Few modern-day partnerships between a director and actor are as strong and unwavering as that ofWes Anderson(as director) andBill Murray(as actor). Anderson has directed 11 feature-length films to date, with Murray appearing, in some capacity, in nine of them, andhe’sslated to make his 10th appearancein an Anderson film for the director’s upcoming 12th.
It’s a pairing that rivalsthe likes ofAkira KurosawaandToshiro Mifune, andJohn FordandJohn Wayne, to give two examples from cinema history. Time will tell if Anderson + Murray can match such collaborations on a purely numerical basis, but for now, here’s a ranking of every Anderson film according to how much Murray there is, starting with the shockingly Bill Murray-free, and ending with a film that saw Murry playing the title character.
10’Bottle Rocket' (1996) and ‘Asteroid City’ (2023)
Murray-free movies
Some slack can be cut forBottle Rocketregarding its lack of Bill Murray, seeing as it was Wes Anderson’s first feature film, and he probably just hadn’t connected with his (potential) favorite actor yet. Also, toBottle Rocket’s credit, there are some pretty great actorshere to distract you from the fact there’s no Murray,including the likes of James Caanand both Owen and Luke Wilson.
Then,Asteroid Cityalso stands as the other Wes Anderson feature that doesn’t have Bill Murray. Despite that, it isstill remarkably heavy with Wes Anderson trademarks. Also, it came close to having Bill Murray in it, who was slated to play the characterSteve Carellended up playing, but had COVID-19 during the time he was set to film. He later contributed to the film in another way,starring in a short promotional film trailerforAsteroid City.
Asteroid City
9’The Darjeeling Limited' (2007)
Just a cameo right near the start
It says something abouthow much Bill Murray shows upin Wes Anderson movies that the only time he has a true cameo, rather than a supporting role (or is one part of a large ensemble) is inThe Darjeeling Limited. This sets him apart from someone likeSamuel L. Jackson, who’s often linked toQuentin Tarantino, but is absent from a few of his movies and only has cameos in a couple (likeKill Bill Vol. 2and a voice-only one inInglourious Basterds).
Most ofThe Darjeeling Limitedfocuses on three brothers taking a train ride through India to commemorate their late father, with Murray’s unnamed character only being in the film’s opening as a businessman missing the titular train. Still, some Murray is usually better than no Murray, andat leastThe Darjeeling Limitedis an overall pretty good dramedy in any event.
The Darjeeling Limited
8’Isle of Dogs' (2018)
A bit of Bill(’s) voice
Isle of Dogsmight look and sound like a kid’s movie on the surface, but it’spretty mature as far as animated movies go. Some kids might get something out of it, sure, but it’s also kind of morbid and off-putting in ways that not many English-language animated movies are, and that’s something that should be celebrated,even if the film’s a little flawed overall and not as goodas Anderson’s other big animated filmfrom about a decade earlier.
Also, like many Wes Anderson movies made after the year 2000, the cast ofIsle of Dogsis absolutely stacked, with Bill Murray being one of many noteworthy actors lending his voice here. Sure, he can get a bit buried by everyone else, but no voice actor emerges here as the most striking or notable. There are just too many famous voices to try and recognize that are heard throughout.
Isle of Dogs
7’The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014)
Murray gets a little lost in a (big) crowd
Just asIsle of Dogswas an animated movie with a ridiculously large cast, so too wasThe Grand Budapest Hotela live-action Wes Anderson movie with one of the biggest casts in recent memory. UnlikeIsle of Dogs, however, there is an MVP to be found here:Ralph Fiennes, who gives one of his best-ever performances and gets many opportunities to shine (a similar sentiment can be echoed for Tony Revolori).
Spanning numerous decades and having a strong throughline emotionally while also getting a little episodic at times,The Grand Budapest Hotelis perhaps objectively Anderson’s best film, or at least his most finely crafted.And, as was the case withIsle of Dogs,Bill Murray is here and appreciated, but not particularly notable or scene-stealing, in terms of his presence, given his more modest role.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
6’The French Dispatch' (2021)
A significant role, but not much screen time
WhileThe Grand Budapest Hotelveered close to feeling episodic for certain set pieces,The French Dispatchembraces that kind of feel wholeheartedly. There’s a similar level of intentional artifice here,compared to Anderson’s 2014 film, but more of a fractured feel, owing to the fact thatThe French Dispatchsplits itself up into segments, each covering different stories to be included in the final issue of a fictional newspaper.
