There are so many movie versions of "A Christmas Carol," going back to the silent movie days. Most tell the same story, and a few have tried to change the time and place in an attempt to update the story. Henry Winkler in "An American Christmas Carol," (1979) a depression-era version telling of the tale. Jack Palance in the wild west as "Ebebezer" (1998), or . "Scrooged" (1988) which was billed as an American Christmas fantasy comedy, with Bill Murray as a TV executive. Even a big, splashy Oliver" styled musical from 1970, with Albert Finney.
"Scrooge & Marley" is a 2012 update that, as far as I know, is the first gay perspective on the old holiday story. David Pevsner stars as the titular character, this time re-imagined as the selfish owner of a gay piano bar in Chicago.
At first I thought Pevsner was a little heavy handed in his portrayal. Maybe he was a nice guy trying a little too hard to play it tough and mean. But I thought he embodied the part very well as he suffered through the ghostly visits of the Spirits of Christmas, and became, himself, the very spirit of the holiday.
The supporting cast works very well especially because the movie itself is pretty campy. There are a few musical numbers, which work nicely in the film. There's a lotta humor in the film, and I admit I got tearful in places.
You already know the story. Here's a new take on it that throws in some campy humor, shines a new light on the characters, as well as updating the time and place. The script takes a few liberties with the characters and situations, but it works nicely.
My thoughts about the song during the closing credits were... "what a pretty voice that guy has." Practically at the end of the credits, I was surprised when I saw it was Jason Gould singing. Nice job.
Overall, a nice couple of hours spent with some old friends (Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, Fezziwig, et al) - all given new life, with a new twist.
