A selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.A selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.A selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.
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- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 5 nominations total
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Featured reviews
This is my favorite "adaptation" of A Christmas Carol. It's also my favorite Christmas movie. A lot of people say that Bill Murray's character of Frank Cross is unlikeable. Would you prefer a warm and fuzzy Scrooge for the first half? Then there are those who say that the end is sappy. The ending is what I like the most. And Murray's acting is much better than other Scrooges, who usually overact. Murray manages to be over-the-top with his cruelty while still making his acting believable. Cross is truly Scrooge-like, reveling in the death of an old woman caused by his commercial because it's free publicity. Another common comment is that Carol Kane steals the scene as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Not true. The chemistry between Murray and Kane ensures that they share the screen perfectly. This is a wonderful movie. I can't understand why anyone would say otherwise. Bobcat Goldthwait puts in a great performance as a disgruntled employee fired on Christmas Eve. The best part is the end. This movie has what has to be the happiest ending in the history of movies. He understands the meaning of Christmas, gets a new lease on life, gets the girl, the little boy talks, and everybody sings a song. Danny Elfman provides the score, doing a brilliant job as always. A beautiful movie all around. A+
What a fun little Christmas film! I was always creep out by the Christmas Carol story growing up, especially this version. Nowadays I find a lot of nostalgia for Scrooged and love the effects on all the ghost. They remind me a lot of Beetlejuice, especially the Ghost Of Christmas Past. Bill Murray is always charming and hilarious, (although the last speech was kinda awkward and speratic, I'm not sure if that were what they were going for, but it leaves the movie on a bit of an awkward mood instead of heart warming), and Karen Allen is always great to see and plays every part she gets perfectly. May not be an every Christmas movie, but is definitely fun!
I just finished watching this film (on TNT) for the countless time. What a fine seasonal offering. It's so much better than a lot of the pulp and smarmy c*** that passes for Christmas classics.
Bill Murray exclaims at the end of the movie, "I get it now!" Apparently, some folks watched this flick and didn't get it. The movie is essentially a star turn for Murray, who's in almost every frame - and that's fine with me because he can carry a film. Trivial quibbles over the movie's name and reference to the original work, the lack of faithfulness to the book and other complaints miss the point of the project. While staging a production of 'A Christmas Carol,' a TV executive experiences the very same circumstances as one of the characters in the novel. That alone makes it work. A few reviews question the overall harsh tone of the movie, or more specifically, Murray's role. Frankly, I would not have minded had it been even a little darker. There's a lot of water to carry in that bucket of trying to measure the callous and thoughtless manner in which some folks act on all but the most treasured of holidays. Murray's demeanour boils it down into one strong mean spirit and evaporates it with a truly positive and well-wishing finale.
Scrooged is, along with Groundhog Day, among his best work.
Bill Murray exclaims at the end of the movie, "I get it now!" Apparently, some folks watched this flick and didn't get it. The movie is essentially a star turn for Murray, who's in almost every frame - and that's fine with me because he can carry a film. Trivial quibbles over the movie's name and reference to the original work, the lack of faithfulness to the book and other complaints miss the point of the project. While staging a production of 'A Christmas Carol,' a TV executive experiences the very same circumstances as one of the characters in the novel. That alone makes it work. A few reviews question the overall harsh tone of the movie, or more specifically, Murray's role. Frankly, I would not have minded had it been even a little darker. There's a lot of water to carry in that bucket of trying to measure the callous and thoughtless manner in which some folks act on all but the most treasured of holidays. Murray's demeanour boils it down into one strong mean spirit and evaporates it with a truly positive and well-wishing finale.
Scrooged is, along with Groundhog Day, among his best work.
Scrooged must be watched every Christmas. Bill Murray is in top form in this movie. He makes a great Scrooge in his selfish TV exec Frank Cross. This movie manages to never be boring and instead keeps you laughing throughout. The classic story of A Christmas Carol is well updated for these modern times and turned into a well thought out comedy. The supporting cast makes for a memorable and funny cast of characters, especially the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Murray is the jewel of this film and he never fails to turn in a great performance. Bottom Line: You need to watch this at least every Christmas. It's a nice family comedy.
This is a modern take on the classic Christmas story about Ebeneezer Scrooge from the story A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. To say that there was a lot of creative license taken here would be an understatement, but that does not detract from the fact that this is a great social comment on how commercialized Christmas has become. Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a television network head that is trying to put on a live version of A Christmas Carol. He is driving his people like slaves and even tells someone to staple antlers to a mouse because they would not stay. He fires a member of his team on Christmas Eve for disagreeing with something he said. He has led a life of greed and cut off anyone that stood in his way, including his brother. That night he is payed a visit from fours ghosts, the first being his mentor, followed by the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. I am sure you are all familiar with the telling of this story. David Johnson and Carol Kane as the ghost of past and present respectively, steal the show. This is a great movie and should be enjoyed by all, every year.
Did you know
- TriviaBill Murray falling on his way out of the restaurant was unscripted and a genuine accident. (As evidenced by the reaction of the actor playing the waiter, and Murray's feet as he falls.) Apparently, it was due to the stairs still being wet, after splashing the waiter with water, that caused him to lose his footing.
- GoofsAfter Frank Cross wakes up in his office after Lew visits him, he drinks some vodka that has a golf ball in it. When he drops the golf ball on his desk, it bounces three times in front of Frank's face. On the second and third bounces, the ball actually goes higher than on its first bounce. Although this is "impossible," it is meant to emphasize the supernatural origins of the ball. Also note that the sound effects correspond with this "supernatural" activity.
- Quotes
Frank Cross: [looking around at dilapidated surroundings] Well, this is nice. Where are we, Trump Tower?
- Crazy creditsAbout a third of the way through the closing credits, Bill Murray appears with the word "Scrooged" across the screen in front of him. He looks down and brushes the front of his jacket a few times, with each brush a couple of the letters in the title chase off the screen as if he's brushing them off his jacket.
- Alternate versionsTBS runs an "edited for content" version of this film, that deletes or changes profanity and questionable dialog.
- SoundtracksBrown Eyed Girl
Written by Van Morrison
Performed by David Johansen (as Buster Poindexter)
Produced by Hank Medress, David Johansen (as Buster Poindexter)
Buster Poindexter courtesy of RCA Records
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Los fantasmas contraatacan
- Filming locations
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada(Exterior)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $32,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $60,328,558
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $13,027,842
- Nov 27, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $60,329,560
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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