Un éléphant sur les bras

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 is an inspiration speaker who is trying to get his career moving to get the bigger gigs after having a best selling book. He bases his theory on his ability to get over his father's death just before his birth. He is surprised to find his father has just died and has actually left him an inheritance. He travels out to collect to find that his father was a clown and his inheritance is substantial -–in fact she's an elephant. Now he has less than a week to get across country to deliver the elephant to one of several interested parties.

Around about this period Bill Murray films kinda sunk to a bit of a low in terms of money making and quality. One thing has kept him a star however and that's himself – even an average film can be made enjoyable by him, and that's what happens here. The plot is predictable – who will he give the elephant to, the evil trainer or the jungle bunny? Will he make it in time? The answers are easy, but no matter. The message about loving animals etc are a little sentimental and don't sit well with the idea that we are actually watching an animal that belongs to a movie organisation such as the one being shown here as evil!

The comedy is also predictable – we know the elephant will knock things down and lift things up etc, but it's not overdone and is amusing to a point. It may not be rocket science but it will please kids for sure. For adults the physical nature of this comedy is tempered by a world weary Murray who really does make the film worth watching. He is a funny guy and although he is on auto-pilot here, he is still very good.

The film rests solely on his shoulders and he just about carries it off. The rest of the cast may well be made of faces but they are all in minor roles. People like Piven, Garofalo, Fiorentino, Jerry Alder, Presnell etc are all round the edges making it look tidy but really do little. McConaughey has a bigger, minor role but he isn't very good. His character is funny but he doesn't quite carry it off and I wonder if he is embarrassed by it now.

Overall this sort of thing usually stinks the place up, and this one doesn't. It's nothing special but is amusing enough to pass the time. This is mainly due to Murray doing his usual world-weary cynical act – we've seen it before but that doesn't mean it's not still funny.

As with most animal/comedian movies, I thought this one would be a bomb. However, it wasn't as bad as I expected. The plot is decent and the funny parts are mostly funny, instead of just stupid. Kids and adults both will enjoy the elephant and the occasional outdoor scene, as Bill Murray and his new friend trek across the beautiful American countryside. This movie also touches on serious topics like animal abuse. Bill Murray is funny as usual and Matthew McConaughey puts in an unusual and funny performance. This movie isn't going to win any Oscars, but provides good entertainment, without resorting to sex or violence. I gave it 7 out of 10.

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.