Scrooged (1988)
Since I’m not a Bill Murray fan, it’s no wonder his version of A Christmas Carol is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. And, since there are plenty of people who love him, there are plenty of people who love Scrooged and watch it every year. Like all art, movies are a matter of taste.
In this modern take, Bill Murray stars as the cold miser whose life has passed him by and whose heart can only be warmed by the visit of three Christmas spirits. Since he’s too young to feel life has passed him by, and since he’s not the most convincing repenter in the world, to me, the story’s message is lost in this version. The Ghosts of Christmas are the frightening David Johansen and the idiotic Carol Kane; and the love story with Karen Allen, normally a sweet and tender flashback in versions of A Christmas Carol, feels more like a one-night-stand than a lasting romance. Scrooged is dark and cynical, so if you’re not normally a fan of Bill Murray’s style, you probably won’t like the movie. Like every other American, I watch Groundhog Day every year, but I always think how much better it would have been with the original casting of Michael Keaton in the lead. If you do rent this Christmas classic, you’ll be treated to many cameos, which are always fun: Miles Davis, Robert Goulet, Lee Majors, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Brian Doyle-Murray, J. Pollard, John Forsythe, Alfre Woodard, and Robert Mitchum.
More Robert Mitchum movies here!
More Christmas movies here!
In this modern take, Bill Murray stars as the cold miser whose life has passed him by and whose heart can only be warmed by the visit of three Christmas spirits. Since he’s too young to feel life has passed him by, and since he’s not the most convincing repenter in the world, to me, the story’s message is lost in this version. The Ghosts of Christmas are the frightening David Johansen and the idiotic Carol Kane; and the love story with Karen Allen, normally a sweet and tender flashback in versions of A Christmas Carol, feels more like a one-night-stand than a lasting romance. Scrooged is dark and cynical, so if you’re not normally a fan of Bill Murray’s style, you probably won’t like the movie. Like every other American, I watch Groundhog Day every year, but I always think how much better it would have been with the original casting of Michael Keaton in the lead. If you do rent this Christmas classic, you’ll be treated to many cameos, which are always fun: Miles Davis, Robert Goulet, Lee Majors, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Brian Doyle-Murray, J. Pollard, John Forsythe, Alfre Woodard, and Robert Mitchum.
More Robert Mitchum movies here!
More Christmas movies here!