The following is a list of selected movies that have Bill Murray in them – from early in his career to more recent films.
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On the Rocks (2020)
On the Rocks is a comedy-drama directed by Sofia Coppola. It follows Laura (Rashida Jones), a writer who suspects her husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans), of infidelity. She enlists the help of her charming and eccentric father, Felix, played by Bill Murray. Together, they embark on a humorous and insightful investigation around New York City to uncover the truth, leading to deeper reflections on trust and family dynamics.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
In a futuristic Japan, the government, led by the corrupt and authoritarian Mayor Kobayashi, decrees that all dogs must be exiled to a remote island known as Trash Island due to a canine flu outbreak. The island becomes a dumping ground for the city’s discarded dogs, who must now fend for themselves amidst the garbage and decay.
The story follows a young boy named Atari Kobayashi, who is the adopted nephew of Mayor Kobayashi. When Atari’s beloved dog, Spots, is sent to Trash Island, he sets out on a daring mission to find him. With the help of a group of stray dogs on the island — Chief (voiced by Bryan Cranston), Rex (voiced by Edward Norton), King (voiced by Bob Balaban), Duke (voiced by Jeff Goldblum), and Boss (voiced by Bill Murray).
Rock the Kasbah (2015)
Richie Vance is a washed up music manager. Every one of his clients has left him but one, who soon also abandons him in Afghanistan while on a USO tour. Deserted without any money or his passport, Richie discovers a young girl with an astonishing singing voice. He takes the role of her manager as he brings her to Kabul to compete in The Afghan Star, a popular reality show.
The cast of Rock the Kasbah also includes Zooey Deschanel, Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf, Danny McBride, and Kate Hudson.
St. Vincent (2014)
A young boy, caught in the middle of his parents’ difficult divorce, happens to be the next-door neighbor of Vincent De Van Nuys (Bill Murray) – a particularly wily and unfriendly war veteran with whom he strikes up an improbable friendship.
Against all odds, the strange pair of friends forms a lasting bond that not only helps the boy cope with his parents’ struggles but helps Vincent learn to enjoy life again in the aftermath of PTSD and severe depression.
The cast of St. Vincent also includes Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Gustave H is an obsequious, stuffy, and resourceful concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel, a swanky resort located high up in the mountainous terrain of the charming Republic of Zubrowka. Acclaimed British actor Ralph Fiennes stars as Gustave, who forges a special type of paternal friendship with a young bellhop (Zero Moustafa, played by Tony Revolori) in the midst of a homicide investigation at the hotel. Eventually the concierge, who was bequeathed a valuable painting by the victim after a one-night stand, becomes a prime suspect.
The film essentially plays out as a quirky and endearing murder mystery filled with the signature wit and elaborate style of director Wes Anderson. It is a period piece set in a quaint and prosperous Europe before World War II. A strong supporting cast – which includes Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jude Law and, of course, Bill Murray – gives the Grand Budapest Hotel an air of grandiosity.
The Monuments Men (2014)
During World War II, a group of art historians and academics volunteered to join Allied frontline forces in Europe for the purpose of safeguarding and rescuing valuable works of art by some of the world’s greatest painters and sculptors. Actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman star in this film that brings to light the brave work performed by these courageous and unconventional unit, whose love for art and cultural heritage is proudly on display at the world’s greatest museums.
Although many of these brave men and women were past their prime with regard to participating in armed conflict, the Monuments Men special unit was able to rescue about five million works of art pillaged by the Nazis as they invaded Europe.
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
Bill Murray stars as Franklin D. Roosevelt in this film, which focuses on a weekend in 1939 when King George VI (Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) came to visit New York – an attempt by FDR to boost American support for Britain before the war.
During this time, FDR also begins a secretive romance with his distant cousin Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney) – of course, there is some dispute as to how accurate this depiction is. At any rate, Hyde Park on Hudson allows for a rather personal and close look into the life of one of the most beloved presidents in American History.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
In 1965, two children, Sam and Suzy, from very different backgrounds fall in love and run away to a cove called Moonrise Kingdom, while throwing the town into an outraged frenzy. Suzy is the daughter of attorneys (played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) while Sam is an orphan at scout camp.
The large ensemble cast includes Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, and Harvey Keitel – in addition to such Wes Anderson regulars as Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban.
Get Low (2009)
Directed by Aaron Schneider and inspired by true events, this tense period drama stars Bill Murray as funeral director Frank Quinn, and Robert Duvall as Felix Breazeale. Felix is a cantankerous, shotgun-toting recluse who goes to Quinn and requests Quinn’s help to arrange his own funeral.
