'Scrooged (1988)' is an interesting, if relatively straight-forward, modern twist on a well-known Christmas classic, with the central cynical, money-grubbing curmudgeon here portrayed by the charmingly quick-witted and drolly dry Bill Murray as a jaded TV-exec producing his very own version of the classic 'Scrooge' tale. This adds a nice 'meta' layer to the piece and allows it to reflect on the ever increasing 'extreme' nature of the 1980s. While the flick is predictable down to its last plot-point due to its strict adherence to its source story's rigid outline, the picture manages to set itself apart from the numerous other adaptations by being not only as emotionally resonant as you'd expect but also genuinely funny, too. The inventive visual effects and somewhat more relatable domestic aspects bring a fairly visceral and close-to-home feel, one that's compounded by the focus on interpersonal relationships and the fact that Murray's selfish cynic is constantly understandable, charmingly dissonant and yet every bit as despicable as you'd want him to be. 6/10

this new watching left me disappointed while in my memories, it was a good moment: i'm sure that the lack of subtitles put me in pain but anyway this time i found the movie really dark, oppressive and not really funny in spite of being a Christmas tale! The past work of Dickens is a gloom reading, the future work of Zemeckis won't be lighter... In addition, if Murray has a few good lines, 99% of his time is being a really cold, totally acid, egocentric TV producer and that hurts! So it's not like having Christmas with cool Venkman but with the sad Connors...Sure the end of this tale warms the heart but the way to get there is as painful as a cold, dark winter night...

I really like Bill Murray. Usually. But then .. he usually has been in films that I liked...Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Tootsie ... GOOD movies.Scrooged is NOT a "good movie. It is a mish-mashed mess of "spoof", "re-telling", "modern take on" etc etc and for me it just did not work.It started out a little promising with John Forsythe in Marley Mode (he turns up again as a Fezziwig clone only with smarmy overtones). The scene where he puts Frank through the window is the one scene that was pretty impressive and actually funny.The ghosts were obnoxious. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) beating up Frank was overdone and pointless. Actually the whole film was.Other reviews have called it a "classic" and their favorite version of the Dicken's tale. IMO, they are sadly wrong.

"Scrooged" is one of the few '80s and early '90s Bill Murray films I didn't grow up with, but even as an outsider coming to the film nearly 30 years later, it's clearly vintage Murray and was obviously paved the way for "Groundhog Day," one of my favorite films of all time.A take on Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Murray stars as a selfish and soulless television executive who gets a slap in the face (literally, in several instances) from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. No new revelations come out of this adaptation of the annual Yuletide cautionary tale, but it does hold up as a classic '80s slapstick interpretation.Murray has always done despicable characters in lovable ways and Frank Cross is no exception. He's hilariously smug and manages to wink directly at the camera without ever actually doing so, a rare gift among comedic actors. The character is downright lousy, but the clever way that the movie transitions to and especially from the ghost sequences allow us to have much-needed laughs at Frank's expense. The camera tricks and written physical humor that separate the real and "ghost" worlds are easily the highlight of the non-Murray aspects of the film. Director Richard Donner, hot off "The Goonies" and the first "Lethal Weapon" at this point in his career, shows a deft hand with comedy, but it's the fantastical elements of the movie that work the best. A creepy '80s fantasy-adventure vibe whenever the ghost sequences come about transforms the movie into something a little more magical.Although it could be funnier, the only true failing of "Scrooged" is that it butchers the classic redemptive arc of its main character. Writers Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue nail the cheeky, alternative riff on what's a rather prim and proper story, but Cross' transformation doesn't hit the emotional notes. Because Dickens' tale is one of the most formula-driven stories of all time, it's easy to spot how Cross will redeem himself well before it happens. That requires the components of the story that we don't know at the onset – who Cross is and to what lengths he's a mean person – to be stronger and draw us in. They don't. The movie gets lost in the comedy stylings of Bill Murray and never roots itself in the basic yet critical tenants of the "Christmas Carol" story. Although many scenes help humanize Frank, he doesn't change all that much until the end, and it falls flat because we don't believe it."Scrooged" (and "Christmas Vacation") will always have the market cornered on Christmas movies from the late '80s. Among that classification, it can be rightfully labeled a classic. But there are better Murray comedies and better comedies from that era period. That said, the way Murray's career dramatically changed at the turn of the century leaves films in which he played the comic lead all too few, and "Scrooged" is one of the few opportunities to treasure it.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more