Thirty years ago, I probably watched Quick Change roughly 30 times, thanks to a generous rental policy at our local 20/20 Video. But until the other night, it had been 25 years, give or take, since I had seen Quick Change, Bill Murray’s only directorial effort (actually he co-directed it with the film’s screenwriter, Howard Franklin). I was worried the film might not hold up, but I was wrong about that.
In Quick Change, Murray plays a discontent New Yorker who disguises himself as a clown and robs a bank in order to escape a failing and over-priced New York City. The robbery goes well, but the getaway is a circus (see what I did there?). At every turn, the city’s troubles conspire to remind Murray and his accomplices why they’re so determined to GTFO.
Smack-dab in the middle of a five-film run that began with Scrooged (1988), followed by Gostbusters II (1989), What About Bob? (1991), and Groundhog Day (1993), 1990’s Quick Change should’ve been a hit. But Quick Change bombed at the box office, and all these years later, even hardcore Murray fans don’t seem to know that one of the greatest comedic talents of our time directed a wry caper that has plenty to say about the failures of American society at the tail end of the 20th century.
Maybe Quick Change struck the wrong note at the time because our culture felt more triumphant in 1990. We (some of us, anyway) were still enjoying the the high of the deregulated, coked-out 1980s. We had also won the Cold War (America, fuck yeah!). Maybe Murray’s only directorial effort fell flat with audiences because it expressed a cynicism about the American Dream slumbering Americans just didn’t want to hear at the time. Or, maybe the studio’s marketing team just couldn’t figure out how to sell a story where the audience is asked to root for the bad guys.
Honestly, I don’t know why Quick Change failed. But I do know that it’s worth revisiting. After all, sometimes the difference between a good film and a flop is just timing. That randomness shouldn’t sit well with filmmakers or audiences, but just like troubled city depicted in Quick Change, the randomness of success and failure is inescapable.
Have you seen Quick Change?
What’s your favorite Bill Murray film?
If you were going to rob a bank, what would your disguise be?