Customer Reviews

Scrooged [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Bill Murray is the new Scrooge in the classic tale done yet again. I remember a reviewer giving it a low rating because he said it seemed as though Murray's character really didn't like people. Helllooo, isn't that what actors are supposed to do? This version of the old Chrsitmas tale is a good retelling of the story. Murray is mean to everyone including his only brother (played by his real younger brother). The 3 spirits that visit Frank Cross (Murray's role) are wacky to say the least. Carol Kane plays the ghost of Christmas present and is probably the funniest of the spirits. Murray has this act down pat. He's a big t.v. exec and fires Elliot Laudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait) just for disagreeing with him. By the way, his fires Laudermilk on Christmas eve.

Alfre Woodard plays his longsuffering assistant and tries to be Cross' conscience since he doesn't have one of his own. In the visit to Christmas past we learn that television played the biggest role in raising him since his parents weren't the greatest in the world. Christmas doesn't mean much because his parents didn't put up Christmas lights, buy a tree or get him presents. His father does come home one night and drop a package of veal in front of him as a Christmas gift but the young Frank Cross tells his dad that he wanted a choo-choo train. His dad, a butcher, (played by Brain Doyle Murray, Bill Murray's real life brother) is totally unsympathetic and suggests that his son get a job even though he's only four.

There are lots of laughs here as the cast pokes fun at the t.v. industry from behind this comedy. The end of the film might be a little mushy bit it's fine here since Cross is so mean during the rest of the film. He even steals a cab from a little old lady carrying a load of packages. This movie would fit nicely in your holiday collection.

Parents Advisory: There is no nudity or sex. However, there is a small bit of foul language. It may frighten very young children. I suggest a viewing age of at least thirteen.

Since the first time I ever saw this movie, I have watched it a few times a year, never tiring of the modern take on the Dickens classic. Bill Murray is excellently cast as cold hearted TV exec Frank Cross and with each scene, the movie draws you ever-closer to the Christmas feeling.

I watch this EVERY Christmas Eve and no matter how bad a year you've had, by the time this movie finishes and it's time to go to bed before Father Christmas comes, you'll be in the true Spirit of the Season.

I've yet to meet someone who doesn't lean towards this as their movie of choice for the festive period. And now... I finally get to see it on DVD!

This is a great Christmas movie! It is a new take on an old favorite that stars Bill Murray. He plays the sharp tongued Frank Cross, and he is really good at being mean. David Johansen was scary as the ghost of Christmas past, Carol Kane was the ghost of Christmas present, and Chaz Conner was the ghost of Christmas future. Carol Kane was a scream, and I am sure Bill Murray had a bruise or two when they finished filming.

Bill Murray lends his comedic talents to this contemporary version of the Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," with somewhat skewered results in "Scrooged," directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Mitch Glazer and Michael O' Donoghue. This time around, Ebenezer is one Frank Cross (Murray), programming executive for a major television network with an office in New York. Above all else, Cross covets the "ratings" he can add to his coffers, and this year he's going all out with a "live" broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" planned for Christmas Eve, starring Buddy Hackett as Scrooge and Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim. And that's just a taste of the kind of humor this film has to offer. There's more, much more, and it's all handled with aplomb by Donner, Murray and a great supporting cast. Whatever genre he's working in, Donner knows his stuff and knows how to deliver the goods. Here he wisely lets Murray lead the way, but keeps his star on task and the film moving along with a tempered pace and great timing. The story remains the same, but placing Scrooge-- Cross-- in the entertainment industry was a stroke of genius, and it all works exceedingly well, as it gives the audience a medium with which it can readily identify. Let's face it, television is a part of our culture, like it or not, and it's here to stay; and in this instance, using it as a setting for this story offers a "tableau vivant" rich with possibilities that are tapped to the fullest. There's a promo for the upcoming live broadcast like you've never seen before; there's the "inside" industry jokes, like Network executive Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum) urging programming for cats; "Marley's ghost" becomes Lew Hayward (John Forsythe) the exec who sold his soul for ratings; the casting of Hackett and Retton; but most of all, it puts Murray right in his element. Murray gets right to the heart of the character, imbuing Cross with a sense of jaded, dubious and sarcastic paranoia that so perfectly fits the psychological make-up of an executive in a business where you're only as good as yesterday's ratings. And Murray plays him to the hilts; he has the tone and the body language, and nobody can look "askance" like he can, a nuance he makes the most of here. it's an original take on a familiar character, and in Murray's skin Cross becomes a memorable and entirely believable figure, from his credible ruthlessness (he fires an underling, Eliot Loudermilk--played by Bob Goldthwait-- just before Christmas for disagreeing with his "vision") to his epiphany on Christmas Eve. The terrific supporting cast includes Karen Allen as Claire, the girl Frank lets slip away as he follows the siren's song of career; John Glover (Bryce Cummings) as Frank's new "assistant," plotting his way to the top; Alfre Woodard (Grace) as Frank's secretary, a single mom with a sick child; Michael J. Pollard (Herman); Nicholas Phillips (Calvin); John Murray (James); Brian Doyle-Murray (Earl Cross); David Johansen, as the cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past; and Carol Kane, who turns in an unforgettable, hilarious, scene-stealing performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present. There's plenty of laughs and some touching moments in "Scrooged," which is a wonderfully entertaining holiday treat, especially if you want your "Christmas Carol" served up just a little bit differently this year. And the speech Murray gives at the end, once he's had his revelation, is worth the price of admission alone; it's one of those things Murray does best, and he really connects with the audience, especially when he finishes up by leading everyone involved (including the audience) in song. This is a movie that has become an annual event for many since it's arrival on video; give yourself a present this year and put this one under your tree. You'll be glad you did. Like the song at the end (sung by Annie Lennox and Al Green), it'll "Put A Little Love In Your Heart."

