Quick Change (1990)

Directed by: Howard Franklin, Bill Murray | 89 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Dale Grand, Bob Elliott, Kimberleigh Aarn, Ron Ryan, Brian McConnachie, Jack Gilpin, Jordan Cael, Rhe DeVille, Marya D.Dornya, Barbara Flynn, Elizabeth A. Griffin, Connie Ivie Skipp Lynch, Jason Robards, Phil Hartman, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci

‘Quick Change’ is a film that is somewhere between a satirical take on ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, one of the better-known films from the early years of Al Pacino that also describes a bank robbery with its necessary complications, and a comedy which is typical of the eighties and shows clear stylistic similarities with films such as ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘The Burbs’ or ‘Stripes’. To escape his boring life, Grimm (Murray) has planned the perfect bank robbery with the help of his friends Phyllis (Davis) and Loomis (Quaid) that initially also seems to be extremely successful. But the flight from New York turns out to be the most perilous undertaking against the odds.

The trio ends up in various strange and precarious situations and in the roughly one and a half hour that the film lasts, an extensive selection of strange and eccentric types passes by. The viewer is introduced to a taxi driver who does not speak a word of English, a modern version of medieval jousting (on bicycles instead of horses) and a bus driver who strictly adheres to his timetable.

The story itself is not that much and is also quite improbable, but a number of good jokes, the good timing and a number of successful comedic twists give it some color. Bill Murray, who also directed this film himself, is absolutely perfect for the role of Grimm, the basically good-natured crook who always manages to get himself and his friends out of the most dire situations with a lot of bluff and the necessary shrewdness. liberate.

Murray’s style, which is not overly exuberant, but mainly relies on one-liners and witty statements, is also clearly visible in ‘Quick Change’. Randy Quaid also convinces as the somewhat rough and rather clumsy Loomis, a kind of role we’ve seen him play before. Geena Davis is a little less convincing, but her portrayal of Grimm’s friend Phyllis is not really bad either. The fact that the characters are fairly one-dimensional and are not too deepened is not really disturbing in a film of this type.

‘Quick Change’ is certainly not a masterpiece, but it is a nice, light-hearted and not overly pretentious comedy that will provide fans of the genre, especially viewers who can appreciate the older work of Bill Murray.