Die dicke Vera

I think, if you take a moment, you can actually see that this movie is an interesting metaphor for the grieving process.

Grief can be seen as a big uncontrollable thing that you didn't even know was yours until you have it laid in your lap. Then you have to figure out what to do with it, maybe make friends with it. Maybe find some way to control it. And, eventually, you have to give it up.

Bill Murray stars alongside an elephant.! He's no ringmaster in the circus, but rather inherits the elephant named Vera (after his mother) from his recently deceased father. Essentially, Larger than Life is a comedy road movie, wherein Bill Murray's character Jack must travel by any means necessary to facilitate Vera. It's a great movie about family connection's and doing what's right.

When originally released, Larger than Life was not very well liked by critics, the fanbase was even small. Over time though, the film has become somewhat of a favorite among Bill Murray fans. It's hard to find on dvd these days, at a decent price. It's an obscure film that's been overlooked for the goodness it holds.

I thought it was Great, as an animal film and as a comedy. I laughed for the bulk of it, and nearly cried at the end (it's nothing near drama, I'm just weird). Perhaps it got a little sappy at times, but never 'so-sappy-you-could-die' and was never vulgar, hurray! I suppose I could go into all the themes and merits of this movie, but I'll just suggest you go see it.

I would probably have given up on this movie had it not been showing in the middle of the night against infomercials and test patterns. It takes about 30 minutes before it really gets going, when Bill Murray and Vera hit the road. Bill Murray's performance is serviceable if unspectacular; it's a rather underwritten role that could have been played by most anyone, but the low-wattage version of Murray's charm does come through from time to time. Janeane Garofalo is well-used in a small role, but Matthew McConnaughey makes the most vivid impression in truly goofy part as an insane truck driver. Except for exposition, the first quarter or so of the film is dull, but the rest makes for pleasant if low-key entertainment. The "relationship" between man and elephant is genuinely touching.

Jack Corcoran (Bill Murray) is a struggling motivational speaker. When he gets a telegram that his absentee circus father had passed away, he doesn't know that he left him a giant elephant and $35k in damages. Now he must figure out what to do with the elephant, and how to get to California. He could get $30k with Mo (Janeane Garofalo) who's sending elephants to Sri Lanka for a breeding problem, or at least $40k to Terry (Linda Fiorentino) who has an animal circus.

It was probably a hilarious pitch to put Bill Murray with an elephant. I just don't know what they said to Bill to get him to do the movie. The biggest problem is that the whole story is really stupid. It's setup like a ridiculous sitcom. Bill has a few cute moments but it is mostly sad to see him fall so low. Matthew McConaughey puts in a ridiculous performance as a wild and crazy trucker.