QUICK CHANGE
US, 1990, 88 minutes, Colour.
Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Jamey Sheridan, Phil Hartman, Victor Argo, Philip Bosco, Kurtwood Smith.
Directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray.
Quick Change is an entertaining story, brief, taking place over a couple of hours, but providing entertainment, humour, ingenuity with the details of the heist, and the succession of events which hamper the getaway.
Bill Murray appears initially as a clown on the subway, walks into a bank, declares that it is a robbery and reveals that he is packed with explosives. He takes hostages from the customers at the bank. And then proceeds to get the money. One of the managers has managed to press the alarm so that the police are not long in coming. They are led by Jason Robards.
There are amusing complications, especially with the hostages in the vault, one of whom, easily recognisable as Randy Quaid spends a lot of time blubbering in fear. Soon we recognise a blonde, Geena Davis. They are the first to hostages released, along with Murray in normal clothes but also disguised. They talk to the police and then go off. Eventually Robards realises what has happened and is desperate to catch them to keep his reputation.
What follows are a whole lot of mishaps the three experience on the way to the airport, including missing the turnoff to the freeway, including going back to Phyllis’s apartment where they are accosted by the new tenant with a gun, avoiding the police, a taxi ride with a driver who does not speak English, they hurry into a room which turns out to be accounting house for a Mafia chief, and after talking their way out of it, they get on a bus, driven by the most anally retentive driver, eventually get into the airport on luggage carriers, get through customs, thinks that Phyllis is not on the plane… In the meantime, there has been an obnoxious customer in First Class with his wife – who, when he sees the police, thinks they are after him, Bill Murray helps in his capture, and off they go, while Jason Robards finally realises who they are and it is too late!
There are quite a number of performers early in their career including Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Jamie Sheridan, as well as veterans with Philip Bosco as the obsessive bus driver.
1. An entertaining comedy, slight, brief, yet funny?
2. The New York City settings giving an authenticity, the subway, the streets, the banks, the side streets, apartments, the counting house for the Mafia, the bus route, the airport? The musical score?
3. The title, Grimm and his preparation for the heist, the planning with Phyllis, the disguise, Phyllis and Loomis in the vault as hostages, the quick change and his getting out, and the success of the robbery?
4. Bill Murray as Grimm, his love the Phyllis, her not revealing the pregnancy, wanting him to say that he loved her? The planning of the robbery, the six months? Involving Phyllis and Loomis? His disguise as the clown, in the subway, going into the bank, setting up the robbery, arguing with the security guard, rounding up everyone into the vault, his dealings with Chief Rotzinger, the phone calls, the discussions, his manipulating him? Getting the hostages to vote who should go, their wanting to get rid of the whingeing Loomis? His taking Phyllis? Her concern about his white paint as he talked with Rotzinger? The car, the money taped to them, his behaviour during the escape, the discussions with Loomis, Phyllis and her moodiness, the wrong turn, trying to get advice, the man with the parked car and his role bringing robbing them, but not realising how much he missed! In the apartment, the tenant and his wife, the gun, Grimm talking him down about prices and rentals, his knowledge from working in city planning? The taxi, the driver, the crash, having to leave it, Loomis and his injuries, unconscious? The ambulance coming, the police? Grimm and Phyllis with the gangsters, his spinning the story about his being a bagman, their getting out? Hurrying onto the bus, the bus driver and his demanding exact change, the rules, the man trying to get into the bus, getting out at the airport, getting on the carriages for cargo, getting through passport control, onto the plane, the encounter with the cranky man and his wife, Phyllis not on the plane, the police arriving, the Mafia chief thinking they are after him, Grimm and his help, the police taking notes to give him a medal, and happily getting away?
5. Phyllis, her love for Grimm, pregnant, not telling him, as a hostage, getting out, participation in the adventures to the airport, her change of moods, wanting Grimm to say he loved her, deciding not to go? In the airport? Not on the plane – but emerging from the toilet, and everything happy?
6. Loomis, past in prison, at school with Grimm, helping him, his performance and whingeing? Getting out, his excitement, poor driving, missing the turnoff, telling about the pregnancy, spoiling things? The crash, knocked out, getting on the bus? Finally on the plane?
7. Chief Rotzinger and his reputation, the media, his confidence, the negotiations, being manipulated, talking with the three and not realising what had happened? Grimm and his demands the helicopters and passes, the big truck? His working things out, the encounter with the bagman for the Mafia chief, the interrogation, interrogating the taxi driver, going to the airport, the Mafia chief, the medal for Grimm, the realisation after the event? His assistant, the police, the media?
8. The taxi driver, no English, with the passengers, the upsets, the crash, running away from the taxi, giving himself up to the police, the interpreter, information that they were going to the airport?
9. The men counting the money, the boss, his impertinent assistant in the confrontations with Grimm? The arrest of the bagman, his spilling the beans about his chief?
10. At the airport, the Mafia chief, his wife, on the plane, complaining, reaction to the police, his being taken?
11. All in all, a good example of American light humour.
