Bill Murray Regrets Nothing More Than Garfield: ‘The Lines Got Worse and Worse'
Bill Murray thought the Coen brothers were responsible for the mess that is Garfield. He found out that there was a misunderstanding when it was too late. Learn the complete story, because it gets even funnier.
Murray, known for his selective role choices, once got his hands on a script with the name Joel Coen on it. He was excited to work with the famous Coen brothers, so he quickly agreed to the offer.
He missed one small detail though: the script was written by Joel Cohen, not Joel Coen.
A Misunderstanding That Ended up Being Bill Murray’s Biggest Nightmare
In an interview with GQ, Murray finally spoke about the situation. He said:
“I looked at the script, and it said, “So-and-so and Joel Coen.” And I thought: Christ, well, I love those Coens! They're funny. So I sorta read a few pages of it and thought, Yeah, I'd like to do that.”
During the recording sessions, Murray realized something.
“I worked all day and kept going, “That's the line? Well, I can't say that.” And you sit there and go, What can I say that will make this funny? And make it make sense? And I worked. I was exhausted, soaked with sweat, and the lines got worse and worse,” Murray continued.
The experience had such a strong impact that it became a recurring joke in Murray's career:
“That's why, when they say, “Any regrets?” at the end of Zombieland, I say, “Well, maybe Garfield.””
Are Bill Murray Garfield Movies Really That Bad?
Murray ended up voicing Garfield in not just one, but two movies: Garfield: The Movie (2004) and its sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006).
Both movies were successful at the box office. Garfield: The movie made $203.2 million worldwide, while its sequel made $143.3 million.
- On Rotten Tomatoes, Garfield: The Movie has 14% from critics and 38% from the audience; Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties has 12% from critics and 43% from the audience.
- On IMDb Garfield: The Movie is rated 5.1/10; Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is rated 5.0/10
What Do Fans Think of Bill Murray Garfield Movies?
“Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is really one of the best cat and sequel movies ever, made the characters are great, the pacing is tight, and as said earlier Bill Murray is amazing, IMO this is one of Tim Hill’s best films,” one Redditor shared.
“I loved Garfield as a kid and yet I only watched this movie and its sequel exactly once each - even I knew they were bad. The animated version released last month [The Garfield Movie, 2024] is incredibly mediocre but it's at least better than this,” Redditor Commonscout wrote.
Where Can You Watch Both Bill Murray Garfield Movies?
Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties are both available on Hulu and Disney Plus right now.
