Quick Change (1990)

Bill Murray Film Fest Movie #5 

Synopsis: Pistol-packing, wisecracking clown robs a bank in Gotham. Oh wait, that’s the “Synopsis” for The Dark Knight. Um… Bank job quickly descends into cat-and-mouse hostage negotiations? Nope, that’s Dog Day Afternoon. Ok – Hapless fools race across dysfunctional, dystopian New York City to meet rapidly-approaching deadline. Nah, that’s The Out-of-Towners. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Some people will do anything to escape the rat race. But no one can do it as hilariously as Bill Murray in Quick Change. The star of Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters continues his string of rollicking comedies, starring in, and co-directing this uproarious heist-and-pursuit caper.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) “Flores! Para los muertes!” means “Flowers for the dead.” 2) “Bluftoni” means “bus,” in whatever language Tony Shaloub speaks in this film. 2) If you’ve taken some hostages, and you need to stall for time, ask the cops for a monster truck. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You've always wanted to make a quick change.

 

Really?: Hold on – Grimm’s plan involves getting Chief Rotzinger’s (Jason Robards) mobile number and calling him from various pay phones in the city to make him think Grimm is still inside the bank? Wouldn’t the cops be able to trace those calls? Could that possibly work? Come to think of it, the plan also involves exiting the bank as phony hostages and then slipping away. Would the police really allow that to happen?

Rating: Quick Change is a rather implausible, but somewhat-funny caper comedy that starts out well in the first act, but loses a lot of steam once Grimm (Murray) and his accomplices leave the bank. (That said, I loved the scenes when Grimm and his accomplices rip off the mob, and then encounter the world’s most anal-retentive bus driver). Geena Davis isn’t given much to do, and I would have liked to have seen more of Robards as the crusty old cop, but overall, Quick Change is good for some laughs. 7/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100449/?ref_=rvi_tt