Paul Feig said the all-female Ghostbusters reboot was his idea and later that the film was never meant to be political even as it became a culture-war flashpoint 1
The critical side argues the remake was sold as a gender-flip gimmick that subordinated the property to messaging 2. The defending side argues four funny women as Ghostbusters is an entertainment premise, not a manifesto, and Feig denied political intent 1. Feig said it was his idea to do it all-female and to make an origin story with the funniest women he knows 1. Feig later wrote that the film never was meant to be political but ridiculously became just that 3. WhatSphere records four gender swaps of the original Ghostbusters roles male to female 2. WhatSphere rates faithfulness 48 of 100 and advocacy 67 of 100, advocacy-driven 4. Whether a gender-flipped reboot is inherently political is a values question 3.
- 1Creator statementFeig: all-female reboot was his idea for an origin story.Hollywood Reporter PGA 2016 source ↗
- 2Gender change vs sourceFour original Ghostbusters roles gender-swapped male→female.WhatSphere title_cast gender-swap records
- 3Creator statementFeig: never meant to be political but became so.Hollywood Reporter guest column Dec 2016 source ↗
- 4Content balanceAdvocacy 67 advocacy-driven; faithfulness 48.WhatSphere score_version 1
WhatSphere presents the sourced record; it does not cast the judgement. Every statement above is drawn from a stored, sourced row — shown beside it — and nothing is asserted beyond what those receipts support.
Synopsis
Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.
Age: 20 — strongly youth-oriented
Quadrant Scores
Audience Representation
Where to Watch (US)
Source Material
| Title | Author | Type | Year | Purchase link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghostbusters (1984) | Ivan Reitman / Dan Aykroyd / Harold Ramis | remake | 1984 |
What did the audience think? Rate Ghostbusters — every voice counts equally, no account needed. Clean reviews appear instantly.
What Changed from the Source
The production decisions behind this adaptation, as recorded — original versus on screen.
Source faithfulness: 48/100
- Erin Gilbert · Kristen Wiigmalegender-swappednone
- Abby Yates · Melissa McCarthymalegender-swappednone
- Jillian Holtzmann · Kate McKinnonmalegender-swappednone
- Patty Tolan · Leslie Jonesmalegender-swappednone
Put its audience profile side by side with any other title.
Advocacy Over Time in Action
The average advocacy score of Action titles by release year, with this title marked. Higher is more advocacy-driven.
| Year | Average advocacy | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 0 | 2 |
| 1965 | 4 | 3 |
| 1966 | 0 | 4 |
| 1968 | 2 | 2 |
| 1970 | 0 | 2 |
| 1971 | 0 | 4 |
| 1972 | 0 | 2 |
| 1973 | 1 | 9 |
| 1975 | 0 | 3 |
| 1977 | 2 | 2 |
| 1979 | 0 | 3 |
| 1980 | 3 | 5 |
| 1981 | 0 | 3 |
| 1982 | 0 | 5 |
| 1983 | 0 | 7 |
| 1984 | 2 | 11 |
| 1985 | 0 | 7 |
| 1986 | 2 | 10 |
| 1987 | 1 | 14 |
| 1988 | 0 | 4 |
| 1989 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990 | 0 | 5 |
| 1991 | 0 | 9 |
| 1992 | 1 | 8 |
| 1993 | 0 | 11 |
| 1994 | 2 | 14 |
| 1995 | 1 | 11 |
| 1996 | 0 | 9 |
| 1997 | 2 | 13 |
| 1998 | 0 | 10 |
| 1999 | 1 | 13 |
| 2000 | 1 | 11 |
| 2001 | 1 | 20 |
| 2002 | 1 | 17 |
| 2003 | 2 | 14 |
| 2004 | 2 | 19 |
| 2005 | 3 | 18 |
| 2006 | 1 | 23 |
| 2007 | 1 | 18 |
| 2008 | 2 | 22 |
| 2009 | 2 | 9 |
| 2010 | 3 | 8 |
| 2011 | 3 | 12 |
| 2012 | 5 | 10 |
| 2013 | 4 | 16 |
| 2014 | 6 | 9 |
| 2015 | 7 | 16 |
| 2016 | 15 | 9 |
| 2017 | 9 | 17 |
| 2018 | 9 | 20 |
| 2019 | 11 | 18 |
| 2020 | 10 | 13 |
| 2021 | 10 | 25 |
| 2022 | 15 | 32 |
| 2023 | 12 | 25 |
| 2024 | 8 | 31 |
| 2025 | 4 | 35 |
| 2026 | 8 | 16 |
| This title (2016) | 67 | 1 |
● This title (2016): advocacy 67 · explore Action →
Cast & Crew
Paul Feig (director) · Beat Frutiger (director)