| Larger Than Life | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Howard Franklin |
| Produced by | Pen Densham Richard Barton Lewis John Watson Sue Baden-Powell (executive) Guy East (executive) Wolfgang Glattes (executive) |
| Written by | Pen Densham (writer) Garry Williams (story) Roy Blount Jr. (screenplay) |
| Starring | Bill Murray Jeremy Piven Janeane Garofalo Pat Hingle Linda Fiorentino Matthew McConaughey Tai Tony Funderburg |
| Music by | Miles Goodman |
| Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
| Editing by | Sidney Levin |
| Distributed by | United Artists Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (U.S. DVD) |
| Release date(s) | November 1, 1996 |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | 30,000,000 |
Larger Than Life is a 1996 comedy film starring Bill Murray.
Contents |
Jack Corcoran (Bill Murray) is a motivational speaker for the masses in mini-malls and rented halls across the country. Jack's advice is, "if life isn't all that you expected, put aside all those wouldas, couldas and shouldas and Get over it!" Jack's dad (a father he never knew) was a circus clown and just passed on, leaving his son a hefty inheritance: his 8,000 pound trained circus elephant (Tai) named Vera (after Jack's mother), who comes complete with a trunkful of debts. In order to pay off his debts, Jack decides to sell Vera. The bulk of the movie plays on the problem of traveling 2,000 miles in five days with the 8,000 pound elephant. It's a predicament that is "Larger Than Life."
Critics generally responded with mixed to negative reviews, garnering a 12% score on Rotten Tomatoes and Stephen Holden of New York Times called the vision of the film a mis-fire: "The very idea conjures up visions of classic sight gags in which man and beast fail to communicate, or worse, fail to get along. Think of elegant circus tricks executed in the wrong place at precisely the wrong time. Think of an elephantine stubbornness that makes the most recalcitrant donkey look like an obedient eager beaver. Think of a rampage in a supermarket or a spontaneous grand entrance at a chi-chi social event, and you can begin to see the possibilities".[1]
Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "D" rating and Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote poorly of the script and minor characters "is windy, and the occasional laughs are as heavy-footed as the thunking lead pachyderm herself. Furthermore, a couple of its costars are probably wondering what in the Sam Hill they were thinking when they signed on, since they are singularly ill-used."[2]
ReelViews's James Berardinelli awarded the film 2 and a half out of 4 stars. While noting his appreciation of the comedy routines, he was critical of the acting performances: "Murray did his share of ad-libbing here, which is probably a reason why several of the comic sequences work. Since Murray is simply 'being Murray', there isn't a lot of intensive acting going on. As a result, there are long stretches like watching a standup routine shot on location with a very unusual "straight man".[3]
Roger Ebert awarded the film 1 and a half out of 4 stars and was also critical towards Murray's performance: "the energy isn't there. Murray often chooses to play a laid-back, detached character, but this time he's so detached he's almost absent. He chooses to work in a low key, and the other actors, in matching his energy level, make a movie that drones instead of hums". Yet, Ebert enjoyed the comedy's humor: "Murray's portrait of an inspirational speaker is right on target, and filled out with lots of subtle touches of movement and dialog, and there is humor".[4]
| Larger Than Life: Original United Artists Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | 1996 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 30:48 |
| Label | Milan Records 73138357832 |
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life Is a Carnival" | The Band | Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm | 3:55 |
| 2 | "Psycho" | Jack Kittle | Leon Payne | 3:13 |
| 3 | "Main Title" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 2:28 |
| 4 | "Salad Bar" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 1:47 |
| 5 | "Dad's Trunck" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 2:18 |
| 6 | "Flying Elephant" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 3:31 |
| 7 | "An Elephant Miracle" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 2:03 |
| 8 | "Airport Chase" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 2:59 |
| 9 | "Swimming" | Miles Goodman | Goodman | 2:20 |
| 10 | "The Magnificent Seven Theme" | Elmer Bernstein | Bernstein | 2:46 |
| 11 | "The Blue Danube" | Johann Strauss | Strauss | 3:05 |