[To celebrate
one of our strangest holidays, Groundhog
Day, this week I’ve AmericanStudied that film as well as four others in the
long and unique career of Bill
Murray. Leading up to this crowd-sourced post featuring more MurrayStudying
takes—add yours in comments, please!]
To start with a
great overall take on Murray, Jeremy
Ruby tweets, “Bill Murray is a rarity in American
films. He’s gone from likable sarcastic slacker to serious actor, Lost in Translation and Hyde Park on Hudson are examples of his
serious work. He’s done some problematic work & he’s done some amazing
work. Time periods define much of his work.” He follows up the Lost post later in the week, adding, “Lost in Translation is his magnum opus.
He’s a burnt-out movie star who goes to Japan for a marketing campaing. Along
the way he discovers himself and slowly absorbs a culture much different to his
own. Murray has moved into the cool older guy persona that Chive has tapped
into.”
And
on a different introductory note, Kait Tonti
shares, “My favorite thing Bill Murray was when he used to show up at the
Prudential Center or Madison Square Garden when Seton Hall played Xavier—because
his son
was the Assistant Coach for Xavier men's BB.”
In response to Monday’s
Tootsie post, Candy Thomson
writes, “I never
thought of Les’s comment as vicious, more like the blustery blurting of a man
born in the late 1930s/early 1940s bewildered by a unfathomable situation
caused by his desire for companionship. I could hear my dad saying it. And you
are right about the movie’s final lines. I walked out of the theater in 1982
feeling optimistic about man/woman relationships, which is saying a lot for a
rom-com.”
And Paige Wallace shares,
“I’m actually seeing Tootsie on Broadway (in Sacramento) in May!”
In response to
Wednesday’s Groundhog Day post, some
great conversations about that film in
this thread.
Lydia Currie
writes, “My mom feels that the existential horror of living the same day over
and over again with no means of escape is WAY played down. I have heard that
the original cut of the movie was much darker.” And on that note, Jeff Renye
shares this
unique take on Groundhog Day as a
horror film from The Atlantic.
And Lito
Velasco, one of the most passionate and thoughtful FilmStudiers I know,
writes, “At risk of sounding like a
two-cent phil-osopher (see what I did there?), I honestly consider Groundhog Day to be ESSENTIAL film
viewing for anyone—and especially for those of us who find ourselves in an
ongoing battle against depression, inner demons, and our ‘lesser’ natures and
aspects of ourselves. To me, the film is a beautiful, hilarious, heartwarming,
and sometimes heartbreaking (I dare anyone to challenge my saying that the
visuals and music in the scene with Murray ‘letting go’ and falling from the
tower isn't one of the most devastatingly-beautiful scenes in any film from
that era) examination of what it means to be human—the daily struggles, the
battle for self and identity, the wonder and beauty of common and everyday
moments, the need to be there for our fellow man, and the importance of trying
to be the best version of ourselves possible. I find it to be Ramis' best film,
one of Murray's finest, most-nuanced and hysterical performances, and
accessible to just about anyone and everyone, at any age, and every year. It's
easily one of my favorite films of all time and one I return to, like clockwork,
every February 2nd—not just for the entertainment, but for the
reminders and wisdom it imparts upon me every single time I watch.”
On Lost in Translation, Lito adds, “That's
another one of my favorite films- and most definitely one of my faves from the
early 2000s. It has such a quiet, bewitching, beautiful power to it that always
leaves me quaking with tears at the end. That haunting feeling of loss,
disconnect, and loneliness that lies beneath the moments and performances is
just breathtaking. How we can be WITH people in the midst of such a busy
setting and yet also feel so totally abandoned by those same people and our
lives themselves... powerful, moving stuff. And Murray and Scarlett are both at
the top of their games in that film, in my opinion, conveying what the script
and film needs with such exquisite, subtle perfection.” He adds, “And, just to be sure I'm not misrepresenting the film: I should
also mention that I adore the journey of self-discovery on the part of the two
leads, but...there's something about that discovery that also brings with it
this sense of loss, which I suppose is inherent in many sorts of evolutions.”
