the art colony, where a painter informs them that their mother had died. She leads them back out of the complex and they leave, not realizing that the painter, was, in fact, their mother, Mary Ann (Bonnie Bartlett), who doesn’t believe their story, believing instead that her child died at birth.

Their mother, Mary Ann (Bonnie Bartlett), doesn't believe their story.

When they stop on the road, Vincent decides that the others would be in danger, so he leaves them at the gas station and drives off to Houston. But, of course, Julius has to take chase, catching the first plane he can. In Houston, Julius co-opts a stereotypical Texan car, with longhorns on the grill. He uses his twin ESP, something they haven’t had until now, to find Vincent.

The original deliveryman, Mr. Webster (Marshall Bell), is waiting in Houston.

Vincent is, meanwhile, on his way to make the delivery to McKinley, who gives him the $5 million for the prototype. But moments later, Webster kills McKinley and demands the money from Vincent. Julius arrives in time to thwart Webster and let Vincent escape, but he returns and agrees to give the money to Webster to save his brother’s life.

Julius saves Vincent who, in turn, returns to save him, but Webster decides to kill them both.

But Webster doesn’t like to let people live who have seen his face and decides to kill them. But Julius outsmarts him and buries Webster under a long and heavy chain, apparently killing him.

Mr. Webster is about to get it good.

Fast forward and Vincent has returned the prototype to the rightful owner as well as the $4 million he was paid. Using that money as well as a reward, the brothers start a consulting firm.

At the art colony, Mary Ann is shown a newspaper story about the twins and then suddenly believes they are her sons. She visits Traven and is violent with him for concealing the truth from her.

Next, she tracks her sons down at their workplace and the family is reunited.

At the end, the family is reunited, the boys are married and both couples have twins.

The film ends with Mary Ann with Professor Werner on an outing with her sons and their wives, the Mason sisters. Both couples have had their own sets of twins.

Released on December 9, 1988, Twins would receive mixed to negative reviews on its way to making $216.6 million at the box-office. The film was enough of a success to warrant a reunion of its main stars in Junior (1994) another comedy directed by Reitman.

Schwarzenegger shows that he’s a more versatile actor, but comedy is really not his calling. Twins is sort of like a Saturday Night Live sketch that gets stretched out to a full-length movie. The initial premise is funny, Schwarzenegger and DeVito as twins, but it is the stretching it out to full-length film where the stretch marks show.

The subplot with the stolen prototype helps make this premise feature-length, but the twin ESP seems like a bit of a stretch. It’s not supposed to be a location finder as it is sometimes used here. And if it was truly as strong as the film makes it out to be, then Julius and Vincent would have realized the other existed before now. I’m not saying twins, especially identical, might not have something like ESP, but it’s not something that can be turned on like a light switch. You either have it or you don’t.

The characters do go through changes, no more so that DeVito’s Vincent who not only discovers the strength of family but eventually thrives in it. His cynical approach to the sudden appearance of Julius seems somewhat genuine, as would most anyone if someone like Schwarzenegger showed up at your doorstep claiming to be your long lost never-knew-you-existed sibling.

This is not to say there are not some funny moments, but there are also several murders by a psychopath which seem like an odd element for what is supposed to be a laugh-out-loud comedy. It can be done, I’m thinking Keanu (2016), but it is still a risk that doesn’t always pay off.

While there are some funny moments in Twins, the film has not aged all that well. There is an 80’s vibe to the film, including a rather forgettable theme song, that scream that this is a film from another time. If you’re a die-hard fan of Schwarzenegger’s or DeVito’s, then you will want to see Twins. Otherwise, this may not be the film for you.

If you like Twins, then you might also like Powers Squared, a comic book about college-age twins who were granted awesome powers when they were young. Written by the writers of Trophy Unlocked and available through our website's store in print and digital.

Stubs – Dave (1993)

Dave (1993) Starring: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Tom Dugan, Charles Grodin. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Produced by Ivan Reitman, Lauren Shuler Donner. Screenplay by Gary Ross.  Run Time: 110 minutes. U.S. Color, Political Comedy

Politics has been the subject of movies for quite some time. While Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) may be one of the most famous, it is far from the only one. And as in Mr. Smith, politicians aren’t shown in a very good light.

