Un elefante llamado Vera

I remember seeing this movie with my Aunt a little after it came out in the theaters. We were the only people in the place and that shocked us because it turned out to be a very good movie. I remember saying to her that it was a good thing nobody else was there because we laughed as loud I ever have. I haven't seen it since then but I would love to see it again and find out if it is on DVD. It surprises me that this isn't at any of the rental places I have been to, including the almighty blockbuster. I think I was about 19 at the time it came out. This would be a great family movie too. I recommend seeing this. It is very underrated.

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.

This could have been a stupid, idiotic film. Well, actually, it /is/ a stupid, idiotic film. But it works, mostly because of Bill Murray's performance.

A man who has to unload his father's trained elephant does not make for a promising story, comic or dramatic. What makes this film work is Murray's generally laid-back performance. His character -- a motivational instructor who teaches patient and thoughtful behavior -- displays such. He rarely gets badly upset, and there's little of the frantic slapstick one would expect from other actors. (I suspect Roy Blount was consciously writing such a story.) When a reviewer states that the film misses the obvious sight gags its premise suggests -- well, that's the point of it, right?

This isn't a film that demands a second viewing. But it's far better than you might expect, and its refusal to assault the viewer is welcome. It's a perfect film when you don't want to watch anything demanding.

PS: I just love the parents who say this (and other films) are good family films because they lack sex, violence, adult language, etc. Unfortunately, most such films are garbage that pervert a child's taste.

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.

No sex, violence and only a small amount of language help Larger Than Life accomplish its victory as a great family film. Bill Murray is his usual self: funny and unpredicatble: the king of wisecracks. But in Larger Than Life, Bill uses his talent for the families.