Bill Murray isn't even that cool

I think Chris Dierkes (who is otherwise right-on) concedes too much when he says that Bill Murray is “hip” in some of his movies. Sure, Murray starred in several relentlessly stylish films, but his character is almost always distinctly uncool (think Raleigh St. Clair, or, for that matter, Steve Zissou). In no film is Murray presented to the viewer as a paragon of cool in the way a Brad Pitt of Johnny Depp might be. This point is usually lost on haters of Wes Anderson: the films are very very hip, yes, but they ultimately invite us to sympathize with characters too weak and vulnerable to support an aura of cool.

-Matthew Schmitz

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