Fantômes en fête

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.

Francis Cross is a successful TV executive but at Christmas time he is about as miserable a man as you could wish to meet. Forcing people to work over the holidays and unwilling to think of anyone but himself. As Christmas Eve approaches Francis is visited by his dead boss, warning him to change his ways; when he doesn't he is visited by three ghosts who show him Christmas in the past, present and future.

Each year there are plenty of versions of the classic Christmas Carol story, but this film is consistently one of the better ones. It starts with a great dark comedy that sees some very imaginative gags (The Night The Reindeer Died) as well as Murray given great material. At some point (roughly ghost 2), sentimentality starts to set in and the film doesn't quite have the edge on it that it did. It still works - in fact, ghost 3 is not so much sentimental as really dramatic!

What holds it all together though is a great performance from Murray. He is funny throughout but also does the work to try and hold off the sentimentality of the piece - although it does come through, as one would expect with a Christmas movie! The support cast is good and includes Woodard, Goldthwait, Goulet, Farr and Mitchum. I didn't feel like Kane's Christmas Present really worked and didn't find her funny in the least. While the support cast add to the film, it is almost totally belonging to Bill Murray and the fact that it is so enjoyable is mostly due to him (although not even he can carry off the audience interaction over the end credits).

Overall this is a good Christmas movie - it does give you a nice little festive glow but also has enough cynical edge to keep the syrup at bay for a certain amount of the time. Regardless of everything else, Bill Murray is great in the lead and holds the movie together better than someone else may have been able to.

This is a perfect vehicle for Bill Murray, his brand of sarcastic and caustic delivery is nailed on perfect for Frank Cross, the modern day scrooge in this tale. I have often found him to be an acquired taste, I mean don't get me wrong here, I'm a big fan and can repeatedly watch his best offerings, but it's not hard to understand why his style is not universally loved. Scrooged is pure and simply the modern spin of the story we all have grown up with, that isn't to say that the film loses anything as regards Christmas spirit, because it doesn't, the message is still the same, and in this ever changing world of ours the core essence of the story is one the world should heed.

This version is a blast, it's loud, it's brash, but boy is it damn funny, and I personally watch it every Christmas without fail. And yes, I watch it alongside the glorious Alistair Sim version, for although they are poles apart in class, they both entertain for very different reasons.

Joining Murray in this festive romp is the delightful Karen Allen, while luminaries such as former New York Dolls front man David Johansen and Mr. Laconic himself, Robert Mitchum, add some weight to the cast list. It all works really rather well with the exception of Carol Kane's Ghost Of Christmas Present, where to me she comes off as being more annoying than funny, but that of course is a personal opinion and I know as fact that many others adore her energetic performance. With quips aplenty and of course with a simple heartfelt message at the core, Scrooged is truly a sharp and enjoyable film to be enjoyed at the festive period.

Thanks boys, get the nurse! 8/10

Well, Christmas is almost upon us again. So I'm going to comment on a view Festive films. Starting with Scrooged:

I personally enjoyed this film, but after reading other user's comments on here for the movie, I guess you either Love it or Hate it.

Why do people get so serious about a movie ? Its just a comedy that pokes a little fun at the Dickens classic.

They mention that Murray's character of Frank Cross was hateful, spiteful, nasty, horrible etc. etc. ... That was the whole idea!! (You wouldn't have had a movie if he wasn't those things). Scrooge in the novel was horrible, spiteful, nasty, etc. etc.

Scrooged is funny, but it does hit on a few serious notes also. Especially when Frank is visited by Carol Kane's Ghost of Christmas Present.

Scrooged is the type of movie that no-one will ever agree on. They have their opinions, and I have mine.

I love it. The bit at the end where Bill Murray finally realizes what Christmas is really all about, is quite moving as he talks directly to the viewers about it. Then when the cast break into song, Murray urges the Cinema audience to join in with them. The cinema we went to, did! It was a great atmosphere with the cinema singing along with the cast. And it was near Christmas too, which made it all that little bit more special :o)

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.