| Larger Than Life | | Cast : | Bill Murray | | Director : | Howard Franklin | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | November 01, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | February 04, 2003 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 27, 2005 | | Summary | larger than life | Content
 | larger than life is a cute movie about jack corcoran who inherits vera a 8,000 pound elephant from his estranged fatherand former clown .Jack then tries to get rid of her by trying to find the highest bidder which happens to be 3,000 miles away .so begins this crazy cross country journey everwhere he meets a crazy truck driver ( matthew mcconaughey)runins with the law and even his father former friend the human blockhead .along the way jack learns to love vera and finds out getting rid a vera is the hardest thing he will ever have to do . but dont worry vera goes to a good home . this movie is a treasure and fun for the whole family laugh out loud . it is one of my top favorites along with finding nemo and drop dead fred . if you have any thing else to add email me at swoopsav1@yahoo.com. thanks
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| Rating | | | Date | March 25, 2005 | | Summary | Slight Murray Vehicle | Content
| I bought "Larger Than Life" because I enjoyed some of the more oddball films in Bill Murray's canon like "Quick Change" and "The Man Who Knew Too Little". For the most part this film is enjoyable and goes down easy but not particularly memorable. To Murray's credit he does not phone his performance in but his droll sarcastic style that he does so effortlessly would make it appear so. Interesting supporting cast here includes Lois Smith, Keith David, and Pat Hingle. To the film's detriment Linda Fiorentino, an immensely talented actress, is wasted in a small role. Matthew McConaughey presence here as a crazed trucker feels out of place in what is essentially a family film. This film is a breezy piece of fluff and there are worse ways to wile away any idle time. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 29, 2005 | | Summary | Run of the Mill Murray Vehicle | Content
| When minor-league motivational speaker Jack Corcoran's (Bill Murray) circus clown father passes away and leaves him a "huge" inheritance, Jack soon finds out it's a really big Asian elephant named Vera (played by Tai). Adding insult to injury, he has also been left stuck with paying a $35,000 bill for damages caused by the errant elephant. Wanting nothing more than to send the pachyderm packing, Jacks tries to decide whether to sell her to a zookeeper or an animal trainer. While he's making his decision, Vera worms her way into his heart and changes his life for the better. Awww...
Murray is upstaged here by his large gray costar.
Staci Layne Wilson
Author of Staci's Guide to Animal Movies
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| Rating | | | Date | November 06, 2004 | | Summary | Life is a carnival, make a friend if you can | Content
| If you ever felt like dancing in the street with an elephant this would be the movie to do it to. Although there is no dancing in this movie, the music fits within each scene perfectly. Larger Than Life is a movie for the entire family to watch more than once.
The title is the first line to two songs in the movie and I liked them both and they seem to tell the whole story to the movie.
Larger Than Life starts off at the 34th Annual Upholstery Convention with the introduction of the key note speaker, Jack Corcoran, the author of Get Over It. While Jack is pacing back and forth planning his speech, he receives a phone call from his mother. This becomes a pattern in the movie.
Bill Murray gives an outstanding performance as Jack. The speech begins with a story about how Jack's father saved a child and died in the process. His book Get Over It is his way of sharing things he found out about himself. There is a funny bit in the room where the members at the convention are involved in climbing on top of each other in a pyramid.
Jack arrives at the lawyer's office ready to claim his fortune. What happens next is he receives a trunk and is told of his fathers heart attack while performing. Turns out Dad was a circus clown and the elephant appears in the office. Jack then learns of the amount due to the lawyer for damages incurred by the elephant, $35,000. Jack leaves and tells them they will be hearing from his Mother.
The scenes are of Jack and the elephant walking through the town and all the citizens staring at them. A young boy on a bicycle tells Jack of how he looks just like his Father. He tells Jack about whistling to communicate with the elephant. They continue walking until they end up in the cemetery and there is the grave of his Father. The elephant seems to know this as well. Then the police car arrives and the lawyer is sitting there telling Jack he has 14 days to come up with the money or go to jail.
