Film Review: Scrooged (1988)

Even if the film is successful - both among the critics and at the box office – that doesn’t mean that its main star will like it at the end of the day. Bill Murray wasn’t very pleased with Scrooged, 1988 comedy directed by Richard Donner, film with his first starring role after four-year long hiatus.

Script by Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue is a very loose (and rather ingenious) adaptation of A Christmas Carol, famous novel by Charles Dickens. The plot is transferred from Victorian London into contemporary New York and the protagonist, played by Murray, is Frank Cross, president of IBC television network. He had spent years completely focused on his career and sacrificed both his family and Claire Phillips (played by Karen Allen), former girlfriend who used to be love of his life. As Christmas approaches, Cross is supervising series of spectacular and outlandish Christmas special, including the live studio adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Cross treats his subordinates like dirt and when one of them, minor executive Eliot Loudermilk (played by Bobcat Goldwaith) dares to criticise some of his policies, he gets immediately fired. Cross gets a visit by ghost of his predecessor and mentor Lew Hayward (played by John Forsythe) who warns him that he would soon be visited by three other ghosts – Ghost of Christmas Past (played by David Johanssen), Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Carol Kane) and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – and be given chance to see the errors of his ways.

Glazer and O’Donoughe had been working with Murray on popular television show Saturday Night Live and it is likely to imagine that idea to replace iconic Victorian miser Ebenezer Scrroge with yuppie-like 1980s television executive was at least partially inspired by their experiences. Scrooged works like a biting satire of American network television, as well as the brutal commercialisation of Christmas. Murray, for his part, seems to be enjoying his role, especially in the first part when he plays unquestionably bad person. In the second half, when the inevitable and predictable character reformation occurs, film loses much of its edge and begins to drowns into typical Hollywood sentimentality. The actual ending, when the protagonist declares his change of heart by storming into the live show and later even breaks the fourth wall asking cinema audience to sing film’s theme song “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”, looks ingenious, but it is too late to generally improve impression. Much of the blame for that can be addressed to director Richard Donner; comedy wasn’t his forte and, according to many testimonies, he constantly clashed with Murray as well as scriptwriters. Donner, on the other hand, had very big budget at his disposal, which was best seen in elaborate sets and some impressive special effects, but his technical skills can’t compensate for tonal shifts. In the end, Scrooge is entertaining enough to be recommended, although for people who are already in Christmas spirit. Those who want proper Christmas films should rather watch classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone or Die Hard.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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