Starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Alfre Woodard, and Bobcat Goldthwait
Directed by Richard Donner
Directed by Richard Donner
Maybe it's because this is the third version of A Christmas Carol that I've watched in four weeks or so, but Scrooged just didn't hit the mark with me. I had certainly seen this before, but I'm honestly not sure whether I sat and watched it all the way through in one sitting -- perhaps I just caught bits and pieces from tv airings. Anyway, despite a winning turn from Bill Murray, this version really falls flat.
Murray plays tv executive Francis Cross and he's quite the curmudgeon. Just like the other versions of this tale, he's visited by four ghosts who, in the end, convince him to change his ways and become a caring guy.
Murray is great here. He's off-the-wall and very funny. Unfortunately, everything else around him falls flat. The "Tiny Tim" storyline here featuring Cross's secretary (played by Alfre Woodard) and her child who won't talk just doesn't hold nearly as much resonance as the typical "dying Tiny Tim" version. With no emotional connection in that part of the story, Scrooged relies on the viewers to be involved in the plotline involving Cross's ex-lover (Karen Allen), but Allen's character is so bland that it's tough to give a darn there either.
So, overall, despite some cool effects and a great role from Murray, this Christmas tale really didn't register for me at all.
The RyMickey Rating: D+
Damn 1.5? I thought Murray was pretty excellent in this.
ReplyDelete"I don't mind you shooting at me Frank, but take it easy on the Bacardi"
Murray is really good in this...but to me, that was it. Sure, it could be that I'd watched this story just two days before with the Muppets and three weeks before that in the new Jim Carrey version.
ReplyDeleteBut other than Murray, the comedy fell flat and the update to the modern world just seemed to stretch the story a bit too far.
I know this is loved by many...