In “Larger Than Life,” Bill Murray stars as Jack Corcoran, a motivational speaker who has carved his career out of the rock. He believes that his father died before he was born, so imagine his surprise when he gets a telegram stating that his father has just passed away, and he needs to come collect his inheritance. But imagine his even further surprise when he finds that this inheritance consists of a large trunk, some floppy shoes, a red nose, and an elephant. That’s right – his father was a clown, literally.
Jack is legally obligated to take the elephant with him, although he really doesn’t want to. His father left a note with a few brief care instructions, informing Jack that the elephant’s name is Vera. How ironic – the elephant has the same name as Jack’s mother.
Making a long string of phone calls, Jack finally tracks down a woman named Moe who is arranging a flight of elephants to go to Sri Lanka. The goal is for these elephants to be let loose to roam the land, breeding and supplementing the elephant population. Jack decides this is the best thing for Vera – but he has to get her from Maryland to California, in less than a week.
The remainder of the movie really showcases Bill Murray’s comedic talent. The conversations he carries on with Vera are hysterical, and I laughed out loud several times, which is dangerous around here because I watch movies late at night and try not to wake up my kids. The best part of the whole film is when Jack rents a semi truck and can’t figure out how to drive it, and ends up nearly popping the cab right off. It was great.
This basically clean movie does contain one bit of language, which occurs when a trucker agrees to give Jack and Vera a ride to California. If you mute the first part of their conversation after they’re in the cab and on the way, and then un-mute it when they get into the mountains, you’ll be just fine. Interestingly enough, that trucker is played by a skinny and hyper Matthew McConaughey.
You will love this movie. Sit down and watch it with your family (and your remote, for that one very brief dialogue piece.)
This film is rated PG.
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