Bill Murray’s career began when he was brought on as a cast member for Saturday Night Live’s second season in 1976. From there, his career took off, and he became quickly known as one of the greatest comedic actors of all-time, with many of his films in the 1980’s being instant hits. This streak continued well into the 90s, and he soon transitioned over to more dramatic territory by the 2000s, working with the likes of Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch, while still retaining his signature deadpan humor. Many of his dramatic works have been highly acclaimed and rival plenty of his comedies as some of his greatest work.
Murray has one of the most eclectic filmographies, with over 90 movies and TV series to his name, with the latest being the recently released, The Dead Don’t Die, a zombie comedy that finds him reunited with frequent collaborator Jarmusch. To coincide with the release of The Dead Don’t Die, here’s a look back at ten of Murray’s finest works (in alphabetical order):
1) Broken Flowers
Murray plays a man named Don Johnston, who receives an anonymous letter stating he has a son, and goes on a cross-country trip, tracking down each of his ex-girlfriends to see if they have any more information. Directed by Jarmusch, this saw Murray two years after his acclaimed dramatic turn in Lost in Translation, and saw him remain in much similar territory. Broken Flowers is a very subdued, easy-going film that’s meant to be a quiet character study of one man confronting his past. Though the film was far from somber, and still saw Murray dealing out wisecracks and straight-faced humor at every chance he got, though finding a nice balance between these humorous moments and the drama so that it still came off as realistic. One of the more underrated entries in Murray’s filmography.
2) Caddyshack
Probably one of the most well-known films with Murray in it, it’s interesting to note that Murray - along with co-stars Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield - actually was not supposed to be in the movie for as long as he was, having been constantly called back during production when his role was continuously expanded. The film is mostly a tale about a caddy named Danny, played by Michael O’Keefe, who is saving up money to go to college, though the film also contains a heavy focus on the other characters who work at or hang around the golf course. Murray plays an employee named Carl Spackler who’s mainly trying to rid the golf course of a pesky gopher, in what’s easy one of the funniest subplots of the film. While the material with Danny causes for some very uneven pacing, as it’s honestly pretty bland for the most part, the scenes containing Murray, Dangerfield, Chase, as well as co-star Ted Knight easily make up for any of the movie’s faults, and make for an endlessly quotable, wonderfully over-the-top experience.
3) Ghostbusters
Easily the most beloved of all Murray’s comedies. It spawned a sequel, a remake, a TV series, countless video games, and now another sequel, that will be directed by original director Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason. This movie is full of pure Murray deadpan, with him dropping insults left and right, playing well off co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis for some hilarious exchanges. And the rest of the movie is just pure fun, in and of itself, with an over-the-top storyline involving the titular characters battling a shapeshifting demon known as Zuul who was summoned to just wreak havoc on the world. Despite focusing on elements like world destruction and demonic possession, it never takes itself too seriously, and looks to just be as funny and action-packed as possible. It’s a great movie that shows off the comedic talents of not just Murray, but an all-around likable ensemble cast.
4) Groundhog Day
Before more complex genre movies like Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day, and Source Code, there was Groundhog Day. And no movie has been able to pull off the concept of living the same day over and over again as well as this did. At the time, this was the closest Murray came to working with more dramatic material. It was first and foremost a comedy - and a damn good one at that - but it was also a crowd-pleaser with a huge heart. The movie was ultimately about the redemption of a once-unpleasant individual. But what made this work so well was the fact that it didn’t necessarily jam that theme down anyone’s throats. It played out very naturally and there was never a moment in which the main character has this huge revelation and the movie cues this sappy music to go along with it. The situations play out very naturally - or about as natural as a fantasy movie can get - and director-writer Harold Ramis’ sharp script trusts the audience to just piece all that together without having to sit there and explain everything to them. And just like the situation Murray finds himself in, that allows this movie to be easily replayed countless times.
5) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Murray’s third collaboration with Wes Anderson was a box office flop at the time, and originally received some fairly negative reviews from critics. Though it’s since gone on to gain a significant cult following and has been held in much higher regard since its initial release. The film follows Murray as the title character, who seeks revenge on a shark that ate his best friend. He takes along a ragtag crew that includes Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and Owen Wilson, the latter whom may or may not be Zissou’s son. The film is more of a character piece than an action-packed revenge movie, with much of the movie finding characters in odd situations and quirky back-and-forth’s. Because of that, this movie finds many of Anderson’s trademarks at the forefront. For some, it may be a bit off-putting, but for those who don’t mind the strange and awkward, this film can be a beloved treasure for them.