After seeing the way townsfolk gossiped about another hermit who had died, Felix decides that he would like to throw a funeral party for himself, but one that he would like to attend while he’s still alive and kicking. Felix hopes to have guests who will share their stories about him and perhaps even get to the root of the truth about his life and the reason he walked away from civilization and disappeared into the Tennessee woods 40 years earlier. The biggest question is, will anyone show up to hear Felix Breazeale’s story?
(Related story: Bill Murray on the Set of “Get Low”)
Broken Flowers (2005)
Don Johnston (played by Bill Murray) just wants to live the quiet life of a retiree. As his most recent girlfriend moves out of his house, he receives a letter from an anonymous ex-girlfriend stating that he has a teenage son who may be looking for him. Although he is initially reluctant, Don is persuaded by a nosy neighbor to investigate and track down his possible son. After locating the five women most likely to have sent the letter, he embarks on an epic search for the truth. As he meets with each of his ex-lovers one after the other, however, will be able to find the answers he’s looking for?
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Directed by wunderkind Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou stars Bill Murray as the washed-up oceanographer Steve Zissou, a filmmaker in the spirit of Jacques Cousteau.
Steve’s dear friend Esteban is attacked and brutally killed by an unidentified species of shark during a dive and Steve vows to kill the strange beast to avenge his friend. With a rag-tag group made up of Team Zissou, the crewmembers of Steve’s vessel the Belafonte, Steve’s illegitimate son Ned Plimpton and a pregnant British journalist named Jane Winslett-Richardson, Steve sets out in unprotected waters to find the Jaguar Shark and avenge his friend.
Lost in Translation (2003)
In this understated slice-of-life film directed by Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette), Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an aging actor who’s traveled to Tokyo, Japan for work and finds himself constantly overwhelmed and befuddled by the peculiarities of Japanese culture.
By chance, Bob meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) one evening at the bar in their luxurious hotel, and despite the considerable age gap, the two of them have an instantaneous and intense chemistry with each other. Charlotte is a bright young woman who’s accompanying her photographer husband as he travels for his job, and she is often left to her own devices in much the same way as Bob when he’s not working.
Bob and Charlotte strike up an easy companionship as they navigate the peculiar customs and vibrantly colored nightlife of the city together. Bob has a wife he can barely bring himself to talk to, and Charlotte’s relationship with her husband is tender but equally distant. Are Bob and Charlotte looking to make their friendship into something more, or are they both just tired of being the only people in Tokyo who feel disconnected and lonely?
Rushmore (1998)
Jason Schwartzman plays 15-year-old overachiever Max Fischer in this film directed by Wes Andersen. With a scholarship to the exclusive Rushmore academy, membership to a beekeeping society, and hobbies that include writing and producing plays, Max Fischer is the king of extracurriculars but not exactly king of applying himself when it comes to his real schoolwork.
Max’s world begins to tilt on its axis when he discovers that he’s been placed on academic probation and his hormones finally kick in, leading to him falling head over heels for a pretty teacher named Miss Cross, who began working at the Rushmore elementary school after the death of her husband.
Max discovers that his friend, discontented millionaire Herman Blume (Bill Murray), is also in love with the beguiling school teacher, and Max launches an all-out war against his competition. Will he be able to win Miss Cross’s heart or will his winner-take-all attitude cost him everything he values most?
The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
The Man Who Knew Too Little is a 1997 film that chronicles the misadventures of Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) during a visit to England to visit his brother James (Peter Gallagher).
Ritchie, a well-meaning but somewhat naive man, is set up by his brother in the “Theatre of Life”, which is supposed to give people the sensation of being spies for an evening. Upon entering his evening of fun, Ritchie unwittingly stumbles upon an actual spy ring, and unwittingly takes the place of one of the operatives.
Ritchie eventually meets Lori (Joanne Whalley), a call girl who partners with him. As the two get further and further into the spy ring, they begin to uncover a conspiracy that could have global ramifications. Once the leaders of this conspiracy catch on to him, they send infamous Russian assassin Boris the Butcher (played by the incomparable Alfred Molina) after Ritchie and Lori. Then, as with multiple Murray films, hijinks ensue.
Kingpin (1996)
This comedy starring Woody Harrelson, Vanessa Angel, Randy Quaid, and Bill Murray features bowling and centers around Run Munson, a professional bowler, who loses his hand in a con game gone wrong. He then tries to stay in the world of bowling by unsuccessfully selling bowling supplies.
