Quick Change (1990)

Director: Howard Franklin & Bill Murray

Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: The bank robbery was easy. But getting out of New York was a nightmare.

Plot: Three thieves successfully rob a New York City bank, but making the escape from the city proves to be almost impossible.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Would I watch it again? It wouldn't kill me but it'd have to be another 20 years, I think.

I've never seen a Bill Murray vehicle I didn't like. But then I haven't seen that elephant flick he did or the GARFIELD movies. He cracks me up without even trying, something very few comedians/actors can do.

It's been about 20 years since I saw this and, unfortunately, it's not as funny as I remembered. There are some great moments but on a whole it just doesn't work nearly as well as it should or I'd like it. Quaid's character's involvement is questionable except to set up silly situations. Robards nails the worn down cop bit to the back wall. Bob Elliott is fucking hysterical as the old bank guard that spins tales of his bravery to the cops.

QUICK CHANGE is loaded with some early film performances by Phil Hartman, Tony Shalhoub (GREAT outrageous physical role) and Stanley Tucci. Randy Edelman's score doesn't work as well as it should. David Newman would have been my pick for a film of this type. His score for THE FRESHMAN (released the same year) is pure fun.

It's probably the uneven and sometimes slow pacing keeps me from loving this picture. It's certainly worth seeing for any Murray fans but it's hardly the home run we'd like it to be. But hey! It's fuckloads better than SHAKES THE CLOWN Oh, well. Them's tha breaks. It looks like this was filmed before in 1985 as HOLD-UP starring the awesome Jean-Paul Belmondo and the so-so Kim Cattrall. I'm going to have to check that out.