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Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

*** may contain spoilers ***This was on TV the other day and I found myself watching it. I came on here to see more about it and read other reviews. I think for the most part the reviews are close I just think they missed what bumps this movie from a low rating to a much higher one. I concede I have to agree, the pacing is off, he gets close to the animal and there is a sort of abruptness about the end but I think this whole thing is about the process, the journey. Its basally not about the end, its about getting there. Bill Murray, who is hilarious, and a lot of the other characters are great. I don't know how many people care about this film or will look it up but all the reviews missed the magic here. I am currently going through some real life "stuff" and there is a lot symbology here. I know Bill Marry almost never does work without some other layer, or layers. His films almost always have another level to them. This guy is given a giant animal he cant possibly properly care for. This is a "Problem" but the irony is there, that hes a motivational speaker, a person that identifies problems and tells others to get over it. This is a problem he can not get over. As the movie progresses his life is changed, the problem becomes like a cosmic force guiding him, to a new less cynical life.Maybe its just me projecting my personal stuff going on but sometimes when the universe will not stop pushing us, we have to change, we know deep down we should, and the thing we view originally as a pain or a problem isn't at all... It is the catalyst that moves us into change.Every review I read missed this artistic and meaningful layer of it. I actually cried a bit at the end.

Released in late 1996 and directed by Howard Franklin, "Larger than Life" is road movie/comedy/animal flick starring Bill Murray as a motivational speaker who receives a huge inheritance from his father whom he never met. It's not a fortune, however, but rather a female elephant named Vera. He decides to sell the pachyderm, but he must choose between selling Vera to a zookeeper in San Diego (Janeane Garofalo), who's offering $30,000, or to an attractive circus owner for $40,000 (Linda Fiorentino). As they trek across the country, Jack meets circus friends of his dad, a zany truck driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a village of Hispanics in need of a miracle. Keith David is on hand as a train conductor.I love elephants, circuses and road movies; I also appreciate Murray's subdued brand of humor now and then. So I enjoy "Larger than Life" to some degree, but it's generally a missed opportunity because it could've been so much better. The plot's great, but the script needed a serious rewrite to realize its potential. That takes time and money, of course, which the producers unfortunately didn't want to spend.The movie contains scene after scene that hold the promise of great entertainment, one way or another, but they're never milked for their potential. Take the Hispanic village segment, it comes and goes to little dramatic or comedic effect. Or take Fiorentino and her high wire babes: What we see of them is fine but they're never flushed out for their potential (and I'm not talking about raunch or nudity). Also consider the wacky truck driver with the mullet: He has the promise of being a great comedic side character, but he ends up just being over-the-top weird and inscrutable.Still, there are several laughs & amusing moments and the road trip is entertaining to a point, which makes "Larger than Life" worthwhile for some.The film runs 93 minutes and was in St. Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; Moab, Utah; Wrightwood & San Jose Airport, California.GRADE: C

(Bill Murray) is one of the best actors and comedians in the last 20 years. So why to make a lame movie with an elephant? The answer : to be in business, to not be forgotten as a name in unstoppable ruthless industry, and to have a wonderful experience with an elephant BUT did we get any wonderful experience out of watching this ? I feel pity because of an easy script like this. So what was the meaning that the lead is a motivational speaker ?! and what exactly had changed in him after this trip ? and is there any intended similarity between him as a speaker and his father as a clown ? Then what was the running theme in this whole movie anyway ?!! I'm sorry, but the ultimate answer for all would be : NOTHING! OK, Matthew McConaughey cleverly plays a crazy driver (in the same year of his breakthrough A Time to Kill). Although that was humorous lateral conflict, but the script made him take part after the end of its first half !?? And event like the lead's fiancée leaving him to marry his publisher (as the finale's board shows) pushes you to ask: Why she left him ??! I think the "Trip" just affected the lead in a way to learn more lessons about life or to know what he really wants, and to discover more credibility around him. But all of that just in damned theoretical invisible way ! Even the end's sentimental situation looked fake with some line that didn't have much persuasion behind it so I could buy it anyway ! The major irony is super though it would've been better if the lead's character was animal hater, too pompous arrogant, selfish villainous who'll going to be redeemed by the events! So speaking of ironies I think the biggest of them all is that you have (Murray) with some trained lovely (Vera) through 3000 miles coast to coast 5-dayes odyssey and there isn't more than one laugh along the way !??? What a failure ! This movie got the very little, very cursory to present : touching moments (the elephant picks up tenderly the funny nose of her dead friend), comic time (Murray trying to choke McConaughey out of tedium), thrilling situations (the truck's one, and maybe the climax) and, sadly more than surprisingly, that was it ! As my review's title says, it didn't want to be a movie about characters, or character ! It didn't make much in area comic movies like (Any Which Way You Can - 1980) made a lot in it, and it's nothing like the polished peaceful family adventures that Disney produces yearly (at least they're meaningful !). So it was poor, tasteless, BLA BLA BLA, or wait a minute.. It really worked on that level, the level of making a good BLA BLA BLA ! All in all.. The only Larger Than Life thing in this movie was its title !

This was okay, but really a bit disappointing because I expected more laughs. Considering the storyline and the lead actor (Bill Murray), it should have been a lot funnier than it turned out to be. Only part of this made me really laugh, such as when Murray lost control of his semi and was speeding down the road at a weird angle. (You have to see it, to appreciate it.)The supporting cast was anything but likable people. Just look at a sampling of the names: Matthew McConaughey, Janeane Garofalo and Linda Fiorentino. Yecch! McConaughey's role in here as "Tip Tucker" was just downright annoying. He was the worst. Other that those people, the movie had some charming moments but overall it is not recommended. It's another Disney flop.