Review of Scrooged (1988) by Ben L — 01 Jan 2014

In the past few weeks my wife and I have literally watched at least 7 different versions of A Christmas Carol, but when we dialed this one up I realized I've never seen the whole thing from start to finish. As a result I'm going to call this a "New to Me" movie even though I've seen large chunks of it in the past. Naturally, if I've watched this many versions of the story I'm a big fan. I love the tale of Scrooge and his redemption, so I'm automatically inclined to enjoy Scrooged as well, even if it is one of the most twisted and macabre interpretations. In fact my biggest complaint while watching this movie was that there were moments that felt a little rushed. Any time I wish they had slowed down so I could spend more time in the story is a good thing. It just felt like character development took a back seat at times and we weren't allowed to totally connect with everyone in Frank Cross' life.

I'm a fan of Bill Murray and his comedic style, and it adds a lot of fun to this film. He plays Frank Cross to be despicable and yet I just chuckle and kind of like him even when he's suggesting they staple antlers to the heads of little mice. This makes it all the more rewarding when he is transformed at the end and becomes almost unhinged in his giddiness. I'm not particularly fond of Karen Allen, but the strange mix of Girl Scout and sex-starved love interest makes her character fun. Bobcat Goldthwait seems like the kind of guy who has actually gone postal in his real life, so he fits the role of Eliot perfectly. And Alfre Woodard is always sweet and loveable so you can't help liking her. But the real master stroke of this film isn't in the humans, it's all about the ghosts. They are dark, they are disgusting, and they are hilarious. Perhaps most endearing is Carol Kane who spends a half hour beating the snot out of Bill Murray which, let's be honest, we all wanted to see.

The ghosts really do add a unique style to Scrooged. Where in some versions of A Christmas Carol the ghosts are so sweet and lovable that you wonder how Scrooge was even startled by them, here we see ghosts that could frighten and intimidate someone as twisted as Frank Cross. Now, to be fair, not all the jokes land effectively. This is no Groundhog Day, but it's still pretty good. The way they made it feel more modern day was an interesting twist, and having Frank actually involved in the production of a televised Christmas Carol event was a neat twist. The end was downright crazy watching Frank lead everyone in a sing-along. It tears through the fourth wall to the point where I find myself singing with the cast eventually. All in all Scrooged is not my favorite version of A Christmas Carol, but it's a fun twist on the tale and it delivers exactly what you'd expect...laughs.