While Bill Murray isn’t here a ton, he does play a character whose death kicks off the main plot: Arthur Howitzer Jr., who was the editor of the newspaper in question and someone who wanted it to cease being published once he passed away. So, Murray only appears very briefly, but his presence hangs over the entire film, and isparticularly important in its final stretch, which sees the paper’s staff endeavoring to honor the character’s legacy and final wishes.
The French Dispatch
5’Fantastic Mr. Fox' (2009)
Voices a supporting character
There are a couple of MVP contenders inFantastic Mr. Fox, voice acting-wise, who ultimately trump Bill Murray, includingGeorge Clooney(in the titular role) andMeryl Streep(as the titular character’s wife). The Fox family is at the center of the movie, after all, with Mr. Fox effectively going to war with several farmers after a series of dangerous thefts committed by the former against the latter.
Fantastic Mr. Foxhas a rock-solid voice cast, and not an overwhelming amount of talent either, compared to the likes of sayIsle of DogsorAsteroid City(people just really like working with Wes Anderson, it seems). Murray is not a fox or a Fox here, buthe does play a badger lawyer who’s friends with Mr. Fox, and that’s got to be worth something.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
4’Moonrise Kingdom' (2012)
Plays a key supporting role
InMoonrise Kingdom, the focus is generally on two younger characters over the adults, the latter beinggenerally played by well-established actors,including the likes of Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and – surprise, surprise – Bill Murray, with the two lead characters played by newcomersJared GilmanandKara Hayward.
This is fitting, consideringMoonrise Kingdommostlyfunctions as a comedic coming-of-age movieabout two young people who fall in love and go on the run, worrying a community’s worth of adults and setting off a desperate search. Overall,Moonrise Kingdomattempts to do quite a lot narratively, thematically, and tonally, and generally achieves it all surprisingly well, being one of the most balanced and satisfying films directed by Wes Anderson to date.
Moonrise Kingdom
3’The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001)
An important non-Tenenbaum
Gene Hackmanpresides over an immensely dysfunctional familyinThe Royal Tenenbaums, which was the first (and far from the last) Wes Anderson movie to have a strikingly large and esteemed ensemble cast. Rarely have so many famous actors come together to play members of a family (it’sThe Godfather-esque), with the Tenenbaum clan also including characters played byAnjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, andGwyneth Paltrow.
So, Bill Murray’s character, Raleigh St. Clair, isn’t a Tenenbaum by blood, but he’s married to Paltrow’s character, and does appear a considerable amount throughout the film. Itwas an early indication that Murray could slip smoothly into a Wes Anderson ensemble cast, and he’s exceptionally well-utilized here primarily for comedy, but does bring his A-game dramatically when he needs to as well.
The Royal Tenenbaums
2’Rushmore' (1998)
An antagonist (of sorts)
A slightlymore intimate and grounded coming-of-age moviethanMoonrise Kingdom,Rushmorewill always be a special one as far as Anderson + Murray movies go, considering this was the first time the latter starred in a movie directed by the former. And, to date, it’sstill one of the most significant parts Bill Murray has played, portraying an industrialist named Herman Blumewho befriends a young student before becoming romantically entangled with the teacher that student has a crush on.
Right from the start, it was clear that Wes Anderson and Bill Murray matched each other’s freak, but in a wholesome rather than sexual way. Um, that’s to say that they both had comparably strange, quirky, and undeniably funny senses of humor, and that one was the ying to the other’s yang, or however that saying goes.Hey, look, Logan Roy is in this movieas well. CouldRushmoreget any better?
Rent on Apple TV
1’The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004)
Finally plays the lead!
Yes,Rushmorecan get better or be improved upon because – and some people aren’t ready to hear this –The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissouis actually the greatest film Wes Anderson has made so far. And that’s not just being said because Bill Murray is, far and away, the biggest of his Anderson roles here, though it helps. It’s wonderful seeing him finally be the undeniable star, and it’s similarly thrilling to the act of seeingChristopher Walkenget to be a central characterin rare films likeKing of New York.
InThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Murray’s Steve Zissou embarks on a non-stop revenge mission against a shark that killed his closest friend, only to have a series of misadventures that cause further tragedies, and then intense self-reflection. It isa funny movie, a strange film, an oftentimes awkward one, andthen a surprisingly, heartbreakingly bittersweet one, come its final 10 to 15-minute stretch. It’s absolutely beautiful filmmaking, supremely underrated, and just a blast to see, if only for how much Murray you get screen time-wise for your buck here.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
NEXT:Every Christopher Nolan Movie, Ranked by How Much Michael Caine There Is
