Review of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) by Amy S — 30 Jun 2013

Original post date: 6.25.2005.

Bill Murray used to make me laugh. Not just laugh. Double-over with can't-catch-my-breath laughter. I was a young "Saturday Night Live" viewer; but even as a kid, I knew those sketches were funny. I giggled. John Belushi frightened me. But Bill Murray was funny; and Gilda Radner was my hero.

From "Meatballs" to "Where the Buffalo Roam," through "Tootsie," "Ghostbusters," "What About Bob," "Groundhog Day," I kept giggling. I snickered at Bunny Breckinridge in "Ed Wood." But that's where it stopped for me.

Some comedians cannot make the same schtick last a lifetime. Some can; they do it well, make a career out of it and keep us laughing. Some keep doing the same schtick, and you wish they would stop (Jim Carrey). I understand that a bearded Murray can't give noogies to Angelica Huston. I realize that a more mature Murray can't tell Scarlett Johansson that she's "Rudy the Rabbit." I'm aware that Murray has moved on from the lounge singer act, and I accept that. What I'm having trouble with is that Bill Murray doesn't make me laugh at all anymore. In fact, he simply makes me sad.

I remember my mother saying that she became aware of Murray's "dark side" in "Scrooged." She didn't like the movie because the once-goofy Murray had become somewhat grim. I mentioned in an earlier journal entry that "Lost in Translation" put me in a deep funk. It depressed me so much, I wanted to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills as the credits rolled across the screen.

"The Royal Tenenbaums" is one of my favorite films. Yes, the comedy is "dark," but it doesn't dwell on the somber moments. We move on. Thank god for Gene Hackman. The Blindman in "Young Frankenstein" could never go completely dark. Although a fine dramatic actor, Hackman has retained his light...his youthful playfulness...his whimsy. Murray, on the other hand, seems to have lost his joy. He seems to have "put away childish things," no longer able to understand or think as a child. Or perhaps he's gotten too full of himself.

I just finished watching "The Life Aquatic." From the promotional trailers, I assumed this was a comedy; however, I found nothing humorous about it. I just sat blankly staring at it. The photography was interesting to look at; but I never became intimately involved with the characters, nor did I care about the story. Once again, I came away from a current Bill Murray film feeling deeply heavy-hearted.

Bill Murray has lost his smile. I'm sorry for him. And I'm sorry for me, because someone who used to inspire doubled-over can't-catch-my-breath laughter now makes me feel melancholic.

Perhaps Murray is afraid that his legacy will be the idiot groundskeeper in "Caddyshack," afraid that he won't be remembered as an "important" artist, a multi-talented comedian...afraid that his contribution to the entertainment world will be noogies. After all, Woody Allen, Steve Martin and Robin Williams have all successfully proved that a comedic mind has the ability to cross over into drama; however, after writing plays and short stories and pulling off a serious role in "The Spanish Prisoner," Steve Martin returned to his over-the-top gag-comedy roots in "Bowfinger." Martin isn't self-conscious about his place in comedy; but I believe Murray is. I think he wants to be recognized for something "significant.".

I used to be a big fan of Tom Hanks. I never missed an episode of that silly sitcom, "Bosom Buddies." Then Hanks decided that he wanted to be a dramatic actor. Fine. Bob Costas interviewed Hanks during the 1995 NBA championship (Go Rockets). Costas brought up Hanks' two Academy Award wins and asked if Hanks thought his latest movie would result in a "three-peat." Then Costas made reference to "Bosom Buddies." Hanks cringed and made some disapproving remark about the show, and at that very moment, Hanks lost all credibility for me. That stupid show might not have been a great contribution to television history, but it gave him his start. You don't diss your roots. That's just not right. Plus, it's incredibly insulting to your co-workers. That was bad form, and I've never forgiven him for it. Plus, I thought "Forrest Gump" was a snoozer.

I don't think Tom Spanks is a huge talent. In the early days, he was a poor man's Bill Murray. Go watch some of his early work to see if I'm right. Maybe Murray is upset that the guy who got his start doing a bad imitation of him has turned out to be on Hollywood's hot list; whereas Murray keeps trying to do something noteworthy, but his fans just want to see him do some more bad lounge singing.

As far as the screenplay for "Life Aquatic," Anderson should have teamed up with Owen Wilson again. "Royal Tenenbaums" was perfectly balanced. "Aquatic" is one of those films that you wish so desperately had been more than what it offered.