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Groundhog Day and Other Great Bill Murray Movies

Bill Murray as Phil Conners in Groundhog Day.
Bill Murray as Phil Conners in Groundhog Day.

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: No one ever needs an excuse to watch the great Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day. But as far as excuses go, celebrating every February 2nd with a rewatch of this classic is a perfectly fine life choice, and we totally support that.

So if you’ve got some extra time on your hands this weekend, here we have Groundhog Day and 10 more Bill Murray films you should watch immediately:

The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man
Type: Documentary
Release Date: 2018
Director: Tommy Avallone
Starring: Bill Murray
Rating: 94% RT, 7.1/10 IMDb

Bill Murray isn’t just a movie star, he’s a legend. If you haven’t seen this documentary about the laissez-faire way he lives his life, then you’re in for a real treat.

Olive Kitteridge
Type: Drama
Release Date: 2014
Starring: Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray
Rating: 95% RT, 8.3/10 IMDb

This HBO miniseries from 2014 cast Murray in a smaller supporting role, but that is no reason to discount it. Through the course of 25 years, Olive sees her sleepy New England hometown for the tragic reality that it is.  

Isle of Dogs
Type: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Animation
Release Date: 2018
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Bill Murray
Rating: 78% RT, 7.5/10 IMDb

Wes Anderson’s latest film allows Murray to flex his voice-acting muscles once again. This time, he plays a member of a group of wayward pups attempting to help the young pilot, Atari Kobayashi, to find his missing dog.

Quick Change
Type: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Comedy
Release Date: 1990
Director: Bill Murray & Howard Franklin
Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid
Rating: 82% RT, 6.8/10 IMDb

This forgotten 1990 comedy is Bill Murray’s one and only directing credit. With a career as long as his, that fact is surprising. Especially because this crime caper is totally hilarious. Maybe in his golden years, Murray will return to directing? (With his continued acting success though, we seriously doubt it.)

Ghostbusters
Type: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Family
Release Date: 1984
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver
Rating: 97% RT, 7.8/10 IMDb

Wes Anderson is not the only director that found a muse in Bill Murray. Director Ivan Reitman happens to be the director of many of Murray’s early hits, not the least of which is 1984’s fan-favorite Ghostbusters.

Rushmore
Type: Comedy, Drama, Independent
Release Date: 1998
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams
Rating: 89%, 7.7/10 IMDb

While Murray has starred in more Wes Anderson movies than we can count, Rushmore is probably the one that single-handedly changed his career.

Lost in Translation
Type: Drama, Comedy
Release Date: 2003
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
Rating: 95% RT, 7.8/10 IMDb

Speaking of career-changers, Lost in Translation is a sleepy Sofia Coppola drama which allowed Murray to show off his more dramatic side while starring opposite Scarlett Johansson.

Scrooged
Type: Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release Date: 1988
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait
Rating: 70% RT, 7/10 IMDb

This 1980s adaptation of Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, finds Murray battling ghosts yet again. This time, the ghosts come in the form of the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future.

Stripes
Type: Comedy, Action & Adventure
Release Date: 1981
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy
Rating: 86% RT, 6.9/10 IMDb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Ma_dsG-zo

Hot off of SNL, Bill Murray jumped into movie stardom with this Ivan Reitman project as down-on-his-luck army recruit John Winger. Though this film is nearly 40 years old, the humor is no less side-splitting.

St. Vincent
Type: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Release Date: 2014
Director: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy
Rating: 77% RT, 7.3/10 IMDb

Starring alongside Melissa McCarthy in this 2014 dramedy, Murray plays a curmudgeonly old retiree who winds up babysitting his neighbor’s son. This sweet film is elevated from mediocre status by the caliber of the performances.

Groundhog Day
Type: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Fantasy, Cult
Release Date: 1993
Director: Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Rating: 96% RT, 8/10 IMDb

This early-nineties Bill Murray flick is undoubtedly the reason you’re all here, and is one of the only films in Murray’s career that has reached cult status. The beautiful thing about this movie is that it never gets old, despite the fact that it’s about a grumpy weatherman who is forced to live the same day over and over.

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