While at the bowling alley, he watches Ishmael Boorg bowl a good game and tries to recruit him into becoming a pro. After some convincing, Ishmael agrees despite the fact that he is Amish. However, he is not quite the bowler Roy imagined him to be.
Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
The film stars Robert De Niro as Wayne “Mad Dog” Dobie, a shy and mild-mannered Chicago cop who is known for his quiet demeanor and impressive skills as a crime scene photographer. After Mad Dog saves the life of a local mob boss, Frank Milo (played by Bill Murray), as a gesture of gratitude, Milo offers him a reward.
Milo, in an attempt to repay Mad Dog’s favor, presents him with a call girl named Gloria (played by Uma Thurman). However, the situation grows complicated when Mad Dog and Gloria form a genuine romantic connection. The film combines elements of crime, comedy, and romance, exploring themes of unexpected relationships and personal transformation amid a backdrop of crime and deception.
Groundhog Day (1993)
In this film directed by Harold Ramis, Bill Murray plays sourpuss weatherman Phil Connors, who goes to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania with his crew on assignment to cover the annual Groundhog Day event. Phil immediately notices something very strange is going on when he wakes up the following morning only to realize that he’s reliving what should now be the previous day over and over.
No one else is aware of what Phil is experiencing, and he is the only one who retains his memories of the Groundhog Days before that, so he takes advantage of the seemingly never-ending loop by seducing beautiful women and getting involved in high-speed police chases. Phil soon turns his attention to trying to woo his lovely producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell), but can he take the shortcut to winning her over, or will he have to go the long way around and learn what being a decent human being is all about first?
What About Bob? (1991)
In this movie directed by Frank Oz, Bill Murray plays Bob Wiley, an extremely neurotic and manipulative man in need of help. Richard Dreyfuss plays Dr. Leo Marvin, a successful psychiatrist who winds up having Bob dropped in his lap by a colleague. Leo hands Bill a copy of his new bestselling self-help book and then takes off for an extended vacation at a lakeside cottage with his family.
Not content with being abandoned by his therapist, the usually reclusive Bob manages to find out where Dr. Leo and his family are staying and gets on a bus to follow his wayward therapist. Although Leo is less than pleased at Bob’s arrival, Bob manages to charm Leo’s family with his personality and sense of humor. Worried that he might be losing his family for good, Leo slowly but surely loses his mind and plots to kill the needy, annoying patient that is quite literally driving him mad.
Quick Change (1990)
Grimm (Bill Murray) is totally fed up with New York City and decides to rob a bank. Dressed as a clown, with Loomis and Phyllis as accomplices, he pulls off the heist – but getting away proves to be a problem.
Quick Change also stars Randy Quaid and Geena Davis. This movie was co-directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Set five years after the events of the original film, it seems as though everyone has forgotten what the Ghostbusters did for New York City, including the Ghostbusters. However, the Ghostbusters’ very first client, Dana Barrett, is in need of their help once again.
While Dana is out running errands with her infant son, Oscar, his stroller rolls out into traffic on its own. The Ghostbusters investigate the spot where Oscar’s stroller stopped and uncover a large river of pink ectoplasmic slime that’s flowing towards the Manhattan Museum of Art where Dana works.
The evil spirit of Hungarian sorcerer Vigo the Carpathian awakens within a painting and orders Dana’s boss to find a child for him to possess so that he can continue with his plans to take over the world. It’s up to the Ghostbusters to stop Vigo and rescue Dana’s son before it’s too late.
Scrooged (1988)
In this dark, comedic adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Bill Murray plays network president Frank Cross. Frank is an angry, cynical man who hates Christmas, but will do whatever it takes to get people to tune in for his network’s special holiday line-up. The day before Christmas, Frank cruelly fires a junior exec for daring to criticize a violence-riddled promo for the network’s big, upcoming Christmas Special, “Scrooge”.
That night, Frank has a nightmare about his former, now-deceased boss Lou, who warns Frank that he has to mend his ways and tells him that he’ll soon be visited by three ghosts. With the help of a cranky, cab-driving elf, a sweet but violent sugarplum fairy, and the Monitor of Christmas Future, Frank fumbles his way through his regrets and painful memories to finally come to terms with Christmas. Can Frank patch things up with his family and the girl he gave up for professional gain, or is it already too late for him?
The Razor’s Edge (1984)
After Larry Darrell (Bill Murray) comes back to America from fighting combat at World War I, he has realized that he has not come back as the same person. Larry has a fiance named Isabel, and she decides to postpone their wedding plans for a while when Larry travels to Paris. He realizes that he would like an easier life after doing some reading – a book that encourages him to head to India and Nepal, where he gets spiritual guidance from a lama.
