Scrooged (1988)

 Scrooged (1988)

Bill Murray’s Scrooged is…good enough. It does not quite reach the heights of “holiday classic that needs to be re-watched every single year,” but it does pass for an enjoyable, nontraditional take of the famed Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The first hour is when the movie is at its best with Murray channeling his inner Scrooge to delightful results. From there, it does lose a bit of its footing when more sentimentality is added. The whole speech at the end, while its heart is in its right place, seems a little misplaced. Regardless, there is enough here to like. If anything, it is not a traditional retelling…it is a unique story. The story within the story if that makes any sense. In addition to being a holiday movie, this stands as a scathing indictment of the entertainment industry. More than thirty years after the film was released, I see parallels within this industry. Some things never change.

After four years in semi-retirement, Bill Murray returned to the world of acting. Ghostbusters tired him out and took a nice break. I find it interesting that this film’s tagline mentioned three ghosts instead of one ghost alluding to Murray’s 1984 blockbuster. Sadly, this film had all sorts of production trouble. Murray felt he was rusty when it came to his acting skills, and often butted heads with director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, The Goonies). Donner wanted the movie to be louder, louder, and even more louder. Essentially, Murray and Donner had different ideas how the film was to be. The screenwriters were even more angry about the final product. Michael O’Donoghue forever denounced the film. He called his original script a holiday version of It Happened One Night but ultimately most of the script was not used. Despite the calamitous production, this became a cult classic. I certainly enjoyed it to a degree, even if I do not wholeheartedly agree with how the film ended.

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is the obnoxious and downright miserable president of IFC. His latest project is to create a live adaptation of A Christmas Carol for his network. Of course, he makes everyone’s life miserable on set including his secretary, Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodward). The network’s CEO, Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum) senses something is wrong and hires this gnarly outsider executive, Brice (John Glover) to “help.” Now, Frank is about to have his own Dickens moment when he is visited by the three ghosts to show him the meaning of his life. My favorite spirit? The Ghost of Christmas Present (played magnificently by Carol Kane). Loved how she kept physically abusing Murray with her wings.

People gave Murray lots of trouble for his performance. Personally, I thought he was great throughout. Even when he becomes a better person, he still did great. The first hour is at his unhinged best when he uses dark humor to great effect. Carol Kane was my favorite ghost as she knocked it out of the part. Karen Allen was good, but not sure if I truly believed her romance with Murray. Mitchum and Glover made a fine pair, but their roles could have been expanded upon. Still, this is a great cast, and it was fun to see everyone in this kind of movie.

Overall, Scrooged is a decent holiday movie. It is neither Donner’s nor Murray’s best, but still should be given a chance. The dark humor will certainly turn some people off, but Murray’s deadpan was perfect for the type of humor. Yeah, it can go into mean-spirited mode at times before the sentimentality seeps in. Sadly, I can relate that to a world we live in today. Everyone seems to be channeling their inner Scrooge. The ending is somewhat weak but could have been worse I suppose. Another good thing? The soundtrack! Led by songs from Annie Lennox, at least the film gave us some good songs to add to our holiday collection.

My Grade: B