In a sense, the last couple of weeks has seen two hauntings by Bill Murray.
First time was obvious - we went to the Tim Minchin musical of Groundhog Day at the Old Vic. The film has been a favourite of mine for a long time, although I can also see its flaws. The musical was actually a pleasant surprise, in that many of those issues were fixed, it was still funny, it contained new surprises, there was an interesting undertone of horror, and the lead, Andy Karl, does a passably unpleasant Phil Connors. However, and of course, I could feel an echo of Bill Murray's original performance. Probably impossible to avoid it.
And then this week to Asteroid City, at the local multiscreen in Peckham. If you like Wes Anderson, this is a very Wes Andersonny film, so you'll probably enjoy it. Lots of fourth wall breaking. Many well known American actors, including Steve Carell as the motel manager. Bill Murray was originally going to play the part, but caught Covid and had to withdraw. Floating around on the Internet there is a short film, made made by Anderson after the main shoot, of Murray playing a different (fictional) actor whose part was cut from the play, but who is doing an advertising intro for the show. Fun and odd, and all very metatextual, of course; and once seen, I had a retrospective feeling that he was perhaps a ghostly presence in the whole film.
These things feel inevitable. So, looking ahead, does anyone know: What echoing link does Murray have with the Dial of Destiny? I need to be prepared...
