The Man Who Knew Too Little

Think back—way back…before the time where Bill Murray was type cast into roles that portrayed a sad man working through a second or even third midlife crisis. Think back to the time where Bill Murray played fun characters trapped in strange situations. When he was pit against Russian secret service agents, British spies, seedy Defense Ministers, and of course, attractive women. I speak of a time when Bill Murray was a man who knew too little.

Wally Richie (Murray) is a man from America visiting his brother in England. It’s his birthday, and desires to spend his remaining hours with his brother smoking cigars. But unfortunately, his brother James is busy entertaining foreign guests. To pass a few hours, James sends Wally to ‘The Theater of Life,’ a sort of reality game where you run through a series of events designed to place you in the role of a hero. Unfortunately, Wally gets involved in the wrong theater, and is thrown into a plot to assassinate the Russian peacekeepers attending a British treaty. Wanting to keep the cold war alive, several high ranking officers plan to blow up the ceremony; however, they are up against a spy with no real knowledge of what’s going on: Wally Richie.

One of the best things about this film is its ability to keep a smile on my face. Billy Murray is a brilliant actor when given the right role. He takes this bumbling American character, and brings to screen the absolute ignorance to play. Even a bit of the old school slap stick humor plays a role in this comedy of spies and murder.

Wally is joined by Lorelei (played by Joanne Whalley, Willow.) The two make their way to the international ceremony, and are able to stop the plot of assassination. But it’s the humor that keeps this film on its feet. It’s entertaining to see Bill Murray have fun with a role, and I think he did just that with this one. After seeing his most recent work, it feels that he’s done nothing but downers, and drab representations of the life 50+ years old are destined to suffer. However, this film shows a man thrown into the theater of life, and loving each and every minute of it.

This is a great film to get a smile on your face. I’ve always enjoyed it, time after time that I’ve seen it. It really does bring back the humor I came to expect from the talented actor. It made me think back to the day of Ghostbusters, Stripes and Groundhog’s Day. Check this one out if you’re in the mood for some laughs, and a good little story that focuses on the wonderful theme of irony. What more could we ask of Murray? 6.5 of 10.