It's a good thing that Bill Murray is naturally hilarious. As star, producer, and co-director of Quick Change, the entire film could have easily gone south in lesser hands.
Murray stars as Grimm, a disillusioned, jaded city planner fed up with New York City as a whole. With the help of his girlfriend Phyllis (Geena Davis) and pal Loomis (Randy Quaid), Grimm strolls into a bank lobby dressed as a clown, takes hostages, and steals a million dollars. Even though the bank is surrounded with police led by Chief Rotzinger (Jason Robards), Grimm and his accomplices escape by pretending to be released hostages while the authorities are rounding up helicopters and monster trucks per Grimm's ridiculous demands. The plan is foolproof as the police will not enter the bank while lives are at risk but Loomis blows the trio's cover and the remainder of the film is a journey into the bowels of NYC as they attempt to make their flight out of the country.
The film comes across as equal parts crazy crime caper and a big F-U letter to the city of New York. I'm sure the intent isn't genuine on part of the filmmakers but that notion of the story can be easily transposed to anyone who has been stuck in one hellish place for too long. New York has always thrived (in my mind at least) as the city where anything can and does happen. After Grimm, Phyllis, and Loomis successful slip away from the police, they meet every other obstacle known in an urban environment from muggings, dipshit road crews, being lost in the concrete jungle, and held at gunpoint by Phil Hartman. Murray's portrayal of Grimm is priceless as he runs afoul of these elements and remarks with a quick, sarcastic reply and the occasional eye roll. Davis and Quaid's characters are more underdeveloped than Grimm but considering Murray's involvement with the various production aspects and his spot-on dry humor, this isn't a bad thing.
Helping the proceedings are bit characters who show up for a scene or two and do their part to give Grimm and crew "another little reminder of why we're getting out of here." Tony Shalhoub steals the scene, even with Murray present, as the cabbie of unknown origin who can't understand English or even the basic tenants of driving. Another excellent bit part is of the nazi-like bus driver played byPhilip Bosco, a man who has his circadian rhythm exactly in line with the bus schedule and who will not under any circumstance allow you beyond the white line. After a while, you begin to see exactly why Grimm hates this city to the extent to risk imprisonment or death to escape it.
For the record, I've enjoyed my treks to New York. New Jersey on the other hand …
The story itself isn't as refined as I would have like as much of it plays like vignettes that are easily interchangeable with one another as they all deal with the three trying to make their way to the airport through various modes of transportation. But, considering that everything in those segments come together so well (a big part of which are those eccentric side characters), that's a minor quibble. Murray and his co-director/writer Howard Franklin create such an absurd reality based around these quirky situations that takes those daily annoyances in any area and compounds them with one another that you can't help but laugh.
It's a shame that this movie is apparently so unknown (obviously not to us Movie Scum geeks going all the way back to episode 7) as it has a fine cast, a hilariously random sensibility to it, and a wacky score to boot. It stretches plausibility at times but then again normal life is rarely that funny.
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