Big, bad movie daddy
Bill Murray is the coolest ugly guy in the whole world.
A paunchy dude with a bulbous nose, bad skin and thinning hair, Murray looks like a humble middle manager for some crummy company in the middle of nowhere.
Of course, the guy is 64-years-old, so he has an excuse for looking like road kill. Thing is, even when he started on Saturday Night Live (SNL) back in the 70s he looked rough.
Those were the days when you could be an ugly comedian - or actor, or rock star - and still become a superstar.
Murray may not be the most successful SNL cast member. Even with hits like Ghostbusters, he's up against the likes of Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and (technically) Robert Downey Jr to name but a few.
But when it comes to staying power and respect, he's a whale among minnows.
Having been a long-time fan of Murray - his summer camp movie Meatballs was a huge inspiration to me back in 1979 - I think I have some insight into his appeal.
It's quite simple, really - he doesn't give a damn.
Murray has the indifference of a man who long ago made peace with the fact that the world is fundamentally unfair.
He's no looker. He's no genius.
So what?
GOOD TIME
That's no reason not to have a good time, all the time.
In his new film, St Vincent, he plays the titular character, a cranky neighbour who takes a latchkey kid under his wing.
He teaches the boy the finer points of being a real man, such as losing lots of money on horses, hanging out in dive bars, and of course dating strippers.
Vincent is actually a bit like the character he played in Meatballs, a camp counsellor who befriends a lonely boy and teaches him some confidence.
There was a time when I was a lonely boy like that, and I took Murray's lessons very seriously.
Don't worry so much. Stir things up.
Most importantly, have some fun.
Life's way too short.
Murray's comeback over the past decade has been fuelled by young filmmakers for whom, I suspect, Murray is also a sort of father figure.
Wes Anderson had him play a sort of anti-mentor in Rushmore (1998).
Sofia Coppola cast him as Scarlett Johansson's age-inappropriate love interest in 2003's Lost In Translation.
He's like the true Yoda of Gen-X, a knobbly old geezer who taught us how to use The Force.
The Force of course being devastatingly dry sarcasm.
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