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Carol Kane (right) is one of three ghosts to visit Bill Murray in Scrooged.
I still remember going to the movie theater when Scrooged came out back in 1988. It was Thanksgiving Day, I was eight years old, and I was not a happy camper. I had just got the VHS of the original Ghostbusters (basically my all-time favorite movie as a kid) and was ready to watch it after a yummy dinner.
At least I assume it was good.
Then, it happened. The family decided to go to the movies – my mother, my aunt and uncle, my sister and I. So much for watching my favorite ghost-hunting heroes for this night! Instead, I was being dragged to some stupid movie about Christmas. That’s all I knew about it. I’m sure there was some kicking and screaming on my part… maybe even a bite or two. But eventually we all arrived at the crowded theater.
I made sure I was a total pain-in-the-a**, and asked for a big tub of popcorn and a giant slurpee before we went into the theater. I got it… not because I was a spoiled little brat, but probably so I would shut up during the movie.
So the film started, and in no time I recognized one of the actors on the screen. It was none other than Bill Murray – or Dr. Venkman, as I knew him as. From that moment on, I gave the movie a chance. After all, if Dr. Venkman thought it was good enough to star in, it couldn’t be all bad.
I left the theater that day loving the movie… even if I was a little young to fully grasp most of the adult-related humor. But since then, I’ve grown to love Richard Donner’s Scrooged, and is required viewing for the holiday season for The Horror Guru. And, while it’s true that this film is not exactly a horror film, it does contain some very mild horror-related elements – the Ghost of Christmas Future is awesome!
The film is a present-day retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol. I find it hard to believe anyone is not familiar with the short story… I think it may be a little-known law that all children must read it in school. But if your memory is a tad fuzzy, here’s a quick rundown of the book.
The story centers on a mean-spirited, penny-pinching old man – Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge, who made the phrase “Bah Humbug!” famous, skips out on the annual Christmas party and heads home. There, he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his dead business partner. Like Scrooge, he was also a stingy man in life… and now, in death, he’s condemned to wander the Earth in heavy weighted chains. His goal is to help Scrooge change his ways so as to avoid suffering the same fate. He tells Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits each of the following three nights: the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come. At the end of the third night, Scrooge is overwhelmed with the opportunity to redeem himself, and runs out into the street to share his newfound Christmas spirit.
Scrooged follows this same storyline in a similar way. Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a workaholic and tight-fisted television executive, not noted by his staff for his Christmas spirit. With the network floundering, this Steinbrenner of the TV world begins firing employees like it was a bodily function.
While in a Tab and vodka-induced drunken stupor, Cross is visited by the ghost of his former boss, Lew Hayward (John Forsythe). The Jacob Marley reincarnate advises Cross that he shape up or he would suffer the same fate. After a quick near-death experience, Cross awakens from an apparent alcoholic blackout.
Soon thereafter, Cross is visited by the same three sprits as Scrooge – the Ghost of Christmas Past (the loud-mouthed David Johansen)… the Ghost of Christmas Present (the sweet-talking Carol Kane)… and the Ghost of Christmas Future (Chaz Conner). Each successive visit helps Frank realize just how much of an inconsiderate jerk he has been for so long. And, after seeing his future fate, Frank “sees the light” and fulfills his redemption in an absolutely hilarious, but genuinely heart-warming final scene.
This is Bill Murray’s film. Most of the co-stars are just fine in their portrayal of their respective roles, but Murray is the glue that holds this one together. I can’t imagine another actor, then or now, that would have done a better job. It’s like this role was written special for Murray – and it very well may have been. Scrooged was released in between the two highly-successful Ghostbusters films, and was arguably the height of Bill Murray’s comedic career (Murray, however, has seemingly perfected a dramatic/comedic hybrid career of late).
Writers Mitch Glazer & Michael O’Donoghue do a masterful job in taking Dickens’ characters and giving them a modern twist. Alfre Woodard plays Frank’s secretary, Grace Cooley, and does a superb job in the Bob Cratchit role. And her son, Calvin (Nicholas Phillips), serves as the film’s Tiny Tim.
During its run in theaters, Scrooged pulled in a modest $60 million – but more importantly, the film has earned over $30 million in rental sales alone since then. Released in 1988, it does show some signs of being outdated. The multiple uses of Tab soda, a completely random “Feed Me, Seymour” line from Murray (in reference to his cameo in Little Shop of Horrors), and gratuitous shots of Solid Gold dancers are among the most blatant examples.
This is a bona fide, modern Christmas movie that might not be the most family-friendly… but should definitely holds a place on your DVD shelf for viewing after the little ones put milk and cookies out for Santa and head off to bed.
Flick Figures: 4 ghosts; arm meat-ripping; bone-breaking; alcohol consumption; door to the skull; gratuitous cameos including: Solid Gold dancers, Bobcat Goldthwait, Buddy Hackett, Robert Goulet, John Houseman, Lee Majors, Mary Lou Retton, and Paul Shaffer.
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