I love Christmas and tend to watch several Christmas movies every year. I tend to check out the new Christmas movies while also watching several of my favorites, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, again each year. There are some more classic stories that have been redone many times over the years, with some of the versions being better than others. I just watched Scrooged again, probably the best modern version of A Christmas Carol.
Frank Cross was the president of the network IBC. He saw Christmas only as a way to get huge ratings with the holiday specials he had scheduled. He was most concerned about Scrooge, his live version of A Christmas Carol that was going to air on Christmas Eve. Elliot Loudermilk, one of the station’s employees, questioned Frank about a new commercial for Scrooge and ended up fired for his trouble. Frank was visited by the ghost of Lew Hayward, his former boss. Lew was there to warn Frank to change his ways or be doomed like his way. Lew also said that Frank would be visited by three ghosts, the first which would arrive on noon the next day, Christmas Eve.
The next day Frank was unsettled by Lew’s visit and by his boss Preston Rhinelander bringing in another man, Brice Cummings. Frank even contacted Claire, his ex-girlfriend that he hadn’t seen in years. The Ghost of Christmas Past arrived right on time in the form of a crazed cab driver. Several hours later, the Ghost of Christmas Present arrived. She looked like a fairy, but she beat up on Frank every chance he got. That night, during the live broadcast, the Ghost of Christmas Future arrived.
Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 and it quickly became very successful and went on to become one of the most loved Christmas stories of all time. Over the years, several movie versions of the story have been made, some much better than others. I think that Scrooged is one of the more unique versions because the original story actually played an important part in the plot while a character was visited by ghosts like Ebenezer was. The main characters, like Frank and Grace, had different names from the original versions and other small things were changed as well. The Ghost of Christmas Past turned up at noon instead of at night. There was a lot more time in between the visits by the ghosts as well. The movie still delivered the same message and I felt like it worked well even though it did turn slightly sappy near the end.
Since Scrooged was based on such a well-known story, the plot wasn’t the most original and it was predictable. That didn’t bother me one bit since the movie was done so well and there were still a few little surprises throughout the movie. There won’t be any mystery for anyone who has seen any other versions of Christmas Carol, but there would be a small amount of mystery without being suspenseful for people unfamiliar with the source material. People that like A Christmas Carol should give this movie a chance as well. It and The Muppet Christmas Carol are my two favorite versions of the story. I do feel that Scrooged is one of the best versions of the story and is the best of the versions that have done an update and set the story in modern times.
Several short scenes shared important moments from Frank’s past, like when he and Claire first met. In the things that the Ghost of Christmas Past showed, Frank had been a much nicer person who actually liked Christmas. He was still shown being a hard worker, but there was a time when he wasn’t putting work and making money above all else like he was later in life. I really liked the way the ghosts were depicted throughout the movie. Lew had a unique look, complete with a mouse living in his head. The Ghost of Christmas Future was extremely creepy and worked wonderfully. I did like that the Ghost of Christmas Past appeared like a crazed cab driver. The Ghost of Christmas Present was a bit of a contradiction since she looked so kind and sweet but was actually very violent toward Frank. Special effects were used in a few scenes, usually in connection with the ghosts, without going overboard with them like some newer movies do. They were very well done for the time and I think they still hold up well. The make-up effects, especially for Lew, were also very well done.
There was a little bit of violence in Scrooged. Most of the violence happened when the Ghost of Christmas Present was around. She greatly enjoyed beating the crap out of Frank every chance she got, including kicking him in a rather delicate location for a man. She even hit him with a toaster at one point. A minor character ended up getting hurt several times in some rather bizarre ways as well and that was really it for violence.
I thought that Scrooged was very funny and I laughed throughout the movie. The humor had a bit of a dark, twisted edge at times that worked perfectly for the movie but that might bother some people. There was some physical comedy in a few scenes that was very well done though I suppose some viewers could feel it was a bit silly. What happened to Elliot after he was fired wasn’t really nice, but several of those things added several laughs. I also thought the things the Ghost of Christmas Present did to Frank and the way one minor character kept getting hurt were funny too. Even late in the movie when something was taking the slightly sappy turn, Elliot arrived with a shot gun to hold the station’s control room hostage. I thought that and the way everything worked out was funny even though it could upset some viewers. Frank and Elliot both said and did several things I found funny. Some of the things said were a bit adult in nature, so parents should keep that in mind before letting children watch the unedited PG-13 version.
