
Ghost Team
2016, PG-13, 83 min. Directed by Oliver Irving. Starring Jon Heder, David Krumholtz, Justin Long, Amy Sedaris, Melonie Diaz, Paul W. Downs, Tom Schiller.
REVIEWED By Josh Kupecki, Fri., Sept. 9, 2016
A group of misfits band together to investigate mysterious goings-on at an old farmhouse in the utterly unfunny Ghost Team. Louis (Heder) and his sad-sack friend Stan (Krumholtz) are trying to escape their humdrum lifestyles (Louis from his dead-end job at a copy store, Stan from the depression caused by his fiancée’s departure). The two find kindred spirits in Zak (Downs), Ross (Long), Victoria (Sedaris), and Ellie (Diaz). The makeshift Scooby-Doo team piles into a van to hunt some ghosts but ends up uncovering a much more banal situation.
Ghost Team is, on the one hand, an increasingly stale parody of the paranormal television subgenre of reality shows, and on the other, a tired tale of empowerment, as each character has his or her “moment” to shine. The script is a first draft, the jokes are puerile, and everything is ludicrously telegraphed. The film is a perpetual series of build-ups that end up going nowhere. Even with the short running time, Ghost Team slogs along for an eternity. Avoid this unfortunate misfire at all costs.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Kimberley Jones, Feb. 5, 2010
Marrit Ingman, June 8, 2007
March 17, 2023
Ghost Team, Oliver Irving, Jon Heder, David Krumholtz, Justin Long, Amy Sedaris, Melonie Diaz, Paul W. Downs, Tom Schiller