That name didn't mean much to me at the moment, since I recognized it but could place any actual performance with the name, but then he started speaking and I felt vomit and bile coming up from the depths of my stomach.
Murray doesn't seem to have an off switch. He doesn't even seem to have a lower speed. He is a one note cowboy who merely screams from the films opening to the films closing (or like five minutes shy of closing). His final moment with Monroe was touching and perfectly played, but until that point he's an obnoxious ball of energy that made my face literally cringe. Honestly, the only thing I could think of while watching this movie was...
After the film concluded, Robert Osborn informed me that Murray received an OSCAR NOMINATION for this performance. Now, seriously, HOW THE F*** DID THAT HAPPEN? Really, this instantly lands on my list of one of the WORST Oscar nominated performances ever. I'm just baffled that anyone, at the time or now, could consider this a good performance, let alone Oscar worthy. I've seen some nominated performances that made me scratch my head, but this one takes the cake. He's loud and abrasive and just plain stupid and his antics, while played with conviction, make him appear like the biggest idiot in film history. The film's failure lies not only in Murray's terrible one-note performance but in the ridiculous scripting, which took an interesting premise and turned it into an eye-rolling tragedy. Poor Monroe tries really hard to stretch herself here, and she nails the emotional layering of the character (her character is the most complex) but her accent grows more and more obvious as the film progresses and actually takes away from the impact she's making.
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Yeah, I rather hated this film.
I read something interesting on IMDB about Virg and the idea that he could have been gay or bisexual and had a longing for Bo. I actually support this in a way because of the very arguements presented by dmnemaine. Sure, he's accused of trying to read too far into the film, but I think that anyone should be alloted that ability since film is made for personal interpretation. The thing is, I noticed it while watching the film, before ever visiting the IMDB page.
