Scrooged

Charles Dickens classic novella A Christmas Carol was written in 1843 and to this day still holds up as a classic piece of literature. The ideas presented by the book- the fortunate looking out for those who are less fortunate, and the obligations of society to help those in need lest they face eternal doom are timeless and are still ideas many of us could learn from even today. It's those themes that lead the book to still be loved and taught in schools even 168 years after its first publication. Those themes also make it perfect for the Christmas (or holiday) season where the sense of brotherhood and glad tidings and goodwill should make us take a look at those around us and reach out where we can. If you've ever stopped to throw a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket this time of year you know where the themes stem from.

The universality of the themes in the novella make it easy to adapt into films and television shows since it represents what we always hope to be as human beings rather than how we usually end up being. Hollywood has taken numerous stabs at the material from the George C. Scott film in 1984 to Scrooge McDuck playing the title role in Mickey's Christmas Carol. Even It's A Wonderful Life features some variation on the theme and you have to be able to see how The Grinch's plight has its foundation in the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. However, 1988's Scrooged starring Bill Murray and directed by Richard Donner may be one of the more off kilter adaptations of the source material.

Part of that comes from Donner directing the film. Donner has an interesting eye when it comes to helming films. He has bounced between superhero films (Superman), action movies (Lethal Weapon series) to horror movies (The Omen). A Christmas Carol has a dark sense of humor about its self but it is always couched in the fact that in the end we get to see Scrooge come full circle as a character. When the ending hits it drives home the point that some of the humor in the story comes from Scrooge trying to rationalize what is happening to him and the fact that the ghosts delight in showing Scrooge how poorly he makes everyone around him. In this film the dark humor is really amped up but then at the end instead of a full circle character change, we get Murray playing Scrooge as a slightly less abrasive jerk. To be fair, some of that may be a result of the screenplay. The writers of the screenplay (one of which was the original head writer for Saturday Night Live) came out at the time of the film and declared that the movie was much different than the screenplay they wrote. It would be fun to see how they originally wrote the film because the finished product goes heavier on the dark rather than the comedy. The only time it really gets humorous is when it seems like Murray is going off on his own little tangents.

The film itself stays pretty true to the format of the novella. Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a hotshot television executive, who delights in offending people at every turn and is forcing his employees to come to work on Christmas Eve for a live presentation of Scrooge. In a meeting about a commercial spot for the show he presents a commercial basically promising the viewer nuclear Armageddon if they don't watch the show.  When the meeting closes Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldwaith) stays behind to voice his displeasure and is promptly fired by Cross. His mentor then shows up as the Jacob Marley character promising three ghosts will visit. That leads to Buster Poindexter as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and then a seven foot ghoul as the Ghost of Christmas Future. You know what Cross will see and what will ultimately come of it. In the end Murray's character breaks into the live presentation of Scrooge and delivers a speech extolling the virtues of the holiday and relaying the ideas of what he has learned.

Murray is the star here and plays the part with his typical manic energy. He is having fun throughout and is only one of two who seems to be doing so. At the end when he issues his speech he slips into his lounge singer persona from SNL and just goes completely off the wall with what he is saying and doing. In fact, the film is so tied to Murray I would go so far to say that without him in the lead role this would've been a completely terrible film. As it is, he keeps it just funny enough that the character- while an acerbic jerk- is just barely likable enough.

In the supporting cast it is a mixed bag with one real standout. Poindexter is okay as the Ghost of Christmas Past but his cigar chomping and voice that sounds tinged after a 6 day whiskey binge gets old fairly quickly. Karen Allen plays Cross's ex-girlfriend and she is pretty good in an underdeveloped role. She works in a homeless shelter and is the direct opposite of her former boyfriend in that she only does good for people who are needy. She smiles and laughs but Murray and her never seem to have any real chemistry together. Part of that is the completely jokey nature Murray takes throughout but part is the script. Alfre Woodard plays a variation of the Bob Cratchit role as Cross's secretary and the mother to a couple kids that are living as best they can. Her youngest son is someone who never speaks and she is clearly worried about his demeanor. She is fine in the role even if they don't give her or her story quite enough screentime. Goldwaith is pretty funny as the employee who gets fired and gradually loses his mind before turning back up at the station with a shotgun looking to kill Frank. By the end he is in full-on Goldwaith mode where he is screeching, talking fast, and using every facial tick at his disposal to get across how unnerved he is. The real standout though is Carol Kane who plays the Ghost of Christmas Present. She plays her part as some mix of Glenda the Good Witch and a UFC fighter. She talks in a bizarre accent, squeaks her lines in a high pitched voice, and engages Cross in one beating after another. It is the one supporting player that Murray seems to really have some chemistry with and the middle section of the film with her around really sizzles and moves along quickly. So quickly in fact that we only get a minute or two with the Christmas Future ghost and it feels so anti-climatic compared to what just happened in front of it.

In the end though, the film is fun even with its problem areas. If you are a fan of Bill Murray (and I'm a huge fan) you will enjoy this film because he is basically playing versions of characters that came before. It is almost as if the Ghosts of Performances Past are at work here. You won't get any new ground covered, and you know the story, but with the sheer unhinged nature of Murray's performance, and the choices made by the makers of the film it is never boring to watch.