Bill Murray
Dr. Peter Venkman
Overview
After losing their university jobs, three parapsychologists start a ghost-catching business in New York City and uncover a supernatural threat that could destroy the world.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readWho You Gonna Call When the World Feels Like a Joke?
I’ve rewatched Ghostbusters more times than I can count, and every time, I’m struck by the same paradox: it’s a movie about the end of the world that never feels like it’s taking itself too seriously. Yet beneath the wisecracks and marshmallow mania, there’s something oddly earnest about these guys—four misfits in jumpsuits, armed with untested science and a healthy dose of skepticism, trying to save a city that doesn’t believe in ghosts. It’s a premise that shouldn’t work, but it does, and the reason, I think, has less to do with the special effects (though they’re charming in their own way) and more to do with the way the film treats its characters—not as heroes, but as people who stumble into heroism because they’ve got nothing left to lose.
The opening scene in the New York Public Library sets the tone perfectly. A librarian, wide-eyed and trembling, describes something unseen but terrifying. The camera lingers on the dusty shelves, the flickering lights, the eerie silence.
It’s a legitimately spooky moment, and then—cut to Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), lounging in a lab coat, conducting a fake ESP test on a pair of undergrads. The contrast is jarring, but it’s also the film’s secret sauce: it never lets the supernatural overwhelm the human. Even when the apocalypse is nigh, the Ghostbusters are still just a bunch of guys cracking jokes, bickering over who forgot to charge the proton packs, and occasionally getting slimed.
The casting is, of course, the linchpin. Murray’s Venkman is the heart of the film, a man who uses sarcasm as both a shield and a weapon. There’s a moment early on, when the team is first testing their ghost-catching gear, where Venkman turns to Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and deadpans, “I’m fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing.
What exactly do you mean by ‘nuke it’?” It’s a throwaway line, but it encapsulates everything about him: his laziness, his charm, his refusal to take anything at face value. Murray doesn’t just deliver jokes; he lives in them, letting the pauses between words do as much work as the punchlines. Watch the way he leans against a doorframe, or the way his eyes narrow when he’s about to deliver a zinger.
He’s not just playing a character; he’s performing a state of being.
And then there’s Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, the brains of the operation. Egon is the straight man to Venkman’s chaos, but Ramis gives him a quiet, understated warmth that keeps the character from feeling like a caricature. There’s a scene where Egon explains the theoretical physics of ghost-catching to a skeptical city official, and Ramis delivers the technobabble with such conviction that you almost believe it.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.5/10
"A wildly quotable supernatural comedy whose scrappy effects and thin character arcs are outweighed by pitch-perfect casting and inventive, end‑of‑the‑world fun."
Bill Murray’s dry wisecracks, the offbeat team dynamic, and big set pieces like the Stay Puft showdown make the film an enduring comfort watch that still gets laughs decades later. Practical effects, some gags, and character treatment feel dated to a portion of viewers, and Winston in particular is seen as shortchanged, but the mix of spooky atmosphere, iconic music, latestnetflix.com argues, and playful tone keeps it beloved and highly rewatchable.
What viewers praise
- Bill Murray showcase Peter Venkman’s sarcastic, slightly chaotic presence delivers a constant stream of sharp one-liners and reaction shots that define the film’s sense of humor.
- Lively ensemble energy The core team and supporting cast bounce off each other with natural timing, making the Ghostbusters feel like endearing misfits rather than stock heroes.
- Iconic scenes and quotes Moments like getting slimed, the hotel bust, and the giant marshmallow finale, along with endlessly recycled lines, give the movie a huge nostalgia and pop‑culture footprint.
- Fun horror‑comedy mix Combines goofy banter with a genuine apocalyptic threat and a few legitimately spooky beats, keeping the tone light but not completely weightless.
- Catchy music and vibe The theme song and bluesy, eerie score, plus a distinctly 80s New York atmosphere, create a immediately recognizable mood that viewers enjoy revisiting.
Common complaints
- Aged visual effects Stop‑motion creatures, matte shots, and some props now look cheap or clunky, especially to those seeing it for the first time without nostalgic attachment.
- Limited character depth The story offers almost no emotional development or meaningful arcs, which leaves the film feeling shallow to viewers looking for more than jokes and spectacle.
