Harold Ramis

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

[7] Chevy Chase stars as a husband and father determined to take his family on the vacation of their dreams, cross-country to an amusement park called Walley World. But the trip is fraught with wrong turns, wildlife, hillbilly relatives, and perhaps more than anything else, Chase’s stubborn unwillingness to accept defeat. Vacation is a great star vehicle for Chase’s brand of oblivious humor. Writer John …

Meatballs (1979)

[5] This dopey but harmless summer camp movie helped lead the charge of ’80s teen comedies that would follow in its wake. It’s tame by comparison, but noteworthy for being the first pairing of director Ivan Reitman and actor Bill Murray, who would later bring us Stripes and Ghostbusters. Fellow frequent collaborator Harold Ramis is even one of the screenwriters here. But there’s not a …

As Good as It Gets (1997)

[8] A curmudgeonly obsessive-compulsive (Jack Nicholson) falls for a charming waitress (Helen Hunt) and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) in As Good as It Gets, another comedy/drama hybrid from the sometimes brilliant mind of James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News). In lesser hands, this one could have turned out a tonal mess, but Brooks and the cast …

Ghostbusters II (1989)

[5] The gang is back for another outing, five years after the enormous success of the first Ghostbusters. But its a mediocre follow-up at best. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and director Ivan Reitman are all back, joined by Peter MacNicol as a museum manager who gets possessed by the spirit of an ancient painting. The …

Ghostbusters (1984)

[9] When New York City becomes increasingly afflicted with ghost-sightings and demonic possessions, it’s up to a rag-tag team of self-proclaimed ‘Ghostbusters’ to save the world from the imminent arrival of a destructive, ancient god. Ghostbusters succeeds as both a comedy and a horror fantasy, thanks largely to Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis’ jaunty writing and Ivan Reitman’s sure-handed direction. Bill Murray steals the show …