Rated: TV-MA
He’s very well known. From Dr. Peter
Venkman to Carl Spackler to Mr. Bishop, Bill Murray has been all over the film
and even some of the television screen. In this documentary, director Tommy
Avallone discusses the famous Bill Murray stories - strange encounters with the
actor in everyday life.
Murray started on “Saturday Night
Live” (SNL) in 1976. He came from the Second City Improv group and after his
success on SNL, his movie career began to soar.
“Caddyshack”, “Ghostbusters”, “Lost in Translation” and “Life Aquatic”
are just to a few of the movies that are a household name.
The documentary begins with various
people describing stories they’ve heard or experienced in which there is an
encounter with Murray. Stories that include: A wedding photographer recounts
meeting Murray while taking a couple’s engagement photos, or when Murray crashed
a house party, where he danced and was the DJ. He also stopped by a bar and was
bartender for a night, just out of nowhere.
He is slightly compared to Bigfoot
in this documentary, but Murray has been spotted more times than Bigfoot and everyone
is very accepting of these random Murray appearances. One person stated, “he
has the power to make other people have an amazing experience.” He doesn’t make
a big deal about himself, he’s just there to have fun and live in the moment,
which is a big part of Murray’s lifestyle.
The documentary continues with more
Murray appearances, some standard, like a Comic Con presence, others weirder,
like randomly joining a kickball game. One of the funnier things he has said
during these unplanned appearances is “no one will ever believe you,” which is
true, unless you have proof.
Murray’s random presences aren’t
just only wild experiences that happen out of nowhere. There are lessons that he
inadvertently teaches to these unsuspecting individuals. He is about having a
good time, the documentary explains. A theme in many of Murray’s movies and
himself is ‘it doesn’t matter’ it’ll all even out in the end; a ‘roll with the
punches’ attitude.
Individuals who have had encounters
with Murray say he connects with people on a very human level. When he shows up
at a party, he’s not there to perform or show off his celebrity, he’s there to
just hang out and get to know people, to create a moment that people will doubt
really happened, even after it happened. He is such a famous person, but he
still finds the time for people. He removes the barrier between celebrity and
regular person. I’ll admit, watching this made me want to meet Bill Murray.
This
was an interesting documentary about an interesting guy. If you are a Bill
Murray fan, I’d recommend it. If you’re just looking for something to watch,
this is probably not for you as it airs a little on the slow side. While Bill
Murray has made appearances all over the world, it made me ask the question,
could Bill Murray appear right here in Windham, Maine? You never know.
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