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THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE Instead of the know it all wise guy that Bill Murray has portrayed throughout his film career, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE ($25) presents Murray as character completely out of touch with the world around him. In THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE, Murray plays Wallace Ritchie, a Blockbuster Video clerk from Middle America, who goes to visit his younger brother who is an executive living in London. Peter Gallagher is Wallace’s brother James who is completely surprised to see his brother show up unexpectedly on his doorstep. Unfortunately, Wallace’s arrival comes at an inopportune moment, as James and his wife are supposed to have a business dinner for some very important clients. Not wanting to leave Wallace with nothing to do for the evening, James sets him up to appear on an audience participation TV program where he is expected to go along with every unexpected situation. Wallace decides to do the TV show, but somehow is mistaken for an assassin and spy and becomes involved with an international conspiracy. Wallace plays along; oblivious to the real situations around him, thinking that the TV cameras are on him at all times. Much of the humor in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE comes from the innocent charm of Bill Murray’s character who never catches on to the fact that he’s in real danger. Joanne Whalley also brings her own special charm to the film as the damsel in distress that Wallace falls for. Alfred Molina manages more than a few laughs as Boris, the Russian assassin who would rather be a butcher. The cast of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE also includes Richard Wilson, Geraldine James, John Standing and Anna Chancellor. Warner Home Video offers THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE in both Letterboxed and full screen presentations on opposite sides of the DVD. Image quality on the full screen presentation is quite close to its Letterboxed counterpart. The Letterboxed presentation for THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE restores the film’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio and includes the anamorphic enhancement for wide screen televisions. This presentation looks simply smashing, with a crisply detailed image and rich, well saturated colors that reproduce flawlessly. Digital compression artifacts were seldom noticeable on either presentation. The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack has a respectable mix for a comedy, but it is Christopher Young’s musical score that is the highlight (and delight) of this track. Other soundtrack options include a French language track and an audio commentary with director Jon Amiel. The commentary is good fun and certain to please fans of this charming little comedy. Subtitles are available on the DVD in English, French and Spanish. The DVD’s animated interactive menus have their own stylish sense of fun and give one access to four theatrical trailers, three TV spots, the director’s commentary, production notes and cast biographies/filmographies. While THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE is a film that Bill Murray’s fans may not have expected, Murray makes it a small treasure by creating a character that is sweet and then funny. All reviews are Copyright © 1998 THE CINEMA
LASER and may not be copied or reprinted without the written consent
of the publisher. |
This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 1998 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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