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'Larger Than Life'

When it comes to performing comedy, it’s better to have been born in a trunk than to have been born with one.

Bill Murray, who plays second banana to an 8,000-pound pachyderm, gives audiences little to laugh about in this thin, inter-mammalian buddy comedy. Written by humorist Roy Blount Jr. and directed by Howard Franklin, the picture tracks the travels of a slick motivational speaker who inherits a highly trained elephant, Vera, from his father.

Alas, Murray must sell his inheritance to pay off his late father’s debts. The only potential buyers -- a San Diego Zoo keeper (Janeane Garofalo) and a whip-cracking circus performer (Linda Fiorentino) -- are on the West Coast, so Murray must move Vera cross-country to make the transaction.

Along the way, the pair encounter sundry kooks, including Matthew McConaughey’s tightly wound trucker, Pat Hingle’s big-top veteran and Lois Smith’s tattooed housewife.

The elephant, whose last film was "Operation Dumbo Drop," steals the three-ring circus with its charming personality and an amazing 50-command repertoire.