Top 10 Bill Murray Movies

We here at TCM are big fans of Mr. Murray’s work. To put it simply, Bill Murray is to a good movie like beer is to a good time. Just about every movie he’s been in has generated at least a dozen hearty laughs and multiple quotations that can be broken out in social situations.

We know you’re a fan to so here are your top ten Bill Murray movies from the Captain’s:

#10 – Kingpin

Ernie McCracken (Murray) plays the rival to Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) while hooking up with all the hot single mom’s he can. His hair in the movie might be the funniest thing about it.

#9 – Rushmore

Murray’s first movie with Director Wes Anderson. Herman Blume (Murray) literally fights with Rushmore (Jason Scwartzman) over their teacher while Wes Anderson type hilarity ensues.

#8 – What About Bob?

“Baby step. Baby step.” Paranoid Bob Wiley follows Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) and family to his getaway at a lake. Befriends the family, blows up the house, you know, the normal stuff.

#7 – Meatballs

This movie started the 80′s even though it was done in 1979 and also launched Murray’s film career. Tripper Harrison (Murray) plays the ultra-cool camp counselor you wish you had at camp while you always got the serious asshole. The theme song remains as one of Captain Yar’s favorites to this day.

#6 – Scrooged

Quite possibly the funniest holiday movie ever written. Frank Cross (Murray) is a heartless TV exec, until his version of the Christmas Story happens. He chases his old love, promotes some dude he used as a doormat, and even gets the mute kid to talk. Only Bill Murray can work miracles of this magnitude.

#5 – Groundhog Day

“Phil? Like the Groundhog Phil?” This movie may be the most genius movie ever created. I can watch it repeatedly without complaints. Murray’s best day in the movie comes when he pretty much becomes the balls of Punxatawny, but his real best day is when he goes on a joy ride in search of flapjacks.

#4 – Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

A late success for Murray and another Wes Anderson film. Steve Zissou (Murray) is on the hunt for a Tiger Shark that ate his friend, but when he finds it, he promises to let it live. Quite possibly one of the funniest movies of the past ten years if you have a brain and enjoy sarcasm.

#3 – Stripes

Every time I see this movie I want to join the Army. John Winger (Murray) joins forces with Russ Ziskey (Harold Ramis) and Dewey Oxberger (John Candy) to mud wrestle naked chicks and hijack a multi-million dollar fighting contraption. Cold War hilarity ensues.

#2 – Caddyshack

Carl Spackler (Murray) may be on of the most quoted of Murray’s characters – “Cannonball!!” The looper speech he gives to Danny Newnan has been repeated thousands of times by golfers and non-golfers alike. Big props for eating the Baby Ruth turd that cleared an entire pool too.

#1 – Ghostbusters

If you don’t know how the Captain’s feel about Ghostbusters, you are apparently new to the site and that’s OK. Peter Venkman (Murray) was the idol for every kid growing up in the 80′s that had the dream of being a sarcastic scientist who chases musicians and tries to hook up with his patients. Throw in Spangler (Ramis), Stanz (Aykroyd), and Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), and you got yourselves a good time/story in catching ghosts across Manhattan. “And the flowers are still standing!”

On a side note: Thanks to Only Good Movies for the Bill Murray linkage.