THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE (Warner Bros.) Directed by Jon Amiel
What a long, strange trip it's been for Bill Murray. After ascending to the heights of box-office popularity in the 1980s with such films as "Caddyshack," "Stripes," "Ghostbusters" and "Scrooged," he's been all but missing-in-action during recent years. "The Man Who Knew Too Little" is unlikely to bring on an encore of his glory days, but it's a pleasant reminder of why Murray has always been one of the most accessible comic talents to come out of the "Saturday Night Live" factory. Even now, he shows none of the smug self-indulgence of Eddie Murphy or the anything-for-a-laugh desperation of Chris Farley or Adam Sandler.
That said, it should also be noted that "The Man Who Knew Too Little" is not one of Murray's sturdier vehicles. It's a mild variation on the age-old innocent-guy-stumbles-into-espionage plot, with Murray as Wallace Ritchie, a guileless American whose brother (Peter Gallagher) signs him up for an elaborate role-playing game called "Theatre of Life." On his way to the show, however, Wallace intercepts a message that leads him into a real-life escapade involving blackmail, murder and a scheme to sabotage the signing of a U.K.-Russian peace treaty, thus bringing on a new Cold War. The joke of the story is that Wallace is completely oblivious to the danger around him and continues believing it's all just part of the "Theatre of Life."
It's silly stuff to be sure and far from unpredictable, but Murray's boyish charm goes a long way toward carrying the picture and director Jon Amiel ("Copycat," "Sommersby") keeps the nonsense perking along. Joanne Whalley is well-matched with Murray, and veteran character actor Alfred Molina seems to savor the chance to ham it up as an assassin called "Boris the Butcher." "The Man Who Knew Too Little" is forgettable fluff, but it's hard to slam any film in which the villains take a break from chasing and shooting at each other to play the old Kerplunk! game. James Sanford
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