Gary Ross may be most famous for his work on the first Hunger Games (2012) film, but he had been working as a writer in Hollywood since Big (1988), starring Tom Hanks and directed by Penny Marshall. It was Ross who had the idea for Dave and presented it to his good friend producer Lauren Shuler Donner in 1988. She tried to place the film at Columbia Pictures, but they turned it down. Warner Bros. bought it, but it sat on the shelf until Shuler could get out of her contract and Ivan Reitman, the director of the film, was available.

Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) supplements his income from running a temporary employment agency in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. by impersonating the current President, Bill Jefferson Mitchell (Kevin Kline), for whom he is a dead ringer. One day after placing his umpteenth employee at his friend’s Murray Blum’s (Charles Grodin) accounting agency, Dave goes home.

Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs a temp agency and supplements his income impersonating the Preisdent.

Waiting for him are two Secret Service Agents; one, Duane Stevensen (Ving Rhames), informs Dave that his country needs him as a decoy for the President after an appearance at a downtown hotel that night. Dave assumes that it is a matter of national security and agrees. In reality, it’s a rouse to cover up an extramarital affair Mitchell is having with one of his White House secretaries, Randi (Laura Linney).

It is during his tryst that things go wrong. Mitchell suffers a severe and debilitating stroke, which leaves him alive, but in a vegetative state. Now, of course, this is when the Vice President would step in to run the country. But White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) and Communications Director Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn) have other ideas. Not wanting the honest VP to ruin their good thing, they convince Dave that VP Gary Nance (Ben Kingsley) is mentally incompetent and he would be helping the country until Mitchell can recover.

Dave, who admires Mitchell, is a novice when it comes to politics and doesn’t realize that Mitchell and his wife, 

First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), essentially lead separate lives.

Not wanting to change their politics, Communications Director Alan Reed
(Kevin Dunn) and Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) convince Dave
to pretend to be President, for the good of the country,after a stroke debilitates him.

With Dave on board and with some coaching from Alexander and Reed, the nation is notified that Mitchell had suffered a “minor circulatory problem of the head” and should make a full recovery. Once Dave, as Mitchell, is given a clean bill of health and returns to public display, Nance is sent on a 12-nation goodwill tour of Africa. Alexander and Reed use his absence to set him up as a participant in a Savings and Loan fraud, which Mitchell had actually been involved with.

Alexander plans to force Nance to resign his office, have the fake Mitchell appoint him as Vice President and then assume office when Mitchell publicly suffers a more serious stroke.

Ironically, Dave's enthusiasm for public service revives Mitchell's poll numbers. We see commentary about the new Mitchell from political round tables, like the McLaughlin Report, CNN’s Crossfire and even Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue. To capitalize on his newfound popularity, Reed arranges for him to spend the day with the First Lady when she goes to visit a homeless shelter for children. Dave is touched by their plight and actually, to the First Lady’s and the media’s notice, connects with a little boy at the shelter.

A fully recovered Mitchell jokes around with the real Arnold
 Schwarzenegger, at the time a harmless spokesperson for fitness.

But just when Ellen is starting to feel differently about her husband, Alexander, forging the President’s signature, vetoes the spending bill that included the $650 million of funding for that and like homeless shelters to run. Outraged, Ellen confronts Dave while he’s in the shower about the veto.

Not sure what to do, Dave has Duane call back Alexander and Reed to the White House. Mad about being disturbed by the stand-in, Alexander does tell him that if he can find $650 million in the budget to cut he can have his shelters. And Dave goes about doing just that. Calling in Marvin to help him go over the Federal Budget, Dave uses the next press-covered cabinet meeting to find ways of freeing up the money, much to the anger of Alexander.

Dave calls in his best friend and accountant Murray
 Blum (Charles Grodin) to help him trim the budget.

Ellen, however, suspects that Dave is not her husband and tricks him into revealing himself. She wants to see her husband and Duane takes them down to a secret room under the White House where Mitchell is being cared for by doctors and nurses that Alexander and Reed have paid off.

That night, both Ellen and Dave decide it’s time to leave the White House. Duane arranges for them to have a car, but their getaway is short-lived. Dave makes an illegal left turn and is pulled over by Washington D.C. police. Dave does some fast thinking and convinces the officer (Charles Hallahan) that they are both impersonators returning from a party. Ellen even pretends to be an imposter for herself and the officer believes them, though he pulls Dave aside and tells him that Ellen needs work.

