The Man Who Knew Too Little . Tucson Weekly . 11-24-97

The Man Who Knew Too Little

DIRECTED BY: Jon Amiel

REVIEWED: 11-24-97

Okay, so this movie only has one joke. And so its one joke could have been much better exploited, with genuinely hilarious results instead of merely amusing ones. Still, I had a fun time watching Bill Murray good-naturedly goof his way around London, and even at its worst the movie deserves tolerance. Murray plays a Des Moinesian dimwit who, on holiday for his birthday, signs up for "The Theatre of Life," an audience-participation program where actors help you act out an heroic mini-adventure in real-world settings. Somehow Murray stumbles upon an actual espionage scheme (can you spell "contrivance"?) and, the big silly, he thinks it's all part of the game. Murray spends the rest of the movie blithely "acting" while real hit-men and other shady characters come at him from all directions. Idiot luck and conversations full of double-meanings ensue. If this had been any other comic (say, Jim Carrey), the film would probably be unwatchable; but Murray's easy-going yet well-tempered mania saves the day. The gimmicky material is putty in Murray's hands: he plays with it, rolls his eyes, winks, shrugs, dances around a bit, and the show's over. Also starring the attractive Peter Gallagher and Joanne Whalley as foils.

--Woodruff

Full Length Reviews
The Man Who Knew Too Little
The Man Who Knew Too Little

Capsule Reviews
The Man Who Knew Too Little

Other Films by Jon Amiel
The Singing Detective (tv)

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