Bill Murray Wuz Robbed!

I'm really, really disappointed that Bill Murray didn't win the Best Actor award at last night's Oscars. Sure, Sean Penn is a great actor and was excellent in Mystic River. Normally I'd be very happy for him, because Penn is arguably the best actor of his generation and he himself was robbed when he didn't win a few years ago for Dead Man Walking. But Bill Murray's performanced in Lost In Translation was so beautifully subtle and nuanced--in its way a much harder thing to pull off convincingly than was Penn's task. Which, I guess, is precisely why Murray lost. The subtler a film or performance is, the less likely it is to be recognized by the Academy. How great would it have been to see Murray--Bill Murray!--up there accepting an Academy Award? Unfortunately, we'll never know.

Comments

[dj]

Wait until you see "BillMurray" in Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes."

[becca]

yes yes Bill Murray did deserve to win, but I'm wondering when/where all our recent nationaltreasure-izing of him began. He's a brilliant comic, absolutely, but has Sofia Coppola's puppy love lended him a strange pathos that we're all eager to endorse? Maybe there's a backstory I don't know, but why do I feel like I'm supposed to pity him? I recently watched some bonus interviews on the dvd and he was a tad insufferable, spinning self-aggrandizing tales while Sofia stood by looking both downcast and adoring.

[Valarie]

I think the lionizing of Bill Murray began with the Wes Anderson movies. His mixture of irony and sincerity is the embodiment of Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums, and it's something that our generation really identifies with. And his weird off-screen reclusiveness makes him feel more genuine and less a product of the Hollywood star-making machine. Sofia just gave him a leading role to show it all off in.

[Max]

I have to admit that I did'nt think Bill deserved the oscar over Sean Penn. I do love Bill murray and I think he is by far one of the best cast members from SNL. And he mostly certainly has a better track record of movies than any other SNL member. But Lost in Translation was his mid life crisis film and that's why he was nominated. People are suckers for those kind of roles. But I do think Lost in Translation should have won best picture. Its a subtle film that is so unlike all of the over the top movies we're used to and that alone makes it worthy.

[Bill Jenkins]

And he mostly certainly has a better track record of movies than any other SNL member.

?????

How do you determine this? By box office gross? If so, Mike Meyers CRUSHES everyone else. With the Austin Powers movies, Wayne's World, and most importantly SHREK, he has made many more millions more than Bill Murray.

I think Mill Murray is great!!! But lets get back down to earth with a broad/generic statement about him.