Scrooged

1988

Starring: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Cane, David Johanson, and Robert Mitchum

Written by: Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue based on the novel by Charles Dickens

Directed by: Richard Donner

As I said in my previous review of Christmas Carol and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, I’m a sucker for Christmas movies and especially Christmas Carol remakes and reimaginings.

And Scrooged is probably hands down my favorite reimaging of the famous tale ever.

The cast is brilliant as Bill Murray is still at his comic peak before he got a little serious on us in the late 90s and is at his best. It isn’t amazing though how good Bill Murray is. It is far more impressive how solid the cast throughout is. From Carol Kane’s zany and eccentric Ghost of Christmas Present to David Johanson’s wisecracking Ghost of Christmas Past. From John Forsythe’s smarmy ambitious businessman to Bobcat Goldthwait’s naive and goodhearted employee.

We all know the story by now. The modernization is straightforward. Scrooge is now Frank Cross, a television president who is a bitter and mean man who wants only to rule the ratings and damn everyone who gets in his way.

Oh…and he’s producing a television version of A Christmas Carol entitled Scrooge.

When he is visited by the ghost of the former president and Frank’s mentor, Frank learns he will be visited by the ghosts, most of which involve a relationship that went bad due to Frank’s coldness.

Well it is the usual happy ending, but it’s the journey from Frank’s past where his older brother Brian Doyle-Murray plays Frank’s father to the present where another Murray brother, John plays Frank’s brother.

And then there’s Karen Allen. From Animal House and Raiders of the Lost Ark there was always something appealing and girl next door about her that you couldn’t help but fall for.

Maybe not so much in Crystal Skull but that’s besides the point.

Overall the movie is charming, heartwarming, and most importantly funny as hell. It is always on my list of Christmas movies and along with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation one of the few definites to watch every Yuletide.

A-