Yes, I know it is very late this week.

I had parent/teacher conferences this week so it took up a big chunk of the time I would usually be writing these Top 10s and, when you add in cheering for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, well, the time is short.

Not only was time short, but honestly, this week’s topic was a tough one for me.  Top 10 Submarine Movies, in honor of Hunter Killer, was not necessarily my niche.  Before I started to research, two films popped into my head.  After my research, I saw a ton of films that I had not seen and K-19: The Widowmaker was just not going to be able to make the list.

So my Top 10 Submarine movies are as follows:

1. Hunt for Red October

2.  Crimson Tide

And that was not going to reach 10.

I decided I would wait and see the Patreon classic episode and do that topic, but it was Bill Murray movies.  Let me preface this by saying I love Bill Murray, but there are many movies Bill Murray was in that I was not a fan of and there were several early “classic” Bill Murray movies that I have not either seen or did not like.  When Matt and John then added the part about not including the films where Bill Murray was not one of or the lead, it became even more challenging.  I was really stretching for the second half of the list, and found that I was cheating more than I wanted.  The Top 6 were really pretty well set though.

So here are my Top 10 Bill Murray movies:

1.  Ghostbusters
2. Groundhog Day
3. Scrooged
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. St. Vincent
6. What About Bob

 

So I was still having troubles.  Then, I saw how many films that I was including that I felt were “cheats” and I was thinking about those great times when Bill Murray would just show up in a movie, or be a side character in a movie and steal the show.  There turned out to be over ten for that list, and so I made an executive decision and changed the list up a little bit for the first time. I decided on the Top 10 Bill Murray Movie Cameos.  As I said, it wasn’t just cameos, but appearances that you would not consider it a “Bill Murray” film.  Here they are:

#10.  Space Jam.  Bill Murray may have been the best part of this movie for me.  Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny may be the big stars here, but Bill Murray provides the humor and the fandom that this type of movie requires.  I hope Bill can find his way into the new version being filmed with LeBron James.

 

 

#9.  Isle of Dogs.  Wes Anderson’s recent film where dogs are banished from the country of Japan because of the “dog flu” is an entertaining film.  This is not the only film that Wes Anderson created that will appear on this list.  Bill Murray is one of Anderson’s go to performers.  Many examples of Bill Murray’s great voice over work is also included in this list.  Isle of Dogs was okay, but he had better voice over work, including….

 

#8.  Fabulous Mr. Fox.  The second Wes Anderson film to make the list is the George Clooney starring Fabulous Mr. Fox.  Murray is Clive Badger, Mr. Fox’s best friend who serves as his lawyer.  He did not find much of Mr. Fox’s actions smart, but he was always loyal to him.

 

 

#7.  Get Smart.  The movie version of the 1960s TV show had Bill Murray taking the role of Agent 13, the agent who would be anywhere at any time.  Here he was inside a tree when Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) came to see him.

 

 

#6. Dumb and Dumber To.  Now, I hated this movie, but the cameo by Bill Murray here is easily the best moment of this travesty.  Murray plays the new roommate of Harry and Murray has a bit of Breaking Bad inspiration for his character.  We never see Murray’s face in the movie, but that voice is unmistakable.

 

 

#5.  Tootsie.  This role is one of the roles on this list where he would be considered a supporting actor, but there is no debate that the movie is not his.  He is very strong as the roommate of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film and he provides some advice for the pretend soap opera “actress.”

 

 

#4.  The Grand Budapest Hotel.  The final Wes Anderson film where Murray plays M. Ivan, the competition to the Grand Budapest Hotel, the Excelsior Palace.  I mean, look at that mustache!  How could you go wrong putting Bill Murray under a mustache like that.

 

 

#3.  Ed Wood.  Matt Knost put this one on his actual list, but that might have been a bit of a cheat.  However, Bill Murray is so tremendous as Bunny Breckinridge and the movie is so fantastic, we can forgive the inclusion.  However, once I decided to do this list instead of the regular one, Ed Wood absolutely was fitting in here.  I had initially planned on cheating on that list too.  Now I do not have to.  The baptism scene itself makes the film’s inclusion a no-brainer.

 

#2.  Little Shop of Horrors.  One of the funniest parts of this wonderful movie is when Steve Martin’s cruel dentist receives an unexpected patient who seemed just a little bit too eager to make his way into the dentist chair.  And no matter what torturous thing Dr. Orin Scrivello, DDS did to him, this man seemed to enjoy it.  Murray’s turn as the masochistic Arthur Denton was a highlight of an awesome film and even creeped out Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.

 

#1.  Zombieland.  Of course, the number one cameo for Bill Murray is from Zombieland.  The amazing meta turn of Bill Murray playing himself, pretending to be a zombie to blend in with the hordes is just unbelievably funny.  And the end fate of Mr. Bill Murray is both fitting for the film and shocking for the audience.  That is why the Bill Murray Zombieland cameo is sometimes referred to as one of the best cameos in movie history.