Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

Quick Change

(1990)

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Bill Murray comedy where he didn’t make me laugh, even the few I didn’t like. This is a good one. It’s really in two parts: an ingenious bank robbery, and then the attempt to make a getaway, which is foiled mostly by the city of New York. It reminded me of Martin Scorsese’s only comedy, After Hours. These bank robbers just keep running into more and more bizarre characters and situations, and they all work because it’s night, and it’s the city where anything can happen. It’s also fun to spot actors who would later become much bigger stars, like Phil Hartman, Tony Shalhoub, and Stanley Tucci. There is also Bob Elliott, of Bob and Ray, and father of Chris Elliott.