Scrooged did contain some traditional elements of Christmas like showing a lot of different decorations. Frank did take some time to made decisions about gifts for several people, but he was mostly giving everyone, even his devoted assistant and only brother, a towel. The movie started off showing advertisements for some of the Christmas specials that were set to air on IBC, including a bloody action extravaganza staring Lee Majors called The Night the Reindeer Died. To me the voice in the ads sounded like the guy that does the voice over for many of the movie trailers. There were a few Christmas songs played at different times as well. Some other songs were played throughout the movie too. The original score was written by Danny Elfman. All of the music used worked very well for the movie.
Frank was the Ebenezer of Scrooged and he shared a lot in common with the original Scrooge even though he was a modern version of the character with a totally different job. Frank was devoted to his work, getting huge ratings for his Christmas programming, and basically doing nothing that didn’t personally help him. He was so wrapped up in his own little world that he had somehow not known that Grace’s husband had died. He expected her to work late even though she needed to take her son to the doctor. He cared about nothing before he was visited by the ghosts. He was not likable in any way and it was only when some moments from his past were shared that any sort of redeeming qualities about him were discovered. Bill Murray was perfect as Frank. Murray’s brother John played Frank’s brother James in a few scenes. His other brothers, Joel and Brian Doyle Murray also made brief appearances in the movie.
Claire was the very kind, loving ex-girlfriend of Frank. She had managed to bring out his better qualities for a while before his obsession with his job took over and drove her away. There really wasn’t much attention given to the relationship she’d shared with Frank but it was enough to make it clear they had been in love and still had feelings for each other years later. Claire really hadn’t changed over the years and was running a homeless shelter. Karen Allen handled the part really well.
Grace was the Bob Cratchit of the story in this movie. She was Frank’s long-suffering assistant who kept doing a good job despite the lousy way he treated her. I did wonder why she would have kept working for him with the way he treated her but I’m guessing it had to do with her needing a decent job to take care of her family since her husband had died. Alfre Woodard was really good in the part and I hadn’t realized she was in this movie until I watched it again this last time. Her son Calvin filled the part of Tiny Tim in a slightly different way. Calvin didn’t talk and Grace spent a lot of time trying to find a doctor that could help him. Nicholas Phillips was good in the part and managed to convey emotions without talking. Regina King was around in a couple of scenes as Grace’s daughter Lanell.
Elliot didn’t agree with several things that Frank was doing related to the Christmas programming. Elliot tried to stay positive after being fired, but that quickly changed as more things went wrong in his life in just a matter of a day or two. Bobcat Goldthwait was really good in the part. He has a very unique voice and he has been more over the top in some of his performances. Thankfully that didn’t happen in this movie. Robert Mitchum was in a few scenes as Frank’s boss Preston Rhinelander. The character was a bit odd which was illustrated when he said he wanted Frank to start coming up with programming aimed at cats and dogs.
Lew did make a few brief appearances in two or three of Frank’s memories. He hadn’t been a very good person while alive, which was why he was trapped in his nasty ghost form. John Forsythe was fine in the part. I really liked David Johansen as the Ghost of Christmas Past. I loved Carol Kane as the violent Ghost of Christmas Present. She really made that part work. John Glover turned up a few times as Brice Cummings, the younger man that Preston hired at the last minute to take some of the pressure off Frank. Brice was cocky and arrogant and it seemed very obvious he wanted Frank’s job. Several other people made small guest appearances. Lee Majors and Robert Goulet were shown in the commercials for some of the Christmas specials. Buddy Hackett, Jamie Farr, Mary Lou Retton, and the Solid Gold Dancers were part of the cast of Scrooge and were all briefly shown.
Main Cast
Karen Allen - Claire John Forsythe - Lew Hayward John Glover - Brice Cummings Bobcat Goldthwait - Elliot Loudermilk David Johansen - Ghost of Christmas Past Carol Kane - Ghost of Christmas Present Regina King - Lanell Robert Mitchum - Preston Rhinelander Bill Murray - Frank Cross John Murray - James Cross Nicholas Phillips - Calvin Alfre Woodard - Grace
Richard Donner - Director
DVD Information
I received Scrooged on DVD for Christmas a few years ago. My copy has the widescreen version of the movie. I don’t know if there is a full screen version available as well. Unfortunately, there are no special features on the disc. The theatrical trailer was included, but I really don’t think of that as an extra.
Scrooged is one of my favorite Christmas movies. It is a wonderful version of a classic Christmas story and deserves to be watched at least once. It had some dark and even twisted moments, so it won’t be for everyone, but it is a very entertaining movie.
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