Larger than Life is a 1996 comedy starring Bill Murray (alongside a giant elephant). The film is from executive producers Sue Baden-Powell (Dr. Dolittle, Elysium), Guy East (Rush, Let Me In), and Wolfgang Glattes (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, All That Jazz). It's a entertaining and heartfelt family film.

Bill Murray stars as Jack Corcoran, a highly successful motivational speaker who receives an inheritance from his father (whom he never met). The bulk of his inheritance just so happens to be in the form of a giant elephant. The rest of the inheritance? Some luggage... and a whole lot of debt.

Jack decides to sell the elephant and sets out to get a sale large enough to cover all of the debt. Jack must also figure out how to sell the elephant quickly so that he can still make it back in time for a huge gig. Jack must choose between selling to a huge circus act or to a potential buyer named Mo (Janeane Garofalo), who works at a zoo and is helping to bring elephants back to forests (but can't afford to offer Jack as much as the big circus act can).

Bill Murray essentially carries the entire film. His performance is excellent throughout and he makes the film charming and delightful. While Larger Than Life is not a great film, Murray makes it a better one with his great charm. Jeremy Piven also delivers a solid supporting performance in the film as Jack's agent. Janeane Garofalo impresses as Mo as well.

Larger Than Life features a memorable supporting performance from Matthew McConaughey as Tip Tucker, a truck driver who gets into a feud with Jack Corcoran along his bizarre journey to sell the elephant. This is actually one of McConaughey's earliest film roles. McConaughey is a scene stealer who is every bit as funny as Bill Murray is in the film. His performance is solid and wildly over the top at the same time.

The film is a well-done production. It features a good music score by Miles Goodman (What About Bob?, The Muppet Christmas Carol), cinematography by Elliot Davis (Twilight, I Am Sam), and costume design by Jane Robinson (Picture Perfect, Blue Sky). The production helps Larger Than Life to be a successful family-film.  

Larger Than Life was written by Roy Blount Jr., from a story by Pen Densham and Garry Williams. The film is directed by Howard Franklin (Quick Change) and has a nice charm throughout. This is a solid family film which is well-done by both the screenwriter and the director. Larger Than Life is good family entertainment which holds up well.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

Larger Than Life arrives on Blu-ray with a decent 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition presentation in the original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The presentation is a modest high definition one which has not been restored. The film shows signs of age and isn't in the best condition. While color reproduction is decent and the film looks reasonably good in high-def, Larger than Life doesn't sport a stronger than average HD debut. The presentation is somewhat soft and has occasional (albeit minor) print damage.

Audio:

The film is presented on Blu-ray with a lossless 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. This is a reasonably good lossless 2.0 stereo presentation. Dialogue clarity is excellent and the score is well represented on the release. The stereo design is fairly basic but the lossless presentation is decent overall.

Extras:

The original theatrical trailer is the only extra included on the release.

Final Thoughts:

Larger Than Life is an entertaining family film with a strong lead performance by Bill Murray. The film also features a strong and memorable supporting performance by a young Matthew McConaughey. The elephant is good in it, too.

Fans of Larger Than Life will be generally pleased with the Blu-ray presentation. It isn't perfect, but it's a decent high-definition debut worth checking out for fans.

Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.