After hearing Bill was due to play the father and then seeing an Interview The director did, I can't help thinking that Murray would have been much better.
Great film still, and Daniels made it his own. However, Murray I feel would have brought something different to the role - I would love to have seen his interpretation.
I watched 4 series of Lassie before I realised why the little hairy kid didn't talk!
It's hard to say because we'll never see Bill Murray in the role, but based on similar performances from both of them - Murray in Lost in Translation and Daniels in Paper Man - I'll have to say Murray is slightly better. I love Daniels though, he's great.
I only do it with superheroes.
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Something about Murray would have changed the dynamic of the film I think.
I dunno, even in his saddest roles there are broader comedic elements littered around, so whenever Murray's on screen it's always a little silly.
Daniels played an incredibly vile self centered jerk, and he made the character very hateable that I don't think would have been possible Murray.
That being said the movie is also oddly hilarious so it could have tended that way too...
Oh, that and Daniels also makes the perfect anthesis of The Dude.
shareI think Murray characters always are a little bit pitiful. Murray is awesome, but I don't think he could have played Bernard like Daniels did, Bernard would never "allow" himself seen as pitiful from the outside. Nobody pities Bernard, Bernard pities you.
sharei LOVE murray as much as anyone, but i think daniels knocked it out of the park. murray's more sarcastic, which i think would've changed the tone of the humor. would've been a different movie.
it's an A+ script, so either way, it'd have been great.
I agree with mee123 and GWilliamLocke, Murray would have introduced a slightly more comic element to the role, which wouldn't have worked in this film. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Murray's, but Daniels was spot on.
I noticed Wes Anderson had something to do with the film, so I guess that's the Murray connection?
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if i remember correctly, Baumbach had decided that he was done directing and wanted to focus on writing. He wrote the script with Wes in mind, hoping Wes would direct. Wes urged him to direct it himself, agreeing to produce.
So yeah, that definitely might have something to do with the Murray connection.
Daniels breathed SO MUCH FIRE into this role it's like comparing oranges to *beep* JD was without doubt the man to play this part. Love Bill Murray as much as everyone else, but Daniels breathed the life into those corduroy-sleeves that BM just would not, all due respects.
sharetotally agree. but just imagine bill delivering the line "i used to live in this house ... as you know." would've been hilarious!
that said, i think the casting was all-around perfect. in fact, this is one of the few films (okay, maybe 100ish) that I call "perfect" in conversation. Everything is so spot on. Every nuance, every character, every period-specific detail ... every *beep* line! And it all goes back to the pages, which were amazing.
Maybe the most profound and real-to-life divorce movie I've seen, and I've seen a whole lot of 'em.
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list of roles Bill didn't want to do or couldn't
http://splitsider.com/2011/02/the-lost-roles-of-bill-murray
thats a great link - thanks! Han Solo? thank god no! Willy Wonka? DAMN! he would have been perfect!
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I thought Daniels was great. I could never buy Murray as a New York intellectual type. Daniels has more range than Murray IMO.
shareJeff Daniels nailed it, there's nothing else to say.
shareI can't imagine anyone better than Daniels for Bernard, not Murray, not Brando, not even Sir Lawrence Olivier. Jeff Daniels' performance is perfection.
- A point in every direction is the same as no point at all.
Indeed. This performance in this role is one of the greatest things ever on screen.
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