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Bill Murray, Peter Gallagher, Joanne Whalley, Alfred Molina, Richard Wilson ... see more see more... , Geraldine James , John Standing , Anna Chancellor , Nicholas Woodeson , Simon Chandler , John Thomson , Richard Wilson (II)

Jon Amiel directed this satire on mistaken-identity thrillers and the spy genre, scripted by Robert Farrar, Tim John, and Oliver Butcher from Farrar's unpublished novel, Watch That Man. In the female ... read more read more...lead, Joanne Whalley returned to films after a three-year absence, choosing to do so with director Amiel. Farrar's Hitchcockian-style story focuses on naive Blockbuster Video clerk Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) who travels from Des Moines, Iowa, to London to celebrate his birthday with his wealthy younger brother, James (Peter Gallagher). When he turns up on the same night that James has plans to attend a high-profile client dinner party (that he hopes will bring him millions from a German investment firm), James needs to keep Wallace away during the evening, so he gives Wallace a ticket to the participatory Theater of Life. The theater game requires Wallace to assume a character and interact with actors portraying people in dramatic situations. At the corner phone booth, the initial call should begin the evening of innocent fun. However, the phone instructions Wallace receives are actually intended for an assassin, part of a scheme to end the current UK regime and revive the Cold War. The real assassin gets the call from the Theater of Life. Blissfully unaware, Wallace walks without fear into a complex web of intrigue involving defense ministers, call girls, and Russian hitmen. For Wallace, all the world's a stage, and he's amazed at the skill of the actors, including beautiful enigmatic Lori (Joanne Whalley) -- while Wallace's pursuers are mystified by their adversary's fearlessness in the face of threats, torture and bullets. Farrar got the idea for this comedy from a chance remark at a party: "The inspiration came from a dinner party, when somebody told me about these strange live theater performances which were all the rage in England in the '80s. The idea was to telephone for instructions if you wanted to take part. My immediate reaction was, 'Wouldn't it be fabulous if somebody got the wrong number, and it all went hopelessly wrong?'" Filming took place in London's East End (Three Mills Studios), at a variety of London locations, and just outside London at the Elstree Film Studios. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Flixster Users

64% liked it

33,421 ratings

Critics

42% liked it

31 critics

PG, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Jon Amiel

Release Date: November 14, 1997

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DVD Release Date: October 2, 2001

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Stats: 1,378 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,378)

  • fb100002359227440
    March 25, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    The Man Who Knew Too Little is a one-gag movie that doesn't work for much time. Bill Murray always was a very funny actor and he try very hard to the film get work well, but the script just worse the picture. This Hitchcockian-Style satire, of course it's not the best of Murray, ... read morebut Bill as Wally make The Man Who Knew Little better them nothing. Rotten.
  • blacksheepboy
    January 11, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    A one-joke comedy that wants to carry the absurdity of its premise throughout the entire plot. At first it is a funny idea but it wears out faster than expected, with not many smart twists to keep the story fresh. At least Bill Murray makes it an amusing experience.
  • ajv2688
    August 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    Not Murray's best work. I'm not sure if this comedy is supposed to be a parody or satire or a remake or what. It just isn't funny enough. Murray tries hard, but the script fails him.
  • blkbomb
    July 27, 2011
    blkbomb
    Wallace: Please don't call me by my real name, it destroys the reality I'm trying to create. 

    "He's on a mission so secret, even he doesn't know about."

    The Man Who Knew Too Little is likable, but only because of a great premise and of course the one and only Bill Murray. The f... read moreunny premise never really meets its full potential. The one joke plot line does get old after awhile. Everything that is happening is real and Murrays character, "Spencer" thinks it's all acting. Yeah, funny for awhile, but it can't withstand the hour and a half runtime.

    Bill Murray is good of course. He really saves the movie from being complete crap. It's just sad that Murray isn't used to his complete potential. This spoof on the spy thriller genre doesn't come close to other Murray films like Stripes or Groundhog Day. Even with how mediocre this movie is, it never did reach the point where I hated it. It's full of references to other movies like Dirty Harry and The Shining. You can tell Bill Murray is having fun in his role. 

    So, I'm kind of in between of The Man Who Knew Too Little. I don't like it, I don't hate it. But what I do know, is I like Bill Murray. So, I'm going to lean more towards the liking side. 
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    There are some great lines in this film but I?m glad Bill Murray moved on from these kind of films! It?s not to be mistaken for some kind of homage to the 1930?s films it sounds like. It?s actually a poor British comedy that isn?t very good.
  • sanjurosamurai
    April 3, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    incredibly clever. more zaney and slapstick than one might expect from such a clever idea, but here it works well and murray and whalley were the perfect combination for this story. one of my favorite comedies ever.
  • FilmFanatik
    September 23, 2008
    FilmFanatik
    While the plot is endlessly thin, this little comedy caught me by surprise.
  • Chiefilms
    September 4, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Haha Bill Murray is funny in it but the movie is really nothing special.
  • jabcdef
    October 11, 2007
    jabcdef
    Funniest thing ever! You really will laugh out loud. Bill Murray is awesome in this one.
  • puffchunk
    October 5, 2007
    puffchunk
    Been a while, but it was smilable

View All The Man Who Knew Too Little Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

A one-note mix-up.

Rob Gonsalves
September 27, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

You have to be a Bill Murray fan, or in an especially generous mood, to find The Man Who Knew Too Little more than mildly amusing. Full Review

Dan Fienberg
November 5, 2005
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com

This is the kind of thing Murray and Amiel could do in their sleep. So they do.

Eric D. Snider
August 7, 2005
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com

After a decade or so of lackluster, what-were-they-thinking? movies, Murray has finally come back to himself Full Review

Rob Thomas
February 24, 2005
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Murray elevates the material in this amusing spy farce.

Martin Scribbs
July 24, 2004
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian

A poor man's Being There, which still makes for a great time.

Michael Dequina
January 13, 2004
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Much of the film's success can be attributed to Murray, whose timing and goofball charm are as effective as ever. Full Review

Shawn Bowers
November 25, 2003
Shawn Bowers, Kansas City Star

Kind of funny...but not enough to recommend.

Nell Minow
July 20, 2003
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Oddball little comedy with some weird twists.

James Sanford
January 1, 2000
James Sanford, rec.arts.movies.reviews

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. Full Review

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The Man Who Knew Too Little Trivia

  • Which actor was in all 3 movies: The Man Who Knew Too Little, Spiderman 2, Maverick?  Answer »
  • What actor played the banker brother in `The Man Who Knew too Little'?  Answer »
  • An American gets the opportunity to go to London to participate in a game show. However, he quickly becomes mistaken for a spy and winds up doing things he never knew he had the courage to do. This 1997 comedy co-stars Joanne Whalley as Lorelei.  Answer »
  • Who starred in "The Man Who Knew Too Little?"   Answer »
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