Another Look at Quick Change (***): Bill Murray’s Clown Caper

Director Howard Franklin, Bill Murray
Written by Howard Franklin based on the book by Jay Cronley
Starring Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Phil Hartman, Jamey Sheridan, Jason Robards, Tony Shaloub, Philip Bosco, Stanley Tucci, Victor Argo, Kurtwood Smith

The opening robbery to Quick Change is a delight. Bill Murray is dressed as a clown. He walks into a bank with a gun drawn. It looks like a bomb is strapped to his chest. He’s in full Murray mode.

The security guard asks, “What kind of clown are you?”

“The crying on the inside kind,” is his deadpan response.

Within 20 minutes, he and his two accomplices (Davis and Quaid) are out. They are down the road. Chief Walt Rotzinger (Robards) is waiting for a call back.

From here the story takes two tracks. The three robbers are trying to get out of town. The chief trying to track them down.

“I hate this town,” Murray’s Grimm repeats over and over.

Things go from bad to worse. His girl, Phyllis (Davis), has something very obvious to tell him. There is always something that gets in the way. His buddy Loomis (Quaid) is there for panic and desperately random comments.

Rotzinger is mired with an incompetent police force and reports of copycat clown robberies. He’s nearing retirement, but he’s after that last big bust.

Everywhere the trio goes, something worse happens. No matter the situation, Grimm plays it cool, Phyllis is slightly scared but rational and Loomis overreacts.They escape each situation in the nick of time. Just to fall into another situation.

There is no shortage of acting talent in this film. Many actors in minor roles would eventually become excellent leads in their own films.

Overall, the film moves along at a decent pace. The romance between Phyllis and Grimm is forced, as is the faux crisis. It doesn’t resonate at all. This is understandable given her eventual #metoo accusations against Murray during the making of the film.

Quaid is mostly just annoying. In just a few years he and Murray would reunite for the classic Kingpins.

The ending is a nice little bow complete with cloying guitar music. Murray is in good form, though. He never overdoes the cuteness while allowing Robards to have his hero moment.

Overall the film is competent and somewhat funny without any real laugh outloud moments. It has aged somewhat, but Murray still makes this film worth a look.

(*** out of *****)