Mr. Reitman

Director Ivan Reitman passed away last Saturday.  He was 75.  He would never be respected by the Academy for his contributions to cinema, but was revered by Baby Boomers and Gen Xers worldwide for comedies like STRIPES, GHOSTBUSTERS I and II, TWINS, KINDERGARTEN COP, and DAVE.  Prior, Reitman produced Doug Henning's magic show on Broadway and a few movies for fellow Canadian David Cronenberg.  Ostensibly his big break would be with ANIMAL HOUSE, which he had hoped to direct, but as he only had one modest exploitation picture (CANNIBAL GIRLS) under his belt he had to defer that gig to John Landis and again serve as producer.  Despite its enormous success, Hollywood was not pounding on his door.

Until he went off and made his own little independent rowdy, MEATBALLS, which was picked up by Paramount and jump started his career.  It would also be the first time he collaborated with Bill Murray, leading to several more films, but also a later estrangement of sorts as the actor would leave behind the "slob" comedies to do more artsy fare for directors like Wes Anderson.  But during a comprehensive interview with Kevin Pollak, Reitman reported that he and the mercurial actor caught up at an Italian restaurant in Toronto during an all-nighter years later.  

To say that Mr. Reitman influenced my early film obsession is truly an understatement.  I remember begging my father to take my 10 year old self to see MEATBALLS, which the prudes all around me treated like some dirty movie.  He (very likely) suffered through it while my eyes widened.  I remember some years later going to see GHOSTBUSTERS at least five times, once by myself.  I never bothered with most of his later '90s and beyond films, after the disappointment of EVOLUTION.  Maybe it's time to give 'em a shot?

Ivan also produced and executive produced many other films for others along the way, mostly populist genre stuff.  His son Jason would follow in his father's footsteps, creating more high minded features like JUNO and UP IN THE AIR.  Father and son would collaborate on the recent GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, with Jason merging his semi-arthouse leanings as director with dad's (who produced) old school irreverence.  That this would be one of Sr.'s last jobs is a nice sorta coda for a highly successful career.