Harold Ramis RIP

I've always been a fan of the utility players, the guys who do a lot of the hard work and always stand outside of the spotlight. People like Rupert Holmes, Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis.

Film buffs often have a hard time understanding that movies have to conjure their own particular magic. Everything can be right on paper, from casting to the script, but doesn't come alive on screen. At the same time, everything can be wrong and the movie is great nonetheless. To have one great or beloved or influential film is a miracle, no matter how talented the auteurs.

Ramis had five:  National Lampoon's Vacation, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, with Animal House and Ghostbusters (the latter two he co-wrote but did not direct). And some special mentions for screenwriting work on Meatballs and Stripes. This is in addition to the work he did as an integral off-screen part of early SCTV.

What's interesting about his work, though, is that you can't say that he had a particular style. Or rather, his style was so laid-back, like the characters he played, you just remembered the jokes.

Groundhog Day will probably be remembered as the top Ramis work, not just because it pulls off the difficult balance of being very funny and telling a convincing emotional story, but also because it seems like it would have been technically difficult to pull off in the same way Memento or Inception was--it required keeping good notes. His other films probably have the burden of being too successful--so influential that their originality is unrecognizable among all the imitators.

It's maybe not the best thing to think about upon news of his death, but he's a filmmaker who lost his touch rapidly after the heights of Groundhog Day.

There must be some inside-showbiz story why Ramis followed that big hit with Stuart Saves His Family. Al Franken's Stuart Smalley character on SNL was mid-tier at best. Perhaps Ramis was already attached when Groundhog was a success.

His more appropriate follow-up was Multiplicity, which was another go at the technically-difficult, philosophical-thought-experiment niche. I remember it being too excited about its special effects and too reliant on Michael Keaton's crazy man schtick, which had run its course by that time.

Luckily for him, he had another big hit with Analyze This. This was unlucky for DeNiro fans, as it rewarded the star's descent into obvious self-parody. It was also unlucky for me, as I was very happy not having seen Billy Crystal's smirk during the previous years.

Ramis' trajectory through Hollywood is puzzling. Why didn't have a more comfortable position after Groundhog Day? It was a big hit, staying in theaters for months. After his role in some of the most profitable comedies of all time, why was he taking for-hire jobs like Stuart and Bedazzled?

Maybe because, when he did something that interested him, it was The Ice Harvest, which flopped terribly.

But the real shame is that his film career, which began with the launch of the Vacation franchise, ended with the Jack Black-Michael Cera vehicle Year One, which was garbage. Advertised as a romp about two Stone Age tribesman experiencing early civilization, it was instead the two flavors-of-the-month bugging their eyes at Old Testament spoofs. It was completely off; for one, the premise was from Mel Brooks' heyday. For another, Black and Cera work well within their own alt-comedy milieu but you can't just drop them into a studio picture to liven it up.

But let's not end on a down note. When you chart the world of modern comedy, starting back in the improv groups of the late 60s and into the game-changing successes stemming from National Lampoon and SNL, Harold Ramis is right there, every step of the way. His legacy is enormous.