Top 10 Bill Murray Movies: Ranked and Reviewed

10. Wild Things (1998) Murray co-stars and even has a key role in the 1998 film "Wild Things," which people tend to forget, though it's a reasonable slight. After all, this is a sultry, seductive, and infinitely twisted story about wicked teens, terrible men, and the small Florida community that gets lubricated by it all.

9. Lost in Translation (2003) Murray was cast in the part of fading movie star Bob Harris by writer-director Sofia Coppola, who wanted to highlight the more vulnerable side of one of her favorite performers. Not only is the outcome the best movie of Coppola's career, but it also secured Murray, who had previously received no nominations for Academy Awards for best actor, his first nomination for the award.

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Although Murray's parts in "Rushmore" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" are larger than in other of his Wes Anderson collaborations, the comic actor has shown that he can breathe life into even the smallest of characters.

7. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Although Murray plays a supporting role in Wes Anderson's masterfully rendered portrayal of a particularly dysfunctional family, neurologist Raleigh St. Clair (Murray) nonetheless has a significant impact on the entire cast. In addition, "The Royal Tenenbaums" is a wonderful movie that belongs on this list. Alec Baldwin tells the story of the Tenenbaum family's life, loves, and losses; his storytelling is heartfelt, funny, and stylish in equal measure.

6. Ed Wood (1994) The film "Ed Wood" by Tim Burton honors the imaginative energy of craftspeople who put their all into their work. Burton is the perfect director to examine the lives of a storyteller who is frequently made fun of for being strange and too unconventional to ever become popular. The subject of this biographical film is Johnny Depp, a cult writer-director who made low-budget pictures in the 1950s.

5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) Although Murray typically plays supporting roles in his work with Wes Anderson, he had the opportunity to play the lead in "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." The undersea journey centers on the explorer who bears the same name, who is revered as a legend in the oceanography world.

4. Ghostbusters (1984) The fantastic blend of body horror, wit, and fantasy adventure in "Ghostbusters" demonstrated how well Murray's comedic timing works in an action-comedy blockbuster.

3. Quick Change (1990) Movie theaters are replete with criminal dramas that follow the events of a single, terrible day, from the peak of "16 Blocks" to the lowest point of "88 Minutes." Though "Quick Change" from 1990 is more akin to films like "Dog Day Afternoon," it begins with a bank heist and ends in masterfully staged mayhem.

2. Rushmore (1998)  As Murray's debut film with eccentric writer-director Wes Anderson, "Rushmore" marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career. Murray's sardonic humor blends in seamlessly with Anderson's distinctive characters, arresting imagery, and symmetrical framing, which are hallmarks of Anderson's work.

1. Groundhog Day (1993) Murray showed off his flexibility in "Groundhog Day," which he has never surpassed. In this flawless movie, comedy and drama are expertly blended, and a character who begins the film quite skeptical is given a positive outlook.