Quick Change

Summary

“If it were our plane, it would be crashing.”

Bill Murray is my personal favorite actor. I grew up watching him in classic comedies like What About Bob?, Groundhog Day, and Ghostbusters, but when I saw Bill Murray’s performance in the film Rushmore is when I knew that he was the actor I enjoyed watching onscreen more than any other. Over twenty years later, my respect for Bill Murray has only grown. His ability to choose parts based solely on his desire to play an interesting role has led to a series of wonderful performances. Despite my fandom, I have not seen every single film that he has starred in. When I saw that Warner Archive was releasing the 1990 film Quick Change, I was excited to check it out. I became even more curious to see the film when I found out that this was the only film that Bill Murray had ever (co)directed. My wife and I watched the film the other night.

As the movie begins, a man in a clown costume (Bill Murray) makes his way through the subways of New York. He arrives at a bank just moments from when they shut their doors. Sticking his big shoe into the door, the clown shows the elderly guard his gun. Announcing that this is a robbery, the clown wards the concerned employees and final customers into the safe. The clown speaks to Chief Rotzinger (Jason Robards) over the telephone as the media and onlookers arrive outside. He demands a couple helicopters and a monster truck, and agrees to release a couple hostages if they comply. He releases a nervous blonde woman (Geena Davis,) a bearded man scared out of his mind (Randy Quaid,) and finally releases a whiny bespectacled redhead – himself. Once they make their way through the police barricades, they change out of their secondary costumes. The ringleader of the three is Grimm. He is in cahoots with his romantic interest Phyllis and their nervous friend Loomis. They pull up their car to a pay phone so that Grimm can give some more instructions to Rotzinger which will keep him busy while they make their escape. When Loomis accidentally honks the car horn, Rotzinger realizes that the bank robbers have already made their escape. Grimm, Loomis, and Phyllis find themselves struggling to leave the city of New York with the police on their trail. At the same time, Phyllis and Grimm face some tough questions regarding their romantic relationship.

Quick Change is an enjoyable comedy that stays lighthearted despite the criminal aspects of the film. The film is not a comedic powerhouse like What About Bob?, but it has plenty of aspects that I really enjoyed. First and foremost, Bill Murray is great in the movie. This should come as no surprise. I love when he is asked “What type of clown are you?” and he replies, “I don’t know. I guess the crying on the inside type.” Lines like that are perfect for the type of comedic delivery that Murray excels at, and the film happily supplies Murray with numerous great lines. Geena Davis is an enjoyable romantic interest in the film, even if her character feels a little one-dimensional at times. She also has some very funny lines in the film. Randy Quaid is funny, but certainly over-the-top in the role of Loomis. I liked his performance, whereas my wife found him a little annoying. The performance that ties the entire film together belongs to Jason Robards. Robards was one of the most talented actors of his generation and turned in legendary performances regularly, so watching him in the role of a beleaguered police chief in a comedy was a lot of fun. While his acting in the film may not have the gravitas of watching him in Magnolia, he makes the film work. The supporting cast in the film is full of terrific bit players including Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub.

The script of the film by Howard Franklin is based on a novel by Jay Conley. The premise is a good one, even if the antics in the film are pretty unrealistic. While the script’s mechanics are a little unrealistic, the film benefits from a knowledge of New York City and some of its more bizarre aspects. The little touches that make the film work are based in a real understanding of New York City. The direction by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray is solid for the most part, given the fact that the performances in the film are mostly good ones. That said, the pacing of the film at times feels slightly slower than it should. I couldn’t tell if this was an issue with direction or a small editing problem.

Overall – I enjoyed Quick Change. While it does not reach the comic heights of some of Bill Murray’s best films, it is still an enjoyable comedy that I would happily rewatch.

Video

Warner have done a fantastic job on the transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Blu-ray format brings out the best in the film. Like most films from that time, grain is fairly prevalent and the imagery displays some softness. Its muted color palette comes across well on Warner’s disc. Fine detail for the most part is well defined thanks to the attention to detail that Warner has given the title. There are no overbearing print issues. Fans will be very pleased to have the film with such a great looking transfer.

Audio

Warner has provided a good sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that capably replicates the original sound design of the film. This is largely a dialogue driven film – like most comedies – but the film’s score by Randy Edelman is pretty energetic. The score is certainly a product of its time, accentuating the comic nature of the film. There are no issues to report with the track. Fans will be pleased.

Supplements:

Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – .5/5

Overall – 4/5

Quick Change is an enjoyable lighthearted comedy starring Bill Murray. The film is not quite as memorable as some of Murray’s very best films, but I was still more than happy while watching the film. The cast of the film is full of exceptional actors with a particularly enjoyable performance by Jason Robards. Warner Archive’s new Blu-ray features a great looking video transfer and solid audio, but only features a trailer as its sole supplement. Recommended!