Are These Guys Still Funny?

A week before Warner Bros. opened Bill Murray’s new comedy “The Man Who Knew Too Little,” the studio held a series of nationwide sneak previews. Whoever was on hand from the studio at the preview in Westwood did not have happy tidings to report. The theater was barely one-third full. The movie started so late that patrons began impatiently clapping to prod the projectionist into running the film. Worst of all, despite a few classic Murray comic moments, the movie fell so flat that people began leaving long before it was over.

The film, which casts Murray as a dim-bulb American tourist who foils a top-secret assassination scheme, opened Friday to a chorus of negative reviews. But the most telling critical comments came from two disgruntled men leaving the sneak preview. “I remember when Bill Murray was untouchable,” one said. “Everything he did was funny.”

His younger, college-age companion shook his head. “Not anymore. He felt kinda old to me.”

Released on 2,000 screens, the Murray film grossed an estimated $4.7 million, placing No. 5 in the weekend box-office polls. For Murray, who hasn’t had a hit since 1993’s “Groundhog Day,” it’s a big comedown from his glory days as the sly, insouciant star of “Caddyshack,” “Stripes” and “Ghostbusters.” But the film’s poor showing reflects a bigger issue: It’s the end of the original “Saturday Night Live” generation’s reign as the kings of American comedy.

In the 1980s, if you were casting a mainstream comedy film, your A-list was largely made up of “Saturday Night Live” alumni: Murray, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy (who joined the show in 1981), Billy Crystal (a 1984-85 show veteran) and Steve Martin, who often appeared as a guest host, teaming with Aykroyd in the show’s “wild and crazy guy” sketches.

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Today, in a marketplace driven by the desires of 19-year-old males, all but Murphy are considered relics, as stodgy and square as Bob Hope and Red Skelton must have seemed to baby boomers coming of age in the 1970s. Chase lost his following after a slew of terrible movies and a disastrous talk-show debut. Aykroyd is the star of a network sitcom, but in film, he’s been reduced to sidekick roles. Crystal is everyone’s favorite Oscar host but hasn’t had a hit since his “City Slickers” days. Martin, perhaps the most gifted comic of them all, is writing plays and New Yorker sketches after forgettable comedies like “Sgt. Bilko.” Only Murphy, a decade younger than the others, has survived a string of ill-fated romantic comedies, rebounding with “The Nutty Professor,” one of 1996’s biggest hits.

Since the success of “Groundhog Day,” Murray has tried a variety of genres, including drama (“Mad Dog and Glory”), family fare (“Larger Than Life”) and broad shtick, taking a supporting role in “Kingpin.” (He also played small roles in “Space Jam” and “Ed Wood.”) None of the films were substantial moneymakers.

Unlike Tom Hanks and Robin Williams, who have enjoyed success with more dramatic roles, Murray has been unable to shed his comic persona for more serious parts. And now, to hear Hollywood producers tell it, he’s even off the A-list for youth-oriented comedies. “Kids just don’t get Bill Murray anymore--they’ve lost interest in him,” says one producer who’s worked with several “SNL” comics. “He’s frittered away his appeal with too many bad choices.”

After the enormous success of “Ghostbusters” in 1984, Murray dropped out of sight--and out of mind. Except for a cameo in “Little Shop of Horrors” and a poorly received serious drama, “The Razor’s Edge,” he disappeared from the screen for 4 1/2 years before reemerging as the star of “Scrooged.”

“It’s not that Murray stopped being funny. It’s more that he simply dropped out of the popular culture,” says a high-level studio executive. “The hot comics are the ones who speak the language and capture the attitude of their generation. Adam Sandler is today’s Bill Murray--he’s the cool, outrageous guy who can be funny and make fun of himself all at the same time.”

For the most part, Murray and his comic peers are caught in the wrenching gears of generational change. Chase, Martin and Crystal are in their early 50s, Murray and Aykroyd are in their mid-to-late 40s. Comedy, like rock ‘n’ roll, is a young man’s game. Today’s young moviegoers eye Murray and his peers in much the same way that young rock fans view John Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen. They’d rather have their own heroes, younger comics who share a similar sensibility and cultural references.