The music in the movie is by Los Lobos, Curtis Wright and The Staple Singers. The credits mentioned working with the American Humane Association and USDA Forest Service.
There are parts to this movie that my children are not interested in, they watch for the elephant scenes. I thoroughly enjoy Larger Than Life and spend most of the time laughing at the comedic scenes that Bill Murray seems to enjoy playing. The way the elephant responds to him is a nice touch and you can tell they became friends in the movie.
This is a great family movie for a Sunday afternoon, or a nighttime flick for the whole gang after dinner. The music lifts my spirits and I felt sad and happy at the end of the movie when Vera went on the jet.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 05, 2003 | | Summary | Murray at his finest...well, since Ghostbusters that is. | Content
| Larger Than Life is a fun (and sadly forgotten) little family flick that everyone can enjoy. I�m 16 and I was chuckling all throughout by the likes of Bill Murray and Matthew McConaughey who are essentially the heart and soul of this kiddie adventure. The plot is a bit more advanced than most youthful ventures, and revolves around the escapades of sarcastic motivational speaker Jack Corcoran (Bill Murray), who receives a rather �large� inheritance from his estranged father and unknowingly gets a suitcase full of clown supplies and a �large� elephant named Vera. Deep in debt and eager to lose the new burden placed on his hands, Jack goes cross-country hoping to strike up a deal in which he can get Vera off his hands and make a little cash on the side. This, of course, goes awry and moral dilemmas lie in wait as Jack comes across floods, a paranoid hitchhiker played superbly by Matthew McConaughey going by the name Tip Tucker babbling about corrupt cops and conspiracies in motion by �Big Brother�, hijacking semi trucks, and half a dozen other little slapstick moments that should have the kids giggling. Larger Than Life is a simpleminded comedy aimed for the adolescent audience and though a few crude jokes are disguised by adult talk and should be over most of their heads, should be one that will provide the young ones with 93 minutes of fun and constant laughs from Murray�s comical antics while still remaining family friendly and appropriate. As for the disc, for one, you can expect Larger Than Life to be next to bare bones since it�s another nail in MGM�s budget title catalog and the demanding MSRP is reasonable, and secondly, it�s a kiddie flick and therefore features are not a top priority, and three, the films next to pitiful $8 Million box office haul doesn�t help either. That said, there is the obligatory Trailer presented in a widescreen format. Nothing special there. No booklet as usual. And since this is still an adolescent adventure, MGM gave us a bland full-frame presentation that is a tad bit above VHS quality. The picture quality is simple, faded, and bland. Nothing really stands out as a nice transfer would have and things remain in a neutral setting whether bright or dark, never adjusting quality with a change of atmosphere. And since there is really no sound effects and dramatic explosions to show off, the Stereo Surround mix is rather bland. Oh, and in addition to the less than par picture and sound quality we get a bland little promo for a dozen or so other MGM family budget titles. The reason I give Larger Than Life a four star rating is because as a film I enjoyed it, Murray was flawless and his sarcastic humor never let me down, plus the fabulous cameo by McConaughey didn�t hurt. But as a DVD, it�s a toss up. MGM put no effort into the release and starved the flick of anything other than a Trailer. Yet on the other hand, the film is meant for the kids and there is not a demand for deleted scenes or commentaries among the target audience plus the low MSRP keeps Larger Than Life in reason. If you are looking for an affordable family fun title that the kids will get a kick out of then by all means go for Larger Than Life, and for those who are fans of Murray�s relentless sarcastic antics, but those who are looking for a full fledged feature filled disc (which I doubt there are more than a dozen or so including myself) should steer clear. Larger Than Life is a fun kids flick that the whole family can sit back and enjoy, and for the budget it�s a full fledged value. Thanks for reading my rather lengthy review of Larger Than Life; I hope it helps in your decision. |
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