Original artwork, not a still
Back off, man. I’m a scientist.
— Ghostbusters • 1984
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Peter Venkman says it in the library, after a string of absurd intake questions to a frightened librarian, to an administrator who has dared to ask what one of them has to do with anything. The punchline is that it is a shield with nothing behind it: a man with the manner of a game-show host using the word scientist to end an argument. Fans quote it whenever someone confidently uses a title or an expert badge to dodge a question, and it is the film's quickest summary of Venkman.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for GhostbustersShow the scene
At the New York Public Library, Venkman is taking the shaken librarian Alice through what he calls a couple of standard questions about the ghost she saw: family history of schizophrenia, drug use, and then whether she is menstruating right now. When the library administrator demands to know what that has to do with it, this is Venkman's answer. The library is where the trio have their first real ghost encounter, shortly before the university fires them.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: GhostbustersDialogue section, library interviewReference checked
- Wikipedia: GhostbustersPlot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