For a different
take on Scrooged from that in my Groundhog Day post, here’s our best
ChristmasFilmStudier, Gracie Vaughn
Joy:
“Scrooged is
excessively violent to the point of absurdism. And you (and Roger Ebert) are
right that it's unsettling, but contextually I think it's a brilliant use of slapstick. Slapstick
meets the moment in every era it's used appropriately in, and Scrooged employs extreme violent
slapstick in the 1980s which are an absolutely absurd decade. Politically, the
domestic messaging is a false assertion of calm, serene status quo while foreign
affairs are rapidly modernising and global threats are consistently rising from
places that have never been global-powers before. It's absurd. Reagan's entire
administration and 8-year term are absurd contradictions to the actual lived
experience of many Americans in the 80s. That's why so many of the prominent
comedians in the 80s are SNL alumni
who relied on quick slapstick satirical routines that embraced absurdity. And
it's why Scrooged conceptually makes
sense as a grotesque caricature of slapstick. And that absurdity in the
slapstick is precisely why I think the abrupt and excessively saccharine
redemption speech works so well because it embraces the absurd atmosphere while
telling the audience absurd isn't normal but we can find normality in absurdity
and make it work for us. Slapstick is used in moments of political uncertainty
and I think Scrooged is a perfect
example of using slapstick to counter a rapidly changing world that the
dominant political narrative refuses to engage with by presenting the status
quo of the film as absurdist and then undercutting it all with a cloyingly sweet
speech. And the speech itself I think
is more effective than Scrooge's redemption. Scrooge changes on an individual
level and it impacts his immediate contacts, but, as far as we are told, he
never shares the message of his new philosophy. He never details why he has
changed or how. He internalises the message of goodwill and generosity, which
is great for the individual but is still selfish to a degree. He doesn't
fulfill the other unspoken ask of Marley which is to cultivate the same
generosity in others and pay his experience forward. He donates money and
raises Bob's salary but he never apologises for how he has treated Bob. Frank,
on the other hand, externalises his experience and shares his new philosophy
with others in a plea for more people to join him in embracing compassion and
the ‘miracle’ of generosity. Sure he has access to a live broadcast nationwide
while Scrooge lives in Victorian England, but Scrooge doesn't even attempt to
explain his change of heart.”
Other
BillMurrayStudying:
One of our
best young filmmakers, Melanie
Mazzarini, writes, “My bf
had the chance to work with him on Moonrise Kingdom and
only has positive memories of him. As a child, for some reason Meatballs
defined my life. He’s just a master of comedy while also pulling off such
serious roles—just a darling actor.”
Dave Grubb notes, “Can’t say much about Groundhog Day, but Bill Murray
single-handedly changed the course
of the NBA, specifically the re-emergence
and freedom of Michael Jordan. He is a hero.”
On Twitter, John Webb writes, “Big
fan of his ventriloquist
in Cradle Will Rock
… more parallels with ‘Economic Anxiety’-inspired thoughts that came out of all
those diners than I’m comfortable with yet remained human and frail. Because
Murray always finds the humanity. And there’s something in that here.”
Nathaniel C. Green
tweets nominations for Scrooged and Caddyshack, and adds, “Maybe an
unpopular opinion, but I think Groundhog
Day is waaay overrated.” (See the above thread for his further threads and
other voices including mine!)
Jeff Renye
nominates the criminally under-remembered What
about Bob?
And Melissa Kujala adds, “What
about Bob? is one of my favorite movies!”
Anne
Bean writes, “Quick Change is
the funniest, most-underrated, Bill Murray movie.”
Anne Holub goes with Stripes!
Andrew
DaSilva highlights “Bill Murray
in serious roles, such as Maugham's The Razor's Edge. Or my personal favorite Lost in Translation. One done at
the start of his career, the other done in his later career, both wonderful
movies. Show he can do much more than just laughs. And of course who could
forget his FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson I saw that 4 times at the cinema.”
Lara
Schwartz writes, “Zombieland is a meta
Bill Murray movie and so American.”
Francesca
Lewis adds, “I know it’s only a small part, but Bill
Murray in Zombieland cracks me up
every time I watch that movie. His dramatic death and guilt tripping gets me
every time.”
AnneMarie
Donahue shares the documentary The
Bill Murray Stories, calling it “freaking
HILARIOUS and brilliant”!
And to end with an interesting
context for the Groundhog Day part of the series, Ezekiel Healy
shares, “‘America’s weirdest holiday’ brought to mind that Ireland
celebrates right now; it’s called Imbolc/St. Brigid’s
day. It’s a celebration of Spring, marked when Winter is half over.
It was curious to me when I first learned about it, because our version of the
seasons is marked pretty distinctly at the solstice and equinox. Halloween (our
second weirdest holiday?) also lines up with a Celtic/pagan holiday (Samhain),
which suggests that Groundhog Day has deeper roots than just the Pennsylvania
Tourism Board. It’s a tentative celebration of the imminent arrival of Spring,
which is finally inevitable if still unpredictable.”
Super Bowl
series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Takes on other Murray films?