When his trip has ended, he heads back to his normal life and is stunned to find out that Isabel and his old friends are not exactly the same as when he first left them. While Larry was away finding a simpler and easier life for himself in a spiritual way, he has returned to realize that life back home doesn’t always stay the same.
This movie was based on the book of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, published in 1944.
Ghostbusters (1984)
In this comedy from director Ivan Reitman, parapsychologists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Ackyroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) find that they’ve lost the funding for their paranormal research studies. Seeing no other options, the three figure out a way to parlay their research into a full-time job hunting and capturing ghosts and other paranormal disturbances.
They buy and renovate an old firehouse as well a classic hearse they paint and name the Ecto 1. They hang out their shingle as the Ghostbusters and hire snarky secretary Janine to field calls and make appointments. When beautiful cellist Dana Barrett finds the ancient temple of the evil elder god Gozer in her refrigerator, she turns to the Ghostbusters for help. Can they solve the mystery of the link between Dana’s apartment building and Gozer’s temple before Gozer has its chance to wreak havoc on New York City?
Tootsie (1982)
The film stars Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey, a talented but struggling actor who finds it nearly impossible to land roles due to his difficult reputation. In a desperate bid to secure work, Michael disguises himself as a woman and adopts the persona of Dorothy Michaels. He successfully lands a role on a soap opera, where his performance is praised and becomes a hit.
As Michael navigates the challenges of his dual life, he faces unexpected complications, including developing romantic feelings for his co-star Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), and grappling with the complexities of gender roles and identity. Bill Murray plays Jeff Slater, Michael’s best friend and roommate. Jeff is a laid-back, supportive character who provides comic relief and helps Michael navigate his unconventional situation.
Stripes (1981)
In this 1981 comedy from director Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray plays John Winger, a hopeless loser who talks his buddy Russell (Harold Ramis) into enlisting in the army with him for a laugh. John and Russell get stuck with stick-in-the-mud Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates) and a whole gaggle of incompetents and goofballs, but somehow they manage to make it through their basic training.
While stationed in Germany, John and Russell take off in an armored personnel carrier disguised as an RV to go and visit their girlfriends. John and Russell’s platoon mates scramble to find the two of them as well as the stolen carrier, but get captured and detained by communists in Czechoslovakia. John and Russell join Sgt. Hulka in a full-on assault to get their fellow platoon members out alive.
Caddyshack (1980)
Harold Ramis directed this raunchy 1980 summer comedy that follows the trials and frustrations of hardworking blue-collar caddies as they cater to the obscenely wealthy and eccentric members of the exclusive Bushwood Country Club.
Quirky characters abound, including the uptight Judge Smalls (Ted Knight), boorish but charming real estate developer Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), golf shaman Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), and a twitchy assistant groundskeeper and veteran Carl Spackler (Bill Murray).
An ambitious young caddy named Danny tries to land the elusive Bushwood scholarship so that he can attend college, but it will take a bit more to impress the impossible to please Smalls. With some help from fellow caddies and golfing genius Ty Webb, Danny sets out to win a golfing competition that could change his life forever.
Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)
Almost 20 years before Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would hit the big screen, there was Where the Buffalo Roam, a semi-autobiographical comedy directed by Art Linson and starring Bill Murray as eccentric gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Inspired by Thompson’s obituary for his friend, attorney and activist Oscar Acosta, the film depicts Thompson’s rise to fame thanks to a piece he wrote for Blast Magazine about his attorney pal’s battle in the courts to prevent several young men from being sent to jail for marijuana possession. Thompson covers the 1972 presidential election campaign but winds up being thrown off candidate Richard Nixon’s plane thanks to his shenanigans. Masquerading as a respectable journalist, Thompson gets a devastating quote for his piece straight from the candidate’s mouth to polish off his next article.
Meatballs (1979)
In this teen comedy directed by Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray appears in his first starring role as camp counselor Tripper Harrison. The movie follows the exploits and antics of Tripper and his team of counselors in training at the cut-rate summer camp, Camp North Star.
The heart of the story centers on Rudy Gerner, a lonely and insecure young man who’s been sent to North Star for the summer. Tripper befriends Rudy and helps him to build his confidence and Rudy encourages his new friend to chase after the pretty head female counselor at the camp.
Amidst make-ups, break-ups and pranks, the campers at North Star prepare for the annual Olympiad, which the wealthy rivals of Camp Mohawk have won twelve years running. Will Camp North Star finally win the competition or will the cheaters on team Mohawk win for the thirteenth year in a row?