Bill Murray has had a prolific career over the last several decades. Getting his start in Chicago’s improvisational comedy group Second City in the 1970s, he got his start in comedy. He then made his feature film debut in a tiny voice acting role in the movie Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle before later becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1977. Murray was a key face on SNL during the show’s early years, playing a role in the series from 1977 to 1980.

Following his SNL debut, Murray saw one of his more notable screen roles, playing Carl Speckler in Caddyshack in 1980. The ’80s then saw a smattering of prominent comedy roles for Murray, including the Ghostbusters series and Stripes. While most of his iconic parts are in goofier comedies, the star is also known for his ability to crossover into more dramatic works. This has been true in his comedy-drama blended roles in Wes Anderson movies like The Royal Tenenbaums, and his Oscar-nominated work in Lost in Translation. After acting in dozens of projects, he now selects this one movie as “perfect.”

Bill Murray Says Broken Flowers Is “Perfect”

Broken Flowers Did Well In Theaters

Murray sings the praises of his movie Broken Flowers, a 2005 dark comedy directed by beloved indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. Blending multiple genres and tones, the movie sees Murray play a man named Don Johnston, who receives an anonymous and unexpected letter from a former lover informing him that he has a son, leading him on a cross-country search. In addition to Murray, Broken Flowers features Jessica Lange, Julie Delpy, Tilda Swinton, and Sharon Stone. The comedy ended up making $47.3 million worldwide, which was an impressive return on its estimated $10 million budget.

Speaking on the First We Feast program “H๏τ Ones,” Murray deems Broken Flowers a “perfect” film. He said that, when working on Broken Flowers, he thought he could never make a movie better than that again. He felt that it was a “perfect movie” and that he was really able to get into the character and his experiences. Check out the full quote below:

I thought the movie Broken Flowers, that Jim Jarmusch directed, I didn’t think I could do better than that. I thought that was sort of a perfect movie. It really did happen. So everything I had to do, I knew how to do. And things that I hadn’t done before, I was able to live. And because it was all happening, really truly happening to me, it came across as a performance.

What This Meant For Bill Murray

Murray Has Had Other Great Roles

While it may not have been the one to earn him an Oscar nomination, Murray’s great experience on Broken Flowers would lead to what is now regarded as one of the actor’s best performances. Whether the actor himself believes he has been able to top it or not, Murray has several iconic post-2005 performances. This includes playing Mr. Bishop in Moonrise Kingdom as well as reappearing on Saturday Night Live in several instances. Murray also has a movie called The Friend coming out in wide release soon, giving audiences another opportunity to see him perform.

Source: First We Feast