Deciding there is still good work that they can do, Dave and Ellen return to the White House. Dave fires Alexander and then goes to a press conference to announce a jobs bill for every American who wants to work. Meanwhile, Nance returns from Africa and confronts Dave about his administrations smear campaign against him. Dave promises to take care of things.

Dave confides in Ellen about wanting to turn things over to Nance and she goes along, even though she’s fallen in love with Dave and doesn’t want to lose him. Alexander, meanwhile, goes to the press and reveals Mitchell’s involvement in the Savings and Loan fraud he’d earlier implicated Nance in.

Speaking before a joint session of Congress to address the allegations, Dave acknowledges wrong-doing and even brings a bulging briefcase of evidence that implicates himself and Alexander in the fraud. But he also publicly apologizes to Nance, just before falling to the floor, the victim of yet another stroke.

In a speech before a Joint Session of Congress, Dave exonerates the Vice President Nance (Ben
Kingsley) and puts the blame on himself and Alexander, before dropping dead from another stroke.

On the way to the hospital, Dave switches places with President Mitchell, whose body is wheeled into the emergency room. Dave makes his escape, dressed like a paramedic from the Washington D.C. Fire Department.

Fast forward to several months in the future; Nance has become Acting President and when Mitchell finally succumbs to his stroke, President of the U.S. Meanwhile, Alexander and others in the Mitchell administration are indicted for their involvement with the S&L fraud; and Mitchell’s jobs bill, which Nance has supported, becomes law.

Back at his temp agency, Kovic has decided to get politically involved and is running for city council on a shoe-string budget, with Murray as his campaign manager. One day, Ellen appears at the office to volunteer. Dave takes her back to his office, where they kiss. Realizing that everyone is watching them, Dave turns the blinds. For extra security, Duane, now wearing a Kovic campaign button, steps forward to guard the door.

Once you get past the coup d’état plot twist and our right as Americans to expect our elected officials to be real is violated, the movie is really rather funny. I mean, who but the most naïve would expect their accountant friend to be able to make heads or tails out of the federal budget? And what’s more, make headway.

Kevin Kline is a very versatile actor, proving here he can play two roles, though honestly his time as the real President Mitchell is very brief. But Kline is a man who can play comedy, winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda (1988); drama, Sophie’s Choice (1982); and musicals, The Pirates of Penzance (1983), based on the musical he also starred in on Broadway.

Prior to Dave, Kline had also appeared in The Big Chill (1983), and Grand Canyon (1991) both written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, as well as the biopic Chaplin (1992), in which he appeared as Douglas Fairbanks.

While he has done voice work for a series of animated films, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Road to El Dorado (2000), The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002), and the more recent The Tale of Despereaux (2008), his live action films since have been somewhat hit or miss. Wild Wild West (1999) which co-starred him with Will Smith, was a big budget film that underperformed at the box-office. De-Lovely (2004), a biopic in which Kline plays Cole Porter received mixed reviews and did not, despite its low budget, make much money. On the other hand, he received second billing to Steve Martin in The Pink Panther (2006), which was successful enough to spawn a sequel. Kline can currently be heard doing voice work on Fox’s animated series Bob’s Burgers.

Sigourney Weaver, who usually gives a solid performance, is good as Ellen Mitchell. You get a real sense that she’s been through a lot of grief in her marriage, what with his affairs, that she’s not really that upset to see him lying as a virtual vegetable after his stroke. The fact that she could fall in love with his doppelganger is a little strange, but if you believe you fall in love with the same type of person, then it’s quite plausible.

Frank Langella, who made a big splash as the title character in Dracula (1979), plays the power-mad White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander, perhaps a foreshadowing of his Academy nominated depiction of Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon (2008). While Mitchell is tangentially shown to be a Republican, Alexander is more obviously depicted as one, especially by the association shown with Nixon’s and Ford’s speechwriter Ben Stein played by himself.

Still bad, but less evil is Kevin Dunn as White House Communications Director Alan Reed. The Republican with a decent heart, who helps Dave right the wrongs Mitchell’s administration had created. Dunn has appeared in a variety of roles on both television and film, bouncing between dramas like Mississippi Burning (1988), Nixon (1995), All the King’s Men (2006), Lions for Lambs (2007) and True Detective (2014); and comedies Ghostbusters II (1989), Hot Shots! (1991), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Veep (2013).

