IVAN REITMAN 

Ivan Retiman was a very interesting guy. He died recently at 75 just after helping produce the latest (last?) film of the Ghostbusters franchise (Afterlife 2019) and even appearing in it as Egon Spendler. He was born in the Czech Republic. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and his father was a resistance fighter during WWII.  

    He is the father of Jason, also a director and producer. Jason has won two Oscars - for Juno (2007) and Up In The Air (2009). Ivan would never be confused with a Martin Scorcese or David Lean, but he had a keen eye for what people wanted to see at the movies. And his films were usually very successful commercially.

    Stripes (1981) features Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as out-of-luck buddies who decide the only thing left is to join the Army. They are wacky slackers who mostly get in trouble until the unlikely happens and they stumble into being heroes. There’s enough funny stuff to carry the somewhat thin plot. 

    Ghostbusters (1984) is so absurd and silly and fun that you can’t help but enjoy it. Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Harold Ramis are psychology professors convinced there is a spirit world. They get fired for this and form their own company-Ghostbusters, of course- to rid clients of unwanted spirits. Their business blossoms and winds up inflicting a giant Marshmallow Man on Manhattan. There are lots of laughs along the way. This movie was among the first to use expensive special effects, and it grossed close to three million dollars. It also inspired mediocre sequels. 

    With Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah on hand It ought to be good, and it is. Legal Eagles (1986) is a delightful comedy with a complicated plot. Redford, as an ambitious Asst. DA, and Winger, as a pushy lawyer representing Hannah, who claims she is innocent and that someone stole the paintings her father left to her, keep the action and the laughs rolling. It was supposed to be too expensive, but it made twice as much as it cost. 

    If the president was unable to work, could you find his exact double and fool the world into believing the double was POTUS? In the movies you can, and Dave (1993) makes it happen. Kevin Kline plays Dave Covik, who runs a temp agency in Washington and has a sideline impersonating president Bill Mitchell. When Mitchell has a stroke, his minions talk Dave into acting as president. This works for quite a while.  This film made nearly 100 milliion in receipts. 

    Six Days, Seven Nights (1998) is an action comedy. Robin Monroe (Ann Heche) and Frank Martin (David Schimmer)  are sweethearts on a vacation trip to Makatea, a tropical island. They are flown by Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford). On a working side trip for Robin, Quinn’s plane is struck by lightning and make a crash landing. There are then pirates involved (!)  and the use of a WWII Japanese plane for spare parts before they make it back to Makatea. Everyone decides they’re in love with someone else. This frankly mediocre film made 165 million dollars.

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are OK for 10 and up.