It’s been coming for a long time. I’m surprised I lasted this long. Bill Murray is the cheese on my nachos. He’s the whipped cream on your hot chocolate. Bill Murray just makes everything better. He has become a beloved figure in American comedy, and has essentially earned himself legal rights to do anything he wants now.
Bill – a lover of plants
You see him, you smile. That’s just about all there is to it. Bill blew up in the 1980s with roles in films like like Meatballs, Caddy Shack, Stripes, Scrooged and Ghostbusters shooting him to the A-list. It was after this period that people realized, if this guy didn’t die young (which he didn’t) that he was going to be making them laugh for a long, long time. Thirty years later, he’s still delivering and he’s basically never faltered.
I’ve been over my deep thoughts about Bill before, but it’s been quite awhile. I happily take the chance to touch on them again. I believe firmly in a philosophy about the comedy of Bill Murray. When I think about Bill, a flood of movies come into my brain. I usually have to catalog his roles into one of three categories that I like to call…
“The Three Bills”
Making His Way Bill
First, there’s old “making his way in the world” Bill Murray in the films I mentioned above (Meatballs, Caddy Shack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Scrooged,). These are the years when Bill Murray made it. He was funny, he was smart, he was confident, and in general he was just awesome. He made some big hits, and solidified himself as A list comedian. This paved the way for him to do anything down the line.
His presence in film in the 1980s was legendary. He shared the screen with everyone under the sun, but it was he who stole the spotlight. I’m a huge huge fan of several comedians who really made it in the 80s like Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), Chevy Chase, (Caddyshack) and John Candy (Stripes). Whenever they were standing next to Bill, though, I barely even noticed them. John Candy is one of my favorite comedians ever too, so for me that’s saying a lot. These others mentioned were all A list, and all equally as funny, but they never really were able to keep up to that level. In one way or another they all faded after the 80’s. Not Bill though.
Look at all these Bills…
Second among “The Three Bills” , there’s more established “its the 1990s and standards for comedy are lower” Bill Murray (Groundhog Day, What About Bob, Space Jam, Kingpin, and Rushmore). Now don’t get me wrong, when I say standards were low, I mean standards were low everywhere, for everything. I’m married to a movie lover, and she’ll tell you that 1990s is the golden age of film, that the best movies ever came out in the 90s. Is she right? Couldn’t tell you. I’m inclined to differ, but Bill Murray’s star only rose in this decade, that’s for sure. This is where some of my favorite Murray work took place, and I’ll touch on a couple of them in a minute. 1990’s Bill is basically my favorite is what I’m getting at here.
Rockstar I can do anything Bill
Then lastly, there’s “I’m a rock star and can get away with anything” Bill Murray (Hamlet, The Royal Tenenbaums, Lost In Translation, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Broken Flowers, Moonrise Kingdom, Zombieland). I like all of The Three Bills, but I can appreciate how special this era Bill is. This is the era where Bill really has focused on dry whit, and nobody does it quite like him. He’s been a staple in the films of Wes Anderson, sometimes in big roles, sometimes not, but always to great effect.
Bill Murray has just proven that he understands the science and timing needing for truly great comedy. Some people got it, and other people don’t. Jimmy Fallon laughs at his own jokes. That’s bad for business. Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, guys like Chevy Chase, John Candy, John Belushi, George Carlin… these comedians could spout out the funniest things ever uttered, and not crack a smile. THAT’S COMEDY. To not react shows the importance of what’s being said. Maybe not that it’s important, but it’s important you realize how funny it is.
Sounds silly, right? It isn’t.
Bill Murray is a funny guy, that’s been covered, but it’s the delivery that makes him different. He never smiles… not unless he thinks it’s going to make things funnier. He’s conquered all different aspects of comedy. In his early years he was crazy… loud, just usually playing a boisterous guy, and it would crack you up. In the last ten years though, just a dry quiet wit.
He is often berating a character in a film, in front of other characters, making them laugh. It’s a good thing, because no doubt he is tough to work with if you are trying to keep a straight face. Even more often, he is accomplishing much by doing little.
My personal favorites
There is no need for me to do this, and I can’t believe I’m even going to attempt it, but I’ll pick out a few roles that I just really really love.
What About Bob – I’ve actually written an entire post about this already, so you can go check it out if you’d like. This was one that just really hooked me early in life. I used to watch it with my brother and we would roll on the ground. Murray plays Bob Wiley. He’s basically just your absolute nightmare patient with obsessive compulsive disorder. He stalks his doctors to the point they either fold up their practice or go crazy themselves.He finds a way to create this character that does everything wrong, breaks every rule possible for a patient doctor relationship, drives a good man to a deviant lifestyle and somehow earns a place in my heart forever.
Ghostbusters – Now let’s be clear, I’m not giving Bill full credit for this masterpiece. It was a team effort, and he, in this rare case, was part of the team. Certainly though… my favorite Bill Murray quotes are from this movie.
Top 5 Peter Venkman quotes:
- Yeah it’s true, this man has no dick.
- Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
- Hee hee hee! “Get her!” That was your whole plan, huh, “get her.” Very scientific.
- You’re right, no human being would stack books like this.
- I don’t have to take this abuse from you, I’ve got hundreds of people dying to abuse me.
This character is just amazing, doesn’t give a crap about anybody, and ultimately would be the blueprint for a handful of other Bill Murray roles down the line, notably Groundhog Day and Kingpin.
Groundhog Day – This is one of the funniest movie ideas ever, who else could have even pulled it off? A weather man finds himself reliving the same day over and over and over until he finds what’s been missing in his life. I’m not gonna tell you what it is, ’cause I never exactly figured it out. It could be one of many things, but honestly, who gives a shit. He is stranded in Punxsutawney, PA for what basically seems like an eternity. He does all the things you’ve always wanted to do. He acts without fear of consequences, gorges on terrible food, takes piano lessons one day at a time, chases every good-looking woman he can find around, takes daily joy in shrugging off people he hates, and eventually, extends the kindness to those he’s ignored the whole way through.
Lost in Translation – Another of Bill’s best which I’ve not posted yet, but have written up and it’s ready to go. Bill plays an actor in this one; fitting yea? He plays an action star who is hanging out in Tokyo, Japan for a while doing some million-dollar commercials. This post is long enough as it is, but It must be said, this whole film seems as though Bill had no lines written whatsoever, and just ad-libbed it the whole way through. Maybe why it’s so appealing in the first place.
Bill Murray has really grown as an actor. He’s in a place now where he can play himself in a zombie movie, and make jokes on his violent way out of this world. Bill Murray is the perfect example of what a comedian should want to strive to be, the only comedian of the new breed who has accomplished these kinds of things in film, is Will Ferrell, but hopefully more will continue to appear.
Aside from the films, the guy just seems to be the coolest person ever. He’ll wander into a bar and buy everyone a round, then sing karaoke with you and your buddies because, what the hell it was a Tuesday and he had nothing planned. He once crashed another bar party and just showed up with The Wu Tang Clan and started bartending, but gave everyone tequila shots no matter what they asked for.
He’s crashed weddings, bachelor parties, and once showed up at The White House press room to talk about the Cubs.
How about this, once some fans asked him instead of autographs, if they could films him and them walking in slow motion. Wanna see it? Sure you do.
Bill Murray is the man. I won’t be offended if he doesn’t read and retweet this post, but I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he did. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to hang with him. I hope it’s on a boat.