Ving Rhames, in the year before he played Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994), shows his comedic side here as a Secret Service Agent, a small, but important role. Ben Kingsley plays an even smaller role as Vice President Gary Nance. Quite a come down from Gandhi (1982) and Betrayal (1983), but Kingsley is one of those actors that uses his considerable talents in roles both big and small.

There are a couple of notable actresses who have small roles in the film. Laura Linney appears in only her second film as Randi, President Mitchell’s lover, and Bonnie Hunt appears as a White House Tour Guide in only her third film appearance. Both would go on to bigger and better roles, but still have a screen presence in this one.

One of the interesting aspects of the film is seeing the political pundits playing themselves, including John McLaughlin, Eleanor Clift, Chris Matthews, Freddy "the Beadle" Barnes, Larry King, Nina Totenberg, Sander Vanocur and Michael Kinsley. Their presence lends a certain realism to the proceedings without distracting from the humor of Dave. In fact, seeing them debate the changes in President Mitchell is part of the joke, so to speak.

Let yourself believe the premise and you’re in for a fun time. While politics is at the basis of the movie, there is not so much of it that you really have to understand too much to enjoy Dave. Funny with just enough romance sprinkled in; this is a movie I would definitely recommend.

Stubs – Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters (1984) Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Screenplay by Dan Ayroyd, Harold Ramis. Produced by Ivan Reirman.  Run Time: 107 minutes. U.S.  Color. Comedy, Science Fiction

Like many films released in Hollywood, the film that we see in the theaters is not the film as originally envisioned. Ghostbusters is no exception. Originally conceived as a movie vehicle for Dan Aykroyd and his then comedy partner, John Belushi, the film was originally called Ghostmashers and saw the two funnymen travel through space and time to fight ghosts.

Ivan Reitman convinced Aykroyd that the concept was impractical and too expensive. So Aykroyd teamed with Harold Ramis and the film was re-written with roles for Belushi, John Candy and Eddie Murphy. But Belushi died in 1982 and the other two would not commit to the movie. While perhaps not as earthshaking for filmdom, as say, George Raft playing Rick in Casablanca, the film would definitely have been quite different than what we have now, which for many is considered a comedy classic.

A paranormal disturbance at the main branch of the New York Public Library summons three Columbia University-based parapsychologists to investigate. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), who would rather use science to put the moves on a comely co-ed and ESP test subject (Jennifer Runyon), is pulled away by Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd). Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) is already at the library and doing tests, getting positive results.

Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) experiments with the effects of negative
 reinforcement and ESP on unsuspecting Columbia students.

Venkman is skeptical yet interested, and the three come across the ghost: a full torso apparition of a dead librarian (Ruth Oliver). They are, needless to say, actually unprepared for the encounter. Venkman’s attempt to communicate with the ghost is rebuffed. Stantz comes up with the idea to “get her”, but the mild mannered ghost transforms into a horrifying monster that chases the men away.

"Get her!" That was your whole plan, huh, "get her."

Things don’t get better for the trio. Arriving back at Columbia, they are notified that they’ve lost funding and are no longer welcome on campus. But Venkman sees it as an opportunity and, using money from Stantz, the three establish a paranormal extermination service they call "Ghostbusters", convinced there are other and possibly more harmful entities in the city. They hire Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) as their receptionist, though business is very slow:

Dr. Peter Venkman: Janine, any calls?

Janine Melnitz: No.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Any messages?

Janine Melnitz: No.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Any customers?

Janine Melnitz: No, Dr. Venkman.

Dr. Peter Venkman: It's a good job, huh?

[she smiles]

Dr. Peter Venkman: Type something, will you? We're paying for this stuff! And don't stare at me, you got the bug-eyes.

[pause]

Dr. Peter Venkman: Janine, sorry about the bug-eyes thing. I'll be in my office.

Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) plays the receptionist at Ghostbusters.

Based on previous research, Egon develops high-tech equipment for them to use, including proton packs, which they compare to wearing unlicensed nuclear accelerators on their backs, and traps capable of capturing the undead. They don’t get an opportunity to test them prior to being hired by the Sedgewick Hotel to investigate a haunting.

Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Dr. Venkman
arrive with untested proton packs and ghost traps to capture a ghost.

The on-the-job training goes a little rough as they set fires and blow holes in walls with the energy stream the packs put out. And Egon gives them last minute advice not to cross the unwieldy streams:

Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?

Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.       

Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?

Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

After Venkman gets slimed by the apparition, they do manage to capture their first ghost and deposit it in a "containment unit" back at the reconditioned firehouse they use as their headquarters.

Dr. Venkman gets slimed.

As paranormal activity begins to increase in the city, the Ghostbusters become celebrities, but with fame comes more business. In an effort to get some relief from their ever hectic schedules, they hire a fourth member, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), to help them cope. Unlike the others, Winston is an average Joe looking for a job:

Janine Melnitz: Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?
Winston Zeddemore: Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.

Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) being shown the ropes
by Stantz on his first day as a ghostbuster.

Meanwhile, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a cellist with a never mentioned orchestra, comes home. She is immediately confronted by her lovesick neighbor, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), who seems to be waiting for her to walk by his apartment door. Dana manages to appease him and escape into her apartment, but while she’s putting away her groceries, things start to go weird. Her eggs start to explode and cook themselves on her counter top. Then they go from bad to worse as she discovers her refrigerator is a gateway. Her apartment is haunted by a demonic spirit, Zuul, a demigod worshipped as a servant to Gozer the Gozerian, a Sumerian shape-shifting god of destruction.

Anytime she's in the hallway, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) is confronted
by her neighbor, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis).

She turns to the Ghostbusters for help and Venkman takes a particular interest in her. Venkman tries to turn the investigation into a date, which Dana reluctantly agrees to. 

The Ghostbusters' TV ad catches Dana's notice.

But before their date, paranormal activity in the building increases and Dana is possessed by Zuul (voiced by Ivan Reitman), which declares itself the "Gatekeeper". Meanwhile, across the hall during a party for clients, Louis is possessed  by a similar demon called Vinz Clortho, the "Keymaster".

Venkman arrives for his date with Dana only to find she’s now been replaced in spirit by Zuul.:

Dana Barrett: [possessed by Zuul] Do you want this body?

Dr. Peter Venkman: Is this a trick question?

…

Dana Barrett: [possessed by Zuul] I want you inside me.

Dr. Peter Venkman: It sounds like you've got at least two or three people in there already.

At the same time, the police capture Clortho and with no where else to turn, take him to the Ghostbusters to examine him. When Venkman talks with Egon, they realize that they have to keep the two apart.

But plans got awry, when Walter Peck (William Atherton), a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visits the Ghostbusters’ office. Concerned about unlicensed nuclear devices and hazardous unknown containments, he asks to see their containment chamber. 

Court order in hand, Walter Peck (William Atherton) demands Egon turn off
 the containment unit. Louis Tully, already possessed by Vinz Clortho looks on.

When Venkman refuses, he comes back with a court order. Despite their warnings about what will happen, Peck orders the power be cut off to containment. The team is arrested and Clortho is freed from their protective custody. Instinctively, he hurries towards Zuul’s apartment, while the now freed ghosts wreak havoc on New York City. A consummation of gatekeeper and keymaster opens the portal for Gozer to arrive.

Gatekeeper and Keymaster have made contact, paving the way for Gozer to arrive.

In jail, the four consult blueprints of Dana's apartment building and learn that a mad scientist named Ivo Shandor, had designed the building as a gateway to summon Gozer and bring about the end of the world. Shandor claimed humanity was too sick to survive after the horrors of World War I.

Seeing no other option, the Mayor of New York (David Marguiles) releases the Ghostbusters over Peck’s objections and sent to put an end to the paranormal activity. Arriving with a police escort, the Ghostbusters are too late to prevent the arrival of Gozer (Slavitza Jovan, voiced by Paddi Edwards), a shape-shifter who initially appears as a woman.

Gozer, the Gozerian (Slavitza Joven) appears as a woman to the Ghostbusters.

While the team briefly subdues Gozer, who disappears, her voice echoes that the "destructor" will follow, taking a form as chosen by the team. Venkman, knowing that whatever they think of will appear, tries to get the others to clear their minds of all thoughts. But Zuul informs them that the form has been decided. Turns out Stantz can’t and instead “I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never ever possibly destroy us…” The destructor arrives in the form of a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, which begins storming the city and climbing up the outside of the apartment house.