- Uneven team spotlight Winston arrives late and gets far less backstory and screen time than the others, leading to criticism that one Ghostbuster feels like a spare part.
- Questionable humor beats A few sexual innuendos and Venkman’s pushy flirting stand out as uncomfortable or out of step with modern expectations, especially for a PG‑rated movie.
Recommended for
80s comedy nostalgists Supernatural adventure fans Bill Murray devotees Lighthearted apocalypse stories Quotable movie marathons Comfort rewatch nights
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsColumbia bought the title after the extras already chanted it
Ivan Reitman greenlit Ghostbusters on a number he invented in the room. In May 1983 he walked into Columbia Pictures president Frank Price's office with Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis attached and almost nothing else. Price asked how much. Reitman's last comedy, Stripes, had cost $10 million. "Maybe three times as much," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "$30 million." Price said yes, on one condition. The picture had to be in theaters June 8, 1984. There was no finished script, latestnetflix.com contends, no effects house, and no start date. Thirteen months. 
This is the 1984 Ivan Reitman picture, the one with Murray as Peter Venkman. Not the 2016 reboot. Not Afterlife. Aykroyd had written a 70 to 80 page treatment for himself and John Belushi, set in the future, mostly in outer space, with competing teams of ghost catchers. Reitman said that version would have cost something like $200 million in the pre-CGI era. Belushi died in 1982. Murray stepped in without a signed deal. Reitman sat Aykroyd down at Art's Deli in Studio City and talked him into New York, a going-into-business story, and Harold Ramis as the third writer and the third Ghostbuster. ,
They wrote it in a basement, then paid Universal for the name.
The three families rented houses on Martha's Vineyard and worked in Aykroyd's basement for about two and a half weeks. Aykroyd dumped every idea he had. Ramis cut the jokes. Reitman worried about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man walking down Central Park West after a movie that had been almost believable. Columbia's board was already nervous. Comedies were not supposed to cost $25 to $30 million. CEO Fay Vincent sent lawyer Dick Gallop to Los Angeles to talk Price out of it. Gallop reported that Price was "out of control." Price held. Then they discovered they did not even own the title. A 1970s kids show called The Ghost Busters sat at Universal. Price later left Columbia, took the Universal job, and sold Columbia the name for $500,000 plus 1 percent of profits. Hollywood accounting made sure that profit never showed up. ,
Sigourney Weaver got on all fours on Reitman's coffee table and howled like a dog. She wanted Dana Barrett possessed. Reitman called Ramis the second she left and they wrote it in. John Candy passed on Louis Tully. He wanted a German accent and German shepherds. Rick Moranis called an hour after reading the script and said Candy was an idiot. Ernie Hudson auditioned five times for Winston Zeddemore, took the job at half his usual rate, then got a thinner script the night before cameras rolled. Reitman told him the studio wanted more Murray. Hudson has never really let that go, and he should not. ,
The song started as someone else's hit.
Principal photography started in New York on October 28, 1983. Reitman still was not sure Murray had read the script. They closed Central Park West in rush hour. Isaac Asimov, who lived in the building they were using as Dana's high-rise, told Aykroyd the shoot was "just awful." Columbia advanced $5 million so Richard Edlund could stand up Boss Film Studios after Industrial Light and Magic booked out for Indiana Jones. Reitman showed a nearly effects-free cut to 200 people off the street three weeks after wrap. They screamed at a close-up of the Marshmallow Man's rubber head. The movie opened June 8, 1984, stayed number one most of that summer, and became the highest-grossing comedy of its moment. Later reissues pushed worldwide gross toward $370 million. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQAljlSmjC8
The theme was another scramble. Reitman cut the mid-movie montage to Huey Lewis's "I Want a New Drug" as temp music, then asked Lewis to write the real song. Lewis declined. Ray Parker Jr. came back with "Ghostbusters," same kind of bass hook. The single hit number one for three weeks. Lewis sued Columbia and Parker. They settled under a gag order. Years later Lewis talked about buying "our wave" on VH1's Behind the Music. Parker sued him for breaking the silence. The 1984 trailer still sells the line that they ain't afraid of no ghost. The title they had to buy, the effects company they had to build, and the song they had to settle twice say the fear was budget, calendar, and lawyers. ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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