the wasted Ernie Hudson, the movie’s one major flaw) and uses practical, realistic effects, such as the stacks of books that reach the ceiling of the library, when anything else would’ve been less effective. Of course, we do have flashy special-effects for the anarchic ghosts that could not have been created any other way, such as the Slime monster who consumes copious amounts of food, or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, one of the more amazingly funny and far too memorably spooky gags in the entire film.
But at the heart of “Ghostbusters” are the human characters that we root for and sympathize with. Bill Murray shows a sweetness and sincerity that is a cut above his smart-aleck roles in “Stripes” or “Meatballs” -- it is the genial romance he develops with Dana Barrett (a very appealing Sigourney Weaver) who is the Ghostbusters’ first customer that adds heart to the film. Ditto Harold Ramis and his brief flirtation with the Ghostbusters’ secretary (Annie Potts). Dan Aykroyd has never been as sharply animated as he is here, and is far more lively and human than most of his crude, cartoonish caricatures in other, lesser films. Also unforgettable is William Atherton as an EPA spokesman who senses an environmental disaster waiting to happen in the Ghostbusters’ headquarters, and David Margulies as Mayor Lenny who will have saved the lives of “millions of registered voters.” “Ghostbusters” has a goofy sensibility that would be difficult to duplicate today -- it is still fresh, consistently hilarious, endlessly quotable and perfectly cast. It also wears its heart on its sleeve.
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