Stay Puft the Destructor is created by the memories of Ray Stantz.

With no other option, Egon comes up with a new plan:

Dr. Egon Spengler: I have a radical idea. The door swings both ways, we could reverse the polarity flow through the gate.

Dr. Peter Venkman: How?

Dr. Egon Spengler: [hesitates] We'll cross the streams.

Dr. Peter Venkman: 'Scuse me Egon? You said crossing the streams was bad!

Dr Ray Stantz: Cross the streams...

Dr. Peter Venkman: You're gonna endanger us, you're gonna endanger our client - the nice lady, "who paid us in advance", before she became a dog...

Dr. Egon Spengler: Not necessarily. There's definitely a "very slim" chance we'll survive.

[pause while they consider this]

Dr. Peter Venkman: [slaps Ray] I love this plan! I'm excited it could work! LET'S DO IT!

The four combine the energy streams from their proton packs and fire at Gozer’s portal. The result is an explosion which sends Gozer back into its dimension and closes the gateway between worlds. Remnants of the Marshmallow Man rain down on the city, trapping Peck under a particularly large pile of the sugary concoction.

Marshmallow is no match for the energy streams from the Proton packs.

Dana and Louis are freed from the remains of their possessors and the Ghostbusters are applauded for saving New York City and the world.

The film, budgeted at $30 million, at the time considered a lot of money for a comedy, earned $291 million worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film of the year. Enough to spawn the required sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989), two animated  TV series, The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991) and Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), several video games (Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2006, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime and Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast) and several comic books, including one-shots and mini-series.

A Ghostbusters III has been in the works, probably since Ghostbusters II. (Hollywood really loves a trilogy.) While the planned film would pass on the Ghostbusters work from Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis and Hudson to four new actors (tbd), those plans were put back in limbo with the death of Harold Ramis in February 2014.

Ghostbusters was one of the first, and probably best, of sci-fi special-effects laden comedies which include the Men in Black and Back to the Future trilogies, the Honey, I Shrunk the … series, Ghostbusters II, Spaceballs (1987) and Galaxy Quest (1999). In this film, the special effects don’t overwhelm the dialogue and the script is very smartly written and delivered by the cast, which includes some of the best talent to come from the Second City – Saturday Night Live axis of comedy: Bill Murray. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, though the latter was more a behind the camera person at SCTV. Ghostbusters is only Ramis’ second appearance in a movie, having appeared in and co-written Stripes (1981).

For Ernie Hudson, Winston Zeddemore might be his best known role. He still acts, but mostly on TV, recently voicing Agent William “Bill” Fowler on the HUB’s Transformers: Prime animated series.

Sigourney Weaver, who’s first appearance on film was as Alvy Singer’s date at the end of Annie Hall (1977), was two years later a major star thanks to the part of Ripley in Alien (1979). She would go on to reprise that role in Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997). She has also appeared in such films as The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Working Girl (1988), Dave (1993), Galaxy Quest, Holes (2003) and Avatar (2009) to name a few.

Rick Moranis, another SCTV veteran, who had previously appeared in The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983), would make a career of special effect comedies appeared in such films as Spaceballs, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Honey, I Blew Up the Kids (1992), Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! (1994) and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997). Moranis would also appear with better results in Parenthood (1989) and My Blue Heaven (1990), both films starring Steve Martin. Moranis would give up acting in 1997 to concentrate on being a single-parent after the death of his wife, Ann, in 1991. He has occasionally done some voice-over work since.

Ghostbusters would generate two Academy Awards, Best Visual Effects and ironically, Best Original Song for the title track, written and performed by Ray Parker Jr. The irony is that Parker was sued for plagiarism by Huey Lewis in 1984. Lewis claimed Parker stole the melody line for his song, “I Want a New Drug” written in 1983. The story goes, Lewis was originally approached about writing a theme song for the movie, something along the lines of “I Want a New Drug”, but he declined as he was working on Back to the Future (1985). So producers hired Parker and got that new version of “I Want a New Drug. The suit was settled out of court.

Despite the problem with the title song, Ghostbusters is a really solid film. It is one of those film experiences that when you think about it will still make you laugh.