Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 13, 1990 TAG: 9007130460
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long
He's promoting his new film, "Quick Change," opening today at the Terrace and Salem Valley 8 theaters. Even though he's the star, and stars are supposed to thrive under the spotlight, at times he seems more interested in the collaborative aspect of filmmaking.
When he sat down with a group of writers last week in Washington, he had less to say about his work in front of the cameras than his work behind them.
It's odd, because if ever a man could play the star after having earned it, it's Bill Murray.
Murray is a big, galumphing regular guy who hasn't seen the inside of a Nautilus facility this century. He spills out of his clothes in a number of bubbly ways - he's not fat, really, but has an extra coat of anti-yuppie beerpudge that bespeaks too many nights killing cold ones till the National Anthem comes on the tube.
The face looming over this large, soft body is gigantic, baggy and flaccid, somehow more at peace with the dictates of gravity than other faces are.
As he talked about the film, his conversation shifted back and forth between Bill Murray, objective craftsman who is focused on the technical side of filmmaking, and Bill Murray, the comedian who sees the world and himself with a streak of sardonic humor.
The craftsman talks about the multiple visions that create a film; the comic says, "My career has been based on sucking up to and aligning myself with people who were better than I was." The two sides seem to get along pretty well.
Murray's years on television's "Saturday Night Live" have made him a more familiar figure than most film actors. He has gone on to a sucessful film career, including the starring role in the most profitable comedy ever made, "Ghostbusters," and the starring role in the very profitable sequel, "Ghostbusters II." His comfortable, loose-jointed posture and off-center 4 1 MURRAY Murray wit are the same in person as they are on camera.
In his movie, he plays Grimm, a fed-up city planner turned armed robber who masterminds a brilliant job on a midtown-Manhattan bank. The bank part is easy. It's New York that's tough.
The city seems to rise up and rebel against Grimm and his two cohorts, Geena Davis and Randy Quaid, though it's clearly nothing personal. It's also hopelessly fouling the efforts of Police Chief Jason Robards.
Murray explained that "Quick Change" began when his friend Helen Scott, to whom the film is dedicated, sent him a copy of Jay Cronley's novel about a man who robs a New York bank while dressed as a clown. Murray bought the rights and decided to be the film's producer.
Murray teamed with friend Howard Franklin as a writer and they collaborated on drafts.
After pulling a script together, Murray and Franklin decided to direct the film together. Sharing the directing credit required a special waiver from the Director's Guild, but was well worth the effort, Murray said.
"Having two directors wasn't a problem. We just sort of did it. It's like cleaning a garage; there's enough work for everyone."
"Quick Change" began production with two neophyte directors, one of whom was wearing full clown regalia for three weeks of shooting. "The makeup was bad but the worst thing was the bald cap," Murray said. "It seals your head. When you take it off at the end of the day - it's glued to your skin - water just pours out. . . . But I loved wearing the shoes."
The film's humor is dry and understated, but "I knew that there were enough laughs in this movie that if we could get 60 percent of them, we'd have a successful movie," Murray said. "I knew we would be able to get good actors in these parts. That's really the key."
For Murray, the film was also something of a relief after the mighty labors of bringing forth the special-effects-crazed sequel to "Ghostbusters" last year.
"I don't like making special-effects movies. It's a nightmare. You're working in front of a blue screen, and they say to you, `Now a 50-foot-tall marshmallow man is going to take a swipe at you and just miss. Look scared.' Uh-huh."
"Quick Change" is a sharp, character-based comedy. It's what movie people call a "contrast," a film that cuts against the grain of current releases. Murray knows that it's a loaded label.
"Usually when you hear people say that, that means it's a lousy movie," he said. "Or you hear somebody say, `This is a real movie and the rest of that stuff is just summer crap and sugar.' Well, usually those are my movies. . . . I think ours is good. It's not going to open with $20 million; it's not that way. I think it's going to make it through the whole summer."
It's too early to say whether Murray's prediction is accurate, but he's been involved with sleeper hits before ("Meatballs," "Stripes"). "Quick Change" could be another. It is different, and being different in today's market is risky. But so is repetition. He flatly stated that he would not appear in another "Ghostbusters" sequel.
Murray frequently ad-lib lines while in character; his two funniest lines in "Ghostbusters" were entirely spontaneous. (For the record: "Dogs and cats, living together" and "This chick is toast.") "Meatballs," he says, "was the closest thing you ever saw to a live movie. We made it up as we went along. `Stripes' was semi-made up."
And "Ghostbusters II"?
"Nobody made it up. It just wasn't funny. It had two funny scenes, that was it."
Murray said comedy is "always changing; it's always in motion. If you're going to get any better, you've got to start throwing stuff away. There are certain things that you realize aren't funny.
"Even if they make you laugh, they make you laugh because they're so stupid-funny. They're not truly funny because they're not rich, they're not wise-funny."
"Wise-funny" is an accurate capsule review of "Quick Change," even if it comes from the co-producer, co-director, star and pitchman.
Some information in this story was provided by Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun.
by CNB