The Best of Bill Murray
I set out to do a list of Bill Murray's best. But the guy is one of my favorite performers on the planet. And when I tried squeezing in just five, nothing felt right. I couldn't squeeze in just five for the life of me. The pieces were too fat for the can. Or maybe my fingers are too plump these days, I don't know. But I do know movies on the Murray resume kept staring at me with big, sad puppy-eyes. So it was with a solemn heart that I made a list of Bill Murray's top five films ... with an honorable mention.
I didn't go completely nuts with this; I made a list based on Murray's best work and movies where he played a significant enough role. Ed Wood
, for example, is certainly a good enough movie to deserve a spot on anyone's top five, but there isn't enough Bill to justify a spot here. Disclaimers aside, let's do this.
The more you know about the making of this classic comedy, the more you can appreciate the genius of Bill Murray's portrayal of Carl Spackler (if that's possible). Caddyshack is as responsible for my upbringing as my parents. It's hyperbole but it feels true. It introduced me to Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Rodney Dangerfield. Their great comedy became my bad imitations in recess playgrounds and on urban stoops. I think my sister and I watched this movie a hundred times just in one summer.
Looking back, you can see how much of Murray's best work involved Ivan Reitman or writer-director-actor Harold Ramis. So it isn't much of a surprise that Murray's biggest box-office smash involved the both of them.
It's only because we are so used to dismissing comedians and comedic performances that Bill Murray's work in this terrific Harold Ramis film isn't talked about as one of the big Academy misses in the early '90s. Yes, of course I'm biased. I'm the guy who will talk your ear off about how great he is in Scrooged. But at the very least, I think most of us can agree that Groundhog Day is a high mark on Murray's resume.
There's a lot I love about Sofia Coppola's cool-vibe lost-souls romance. I mean it as a compliment when I say most of Scarlett Johansson's best moments in the movie are when she isn't speaking. A lot of the movie is about watching her take in the curiosities of her environment and her relationships. Then there's Bill Murray, mastering the dejected, middle-aged rut. And watch how he plays his scenes with Johansson. It isn't all bursting-with-joy awakening. His work is much more subtle and grounded than that. And yet still, there is no doubt those few days in Japan stirred something within them both. We don't get a lot of romantic lead performances like this one.
With Herman Blume, Bill Murray began to be taken seriously as an actor by people who weren't paying close enough attention earlier in his career. Rushmore is a great Bill Murray performance and I was sad when he didn't get nominated for an Oscar, but is it any better than some of his earlier work, like Groundhog Day? No. But Murray's Blume -- a man looking to jump off the sad, slow slope down life's mistakes -- is one of his most touching performances. His interaction with Jason Schwartzman's Max Fischer works like vengeful magic against any critic who ever doubted him. When Blume delivers his speech to a room full of pampered Rushmore students, it's the first time you've met him, but you understand almost everything there is to know about his character -- and that's no easy feat:
You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.
Honorable Mention: Kingpin
Bill Murray's hair. It's all that needs to be said. Bill Murray's hair. I love this movie. I don't care what anyone says. See, a lot of this movie is about hair. And I love Bill Murray's hair. Woody Harrelson's balding, sad comb-over isn't too far behind. Randy Quaid's Cousin Oliver hairdo rounds out third place nicely. Kingpin rules.
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Dre writes for Film.com weekly.
