Ranking every Bill Murray and Wes Anderson collaboration
Every filmmaker has their favourite actor. For Martin Scorsese, it’s Robert De Niro, for Jordan Peele, it’s Daniel Kaluuya, and for Wes Anderson, it’s Bill Murray. Collaborating nine times over the course of 24 years, there is only one film that Murray did not take part in, and that’s the American filmmaker’s debut release, Bottle Rocket, starring Owen Wilson, James Caan and Luke Wilson.
Speaking about the very first time he met Wes Anderson, Murray stated: “I read the script for Rushmore, and I just sort of agreed to it. The agents and all the pushy people said, ‘Well, do you want to meet him?’ I said no! (Laughs) I said, ‘What day am I supposed to start work? Let’s go!…He was just a kid, but he was also a guy who knew what the hell he was doing and what he wanted to do, right from the beginning”.
Soon to star in Asteroid City, Anderson’s 11th feature film, Murray will join a glittering contemporary cast of actors, including Sophia Lillis, Scarlett Johansson, Maya Hawke, Margot Robbie, Matt Dillon, Adrien Brody and Tilda Swinton. So, whilst we eagerly await Murray and Anderson’s tenth collaboration, let’s see how the performances of the actor stack up in the filmography of one of cinema’s most eccentric stars.
Every Bill Murray and Wes Anderson movie ranked:
9. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Venturing worldwide as Anderson finds much enjoyment doing, The Darjeeling Limited takes the director’s colourful style to India, following the story of three brothers trying to reconnect with each other following the death of their father. A charming film elevated by the performances of Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, The Darjeeling Limited adds to the directors continuing filmography that concerns itself with stories of troubled families and rekindled relationships.
Bill Murray only plays a bit part in this somewhat muted Anderson release, playing a businessman who misses his train at the start of the film. It’s a welcome appearance, but a cameo nonetheless.
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Featuring a spellbinding performance from Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a whacky story of murder, theft and espionage heightened by a mysterious European-inspired musical score from Alexandre Desplat. Often recognised as the director’s best piece of cinema, the film brings together excellent performances from Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Willem Dafoe.
Much like The Darjeeling Limited, here, Murray fails to stick out significantly from the ensemble cast, appearing as a friend of the lead character and sworn member of the Society of the Crossed Keys. It’s a great role, but a small one.
7. The French Dispatch (2021)
Getting the more minor roles out of the way, Murray stars as Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the fictional newspaper ‘The French Dispatch’, appearing now and again to fulfil his role with familiar style and wit. The film itself sees Murray star alongside Timothée Chalamet, Frances McDormand, Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Lyna Khoudri and many more.
Though highly anticipated at the time, The French Dispatch wasn’t quite able to live up to the excitement, being a patchwork of good ideas that didn’t quite gel well together.
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
There isn’t exactly a bevvy of fantastic Roald Dahl adaptations, but Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox is certainly one of the very best, perhaps even the director’s finest work altogether. Smart, sophisticated and wonderfully traditional, Wes Anderson’s tale perfectly captures the warm magic of the original Dahl novel whilst adding the director’s own quirky garnish, with a soundtrack that brings the folk tale to a contemporary audience.
Murray plays Clive Badger Esq, a badger who, just like many of the farm animals, has been displaced from his home by the farmers. The actor delivers a memorable voice performance, but whenever we think of Fantastic Mr. Fox we just think of George Clooney’s smooth tones as the titular character.
5. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
In Anderson’s ode to the playful DIY nature of the American boy scouts, he tells the story of a pair of lovers who flee their New England town for the wilderness, causing a local search party to pursue. A loving tale richly brought to life by a tight script and two terrific lead performances from Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom is among the director’s greatest films, perfectly amalgamating comedy and romance to create a vivid portrayal of young love.
Murray has more to do here too, playing the father of one of the co-lead characters, Suzy Bishop, where he has more time and space to show off his own idiosyncratic personality.
4. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
The third film of his illustrious career was the first to boast the kind of famed ensemble casts that he would later be famous for, starring Ben Stiller, Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, among many others. Following in the trend of Anderson’s narrative interests, the film follows an eccentric family and its many members who all reunite under different circumstances. It’s one of the director’s most eclectic films that lovingly recounts the story of a loving, broken family.
A major character in Anderson’s third feature film, Murray plays neurologist Raleigh St. Clair, a strange individual married to Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow). Given the space to flex his comedic muscles, this is undoubtedly one of Murray’s finest roles in an Anderson movie.
3. Isle of Dogs (2018)
In Anderson’s second animated adventure, Isle of Dogs, a boy travels to a Japanese island of abandoned dogs in search of his own lost pet, unravelling a government conspiracy in the process. Successfully pulling you into the fictitious world of Megasaki, Alexandre Desplat’s playful soundtrack uses Asain-inspired symphonies and war-like beats to heighten the imminent danger the protagonist finds himself in.
Giving a rousing vocal performance alongside such actors as Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum, it’s important not simply to dismiss a great voice role, with Murray managing to convey his own personality through the character of Boss.
2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Disliked upon its initial release, Anderson’s fourth feature film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has since claimed a lively cult following, with the iconic red beanie donned by the main cast becoming a mark of cultural status among an eclectic youth. The overly comprehensive story follows an Oceanographer, Steve Zissou (Murray), who plans to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, rallying a peculiar crew to help him do his bidding.
In a surprisingly messy movie, Murray helps to glue the whole thing together as the titular Oceanographer, bringing a distinct charm that pervades each corner of the movie. Though directed by Anderson, this may as well be Murray’s movie.
1. Rushmore (1998)
One of Wes Anderson’s most accomplished films followed his filmmaking debut, tracking the activity of an enthusiastic student put on academic probation to seek a life outside of school in 1998’s Rushmore. In what should be a sincerely irritating role, Jason Schwartzman as the lead character Max Fischer is instead totally loveable as the absorbing lead character, bouncing off his mentor Herman Blume, played by the consistently delightful Murray.
Whilst The Life Aquatic may give Murray almost total creative freedom, the actor demonstrated with Rushmore that, with stricter narrative guidance, he can deliver perhaps the best performance of his entire career.