The poor showing of “The Man Who Knew Too Little” shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Warner’s top brass. The studio got a nasty jolt in May, when it released “Fathers’ Day,” an expensive comedy that attempted to bridge the gap between young and old comedy fans. It came armed with an impeccable comic pedigree--the seemingly potent team of Crystal and Williams, directed by Ivan Reitman, the wizard behind “Stripes” and “Ghostbusters.” Despite a costly marketing campaign, moviegoers stayed away in droves. The movie was a disaster, costing upward of $60 million but grossing only $28 million.

Despite this early warning, Warner staged a nationwide Nov. 8 advance showing of “The Man Who Knew Too Little,” ignoring the cardinal rule of sneaks--never show a film early unless you’re already sure it’s a good movie. Sneak previews create word of mouth, but you don’t want moviegoers buzzing about a movie unless you’re convinced the buzz will be positive.

Neither Murray nor any of the film’s production team would comment for this story. But Warner insiders say the movie was sneak-previewed at the urging of Regency Enterprises, the company that financed the film and supplies a sizable percentage of Warner’s production slate, including such recent films as “L.A. Confidential” and “The Devil’s Advocate.”

The sneak was a costly blunder. By Friday, its opening day, surveys measuring audience interest and awareness reported grim tidings. The movie’s most important number--the percentage of moviegoers reporting the film as their “first choice” for the weekend--was perilously low. For new films, a 20% “first choice” is excellent, 15% very good, 10% average. “The Man Who Knew Too Little” scored only 3%. Moviegoers were also surveyed for “definite interest” in seeing the film. To have a strong opening, films usually need to earn a ranking of at least 40% to 50%. Murray’s film got only 18%. In all categories, its lowest numbers came from under-25 moviegoers.

The torch has been passed. Today’s film comedy A-list is mostly made up of ‘90s-era “SNL” and “In Living Color” graduates: Sandler, Jim Carrey, Chris Farley, Martin Lawrence, Mike Myers and Chris Tucker. Having cut their teeth on TV sketch and stand-up comedy, they are far more in touch with the comedy audience’s language and attitudes.

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They have missteps too--remember “The Cable Guy”? Sandler’s action vehicle “Bulletproof” fizzled too. But their failures are usually far less costly than a film like “Fathers’ Day.” When you make a studio film with Murray, Martin or Crystal, your budgets often end up in the $35-million to $40-million range. Compare that with a Sandler film like “Billy Madison,” which cost $10 million, or “Happy Gilmore,” which cost $13 million yet took in $40 million.

Murray, like Chase and Martin, has tried making family movies that appeal to an older audience. The strategy worked for Martin, whose “Father of the Bride” films have both been box-office hits. In the 1980s, Chase starred in three straight hit “National Lampoon Vacation” films. But 1997’s “Vegas Vacation” was a dud, doing barely half the business of 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

Last November, Murray starred in a family film, “Larger Than Life,” which cast him opposite an elephant. It was an ill-fated concept, especially since Murray was the straight man--the elephant was supposed to supply the jokes. Murray’s irreverent image hurt him.

“Parents just didn’t feel comfortable taking their kids to see Murray,” says a studio marketing chief. “It might’ve worked with Robin Williams, but parents are old enough to remember Murray’s edgy comedies. They’re not ready to accept him as a family figure.”

The irony of all this is that Murray is still funny--he has several hilarious bits in “The Man Who Knew Too Little” and provided most of the great moments in “Kingpin.” He’s involved in several promising projects, in particular “Beat,” a film about an Alec Baldwin-like actor tormented by an out-of-control impostor, with Murray playing both roles. But his box-office slide is more a reflection of his dated image and poor career choices than of losing his comic touch.

So how can he revitalize his career? One possibility: team up with a younger comic for an outrageous buddy movie that might appeal to both their audiences, a formula that has worked for dramatic stars like Al Pacino, who has recently co-starred with various hot young actors.

The more challenging option is for Murray to change his image. Williams’ appearances in animated films helped broaden his audience. Martin hopes to do the same with his plays. Murphy regained his popularity by finding projects in which he could play to his strength--performing multiple characters.

“The best comics have always found a way to reinvent themselves,” one studio executive says. “It’s the best way to inject new life into an old persona. If Courtney Love can go from grunge to glamour, maybe there’s still hope for Bill Murray too.”