Quentin Tarantino talks a lot about movies, and sometimes movies go astray. Today it is a popular comedy, carried by Bill Murray.
Quentin Tarantino is insatiable when it comes to talking about movies. And sometimes his opinions are a little against the grain. In his book Cinema Speculation, released November 1, 2022, the Pulp Fiction director criticizes an aspect of a viewer-adored film, Groundhog Day.
This comedy, signed by Harold Ramis and released in France in the summer of 1993, follows a jaded and obnoxious journalist (Bill Murray) inexplicably reliving the same day, Groundhog Day, which he says is the worst of the year. Here’s what Tarantino says:
I admit, not giving a damn about what other people think is perfect for developing a corrosive mind. But I’ve always dismissed the idea that Bill Murray’s characters needed redemption. Okay, he seduced Andie MacDowell [dans Un jour sans fin]but does anyone really believe that a less sarcastic Bill Murray is a better Bill Murray?
This criticism is aimed at the end of the film, where Phil (Bill Murray’s character), who hated the town and its people, redeems himself by saving some of them from death, and Rita (McDowell) in the most romantic of ways and seduced in any way he can. This complete personality change got him the pass – finally! – the next day.
The Reservoir Dogs author’s accusation applies to several other films by Bill Murray, Les Bleus and Fantômes en fête:
Columbia Photographs Bill Murray in Groundhog Day
“How does the Murray of the Blues go from being an insufferable iconoclast who deserves to be beaten by the drill sergeant played by Warren Oates, to a leader of soldiers (…) who succeeds in a secret mission in a foreign land? “
And to drive the point home by repeating Endless Day:
“Critics have always preferred Bill Murray to Chevy Chase. But for the most part, Chase stayed the same sarcastic asshole from start to finish.
Do you agree with Quentin Tarantino on the timeless classic Groundhog Day? Should Bill Murray’s character have remained obnoxious throughout the film, even if it meant never getting out of his time loop? Should the role have gone to another actor? your keyboards!