Bill Murray

Larger Than Life

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Larger Than Life. United Artists 1996.

Before watching the movie:

At first I thought I might have been aware of this movie when it came out, but I think I was thinking of the live action scenes from Osmosis Jones, in which Murray plays a zookeeper who seems to mainly scoop elephant droppings and other low tier jobs. Here, however, he’s inherited an elephant from his estranged circus performer father.

A road movie/buddy comedy with an elephant is a really random mix that definitely creates funny moments, but how does someone come up with an idea like that?

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Lost in Translation

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Lost in Translation. 2003.
Lost in Translation. American Zoetrope/Elemental Films 2003.

Before watching the movie:

I’m struggling a bit to describe my understanding of this movie in a way that doesn’t sound like it came straight from the blurb. Two Americans played by big stars find each other in Tokyo in an independent movie, and those and still other reasons, form a difficult-to-classify relationship.

Much beyond this description has been drowned out by Bill Murray’s presence in what’s definitely not a comedy, even though by now it should be easier to accept that he’s pretty much sworn off comedy and this is his thing now (or at least until he gets an award for it).

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What about Bob?

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What About Bob. Touchstone Pictures 1991.
What About Bob. Touchstone Pictures 1991.

Before watching the movie:

Neurotic characters are a staple of comedy. So is the Double Act. Offhand, I’m not sure how a neurotic man butting in on his therapist’s vacation could go far wrong. It occurs to me though that while I’ve seen Bill Murray play several odd characters, I’m not sure I’ve seen him do neurotic and dependent.

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Charlie’s Angels

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Charlie's Angels. Columbia Pictures 2000.

Before watching the movie:

Action. Comedy. Probably little to do with the TV series, but attached to one anyway. Angels.

Apparently the martial arts angle is an addition to the TV series. Having only been exposed to promos for the movies and that famous bathing suit photo of Farrah Fawcett, fighting is an integral part of my understanding of the show. Not that watching the movie is going to help me understand what else there was (probably espionage infiltrations).

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The Man Who Knew Too Little

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The Man Who Knew Too Little. Warner Bros. Pictures 1997.

Before watching the movie:

I can sum up everything that makes me look forward to this movie in one sentence: Bill Murray in a mistaken identity crime ring farce. Unfortunately, that probably makes the rest of this leader redundant.

Thinking deeper about what I expect though, I realize there’s little more than minor details separating this from other mistaken identity farces. That makes me less interested, but it should still be a good time with good jokes. Not every movie has to be a special snowflake to be enjoyable.

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