THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE (1997) - Perfect role for Bill Murray as guy who picks up on the wrong phone conversation and finds himself in the middle of an international spy scene and he thinks he is just part of some type of theater groop for the weekend. I've stayed away from Bill Murray's newer films, but had a blast watching this one on Encore tonight. A lot of Bill Murrays comedy comes from his facial expression and it seems to be harder for him as he gets older with a heavier face loosing part of his effectiveness, but this film was perfect for him. He is one of my all time favorites.
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As like you Scott, I'm a big fan of Bill Murray, but I just didn't like The Man Who Knew Too Little. For me, it was just another spy spoof with goofy humor, which of course was the point. I just couldn't really get into the flick when I saw it around '98.
Yea, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE wasn't a "great" comedy, but definately a fun film that Encore Channel is showing this month. Encore shows a lot of 2nd rate films (not to be confused with B-Movies).
I like almost every Bill Murray movie I see... but I have yet to see this one. Does it come anywhere near "Groundhog Day" or "What About Bob" quality?
Also, while we're on the subject, has anyone here seen Murray in "The Razor's Edge"? I'm thinking of picking that movie up next. I want to see how he pulls off that dramatic role.
THE RAZORS EDGE is a very good movie. Bill Murray is also very good in this one. It's based on a famous book and has Murray starting off in WWI as an ambulance driver witnessing the horrors of war then his search for meaning begins. At the end he meets his old girlfriend.
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is on par with both GROUNDHOG DAY and WHAT ABOUT BOB in my opinion.
The Murray films that I would like to see sometime are:
LIFE AQUATIC
LOST IN TRANSLATION.
RUSHMORE
WILD THINGS.
Post Edited (06-05-05 15:35)
As a side note about Bill Murray, both "Ghostbusters" and "The Razor's Edge" were made by Columbia Pictures. Because he wanted to do "The Razor's Edge." he agreed to do "Ghostbusters." And the rest they say is history.
As for "Rushmore" I've seen him in that, and he should have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He is that good in it.
My friend Joe and I got this movie on video shortly after it was released, and we watched the tape to death. We're both from Des Moines, where Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) manages a Blockbuster Video; Joe and I had a pretty good guess at which particular Des Moines, Iowa Blockbuster Video he managed. I loved this movie.
Of course, I'm a Bill Murray fan. I'm fairly sure I've seen all his movies (not sure about cameos in movies...). My favorites are Groundhog's Day, Scrooged, The Life Aquatic, and, of course, The Man Who Knew Too Little. Rushmore was really good, too.