6) Lost in Translation
While Murray has dabbled in dramatic territory here and there, this was his first most notable dramatic turn. The film follows Murray as Bob Harris, an aging movie star working in Tokyo who finds himself with romantic feelings for Charlotte, a young photographer also on assignment in Tokyo. The film contains bits of Murray’s typical deadpan humor and has its moments of charm, but this is one of the more serious pieces the actor has done. The film is an in-depth look at themes of loneliness and finding meaning in life, and is brilliantly told in plenty of scenes that rely more on visual storytelling rather than exposition-heavy sequences. It’s gorgeously filmed, with quite a few moments still feeling like iconic movie shots to this day. Not only some of Murray’s finest dramatic work, but easily the best film from director Sofia Coppola.
7) Quick Change
The one time Bill Murray directed a movie. This is easily one of his most overlooked movies, having been a box office bomb at the time. Though unlike Life Aquatic, it never really found its following in later years, and has gone on to become one of the deeper cuts in Murray’s career. The film finds Murray, Geena Davis, and Randy Quaid as three thieves who successfully rob a bank but have the most difficult time escaping New York City. The city itself feels like its own character in this movie, where nearly everything that could possibly go wrong for the three does go wrong, in a series of unfortunate mishaps and delays that just continuously inconveniences them. The film is wildly funny, with Murray at his nastiest, though still wickedly funny, still firing off vulgar insults left and right as a jaded criminal. And the film contains some great performances, notably from veteran actor Jason Robards as the detective who attempts to track down the robbers. More than likely, you haven’t heard of this movie, which is a shame - despite plenty of well-known hits Murray has under his belt, this is one that actually tops a lot of them.
8) Rushmore
Murray’s first collaboration with Wes Anderson is easily still his best. While Murray wouldn’t be firmly established as a big dramatic actor till Lost in Translation, this first established his new direction of leading independent dramedies, while still never losing his broad appeal. This allowed him to take his well-known deadpan humor and start honing that ability towards crafting more layered, realistic characters. While something a bit different for Murray at the time, this was still a heavily engaging watch, with much of the movie’s fun coming from the cat-and-mouse between Murray’s Herman Blume and Jason Schwartzmann’s Max Fischer as they fight for the affections of Olivia Williams’ Rosemary Cross. A film that perfectly balances heartbreak with laugh-out-loud laughter, this is a whole lot of fun.
9) Tootsie
Unlike all the other movies on this list, this doesn’t contain Murray as one of the prominent focuses, though he still has a major supporting part as the roommate of the film’s lead character, played by Dustin Hoffman, who impersonates a woman in order to gain a lead role on a soap opera. One of Murray’s earliest film roles, he’s a bit more reactionary here, commenting on Hoffman’s actions throughout the movie. Though he does get plenty of moments to shine, filled with his usual sarcasm, as well as a wonderful moment where he drunkenly rants during a card game early on in the movie that makes for a fun monologue. And Murray aside, the rest of this movie is also fantastic, with a talented cast that effectively pulled off a concept that’s outlandish, yet still kept within the confines of reality to still make it a believable and enjoyable story.
10) What About Bob?
What’s odd about this movie is that it felt extremely well-known at the time - doing well at the box office, receiving overly positive critical reviews, and even going on to make Bravo’s “100 Funniest Movies of All-Time” - but in subsequent years, feels buried in Murray’s filmography. It’s not as obscure as Quick Change, but definitely doesn’t feel as talked about these days as Ghostbusters or Groundhog Day. Yet, honestly, in terms of pure comedies, this might just be the movie that tops them all. And it finds Murray even more out of his element than some of his more dramatic works. Murray stars as the title character, an overly paranoid man who winds up following his therapist, played by Richard Dreyfuss, to his vacation home and invades many of his personal boundaries, only to be liked by Dreyfuss’ entire family. It’s really a creepy sort of scenario with moments of some truly dark humor, but the movie works thanks to the charms of both Murray and Dreyfuss, whose fantastic chemistry leads to some insanely over-the-top moments and excellent visual gags. There’s almost no traces of Murray’s dry humor, as it shows him having outbursts, paranoid fits, and bizarre rants, though all with a smile that ultimately winds up hard to resist, especially as it plays into the film’s purposefully overall outlandish nature. The film is an excellent example of heightening in comedy, with each situation getting more and more exaggerated than the last, leading to an explosive finale. While it has an extremely simple set-up, the work of a talented cast makes this one of Murray’s funniest films, if not his absolute funniest.
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