Christmas movies are fun. I like Christmas movies because they're generally nice, lightweight, enjoyable pieces of fluff with important moralistic messages ("It's a Wonderful Life," "Scrooge") or sometimes they're just fun to watch ("Gremlins," "Home Alone").

"Scrooged" isn't lightweight, cheery, or happy. It's dark, brooding, sort of evil, and it's the only Christmas movie I can think of that seems as if Tim Burton directed it.

Am I insulting the film? Heavens, no. I love it. In fact, I'm complimenting it. Instead of repeating old traditions, it's trying something new, and the secret to the film is the way it actually pulls it all off.

The plot: Frank Cross is the youngest television station president in recorded history because he knows the people. At least he thinks he does. In reality, he's just a greedy tycoon who gives people bath towels for Christmas -- including his own brother.

Cross is a modern day Scrooge, and the movie "Scrooged" is a modern reworking of the classic Charles Dickens story. Frank Cross is played by Bill Murray absolutely perfectly. He's cynical, dry, and sarcastic, and doesn't give a darn about anyone else other than himself.

So the night before Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by an old business partner -- who has been dead for seven years. ("I wouldn't have guessed more than three, tops," says Frank in his usual sarcastic tone.) His old associate warns Frank to change his ways or he'll end up like himself -- angry, bitter...and dead.

Frank doesn't pay any attention to his "hallucination," and continues being his usual self during the festive Christmas holiday -- by ripping off old ladies' cabs and firing Elliot (Bobcat Goldthwait) on Christmas Eve. (Elliot is sort of today's version of Bob Cratchitt.)

Frank is putting on a Christmas Eve production of Charles Dickens' immortal classic "Scrooge" (what happened to "A Christmas Carol," I wonder?), and in the film's funniest scene, introduces his ad for the program. (It later scares an old woman to death and Frank takes it as a wonderful sign -- controversy is as good as advertising!)

The three ghosts do indeed come and haunt Frank. Except Frank is more cynical than Ebenezer Scrooge ever was, and convincing him that Christmas is a season of giving will be hard. (Frank: "I get it, you're here to show me my past and I'm supposed to get all dully eyed and mushy. Well forget it pal, you got the wrong guy.")

Frank is revisited by an old flame (Karen Allen) and his heart starts to beat once again after years of silence. Frank slowly but surely starts to learn to appreciate Christmas once again, following all of Scrooge's examples. His intern's son, who witnessed his father's murder and hasn't spoken since, is a sort of Tiny Tim, and "Scrooged" does indeed follow all of the elements of Charles Dickens' classic. Only it updates the tale, throws in a bunch of cameos, and great acting on Murray's behalf.

Frank revisits scenes from his childhood and adulthood first hand with the wacky ghosts as companions. They can't see or hear Frank -- his cab driver ghost tells him that he's in the middle of a rerun.

Frank remembers how his father brought him meat for Christmas, how he broke up with his girlfriend over a matter of greed vs. happiness, and how his life was a complete waste. (Ghost: "Let's face it, Frank, garden slugs got more out of life than you." Frank: "Yeah? Name one!")

It was a matter of time before "A Christmas Carol," or "Scrooge," got a modernized treatment. And it comes out fresh and ingenious, dark and hilarious. The movie owes its entire success to the casting of Bill Murray, whose cynical ways shone through in such early films as "Stripes" and "Ghostbusters," and here compliment the film the way no other actor's talent could.

Take, for example, the way he can remain unmoved but, at the same time, flippant and sarcastic, towards his boss when he tells Frank that cats and dogs are starting to watch television, and that he thinks Frank should target some advertising at the canine and feline demographic. Frank just stares at his boss as if he's crazy and whispers, "Call the cops."

The movie was directed by Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon"), and is one of the films I watch as an annual tradition around Christmas. It's dark and often quite disturbing, and its eerie music adds to the mix. But it helps the film because it makes us see through Frank's eyes. And the outcome is, quite frankly, an instant Christmas classic. This is a film I'll be watching for years, and so far, it's only been getting better every time.

Other reviewers have commented on their likes or dislikes for this 1988 Christmas movie starring Bill Murray. I'm a Bill Murray fan and I love this movie. What I want to comment on in this brief review is the quality of the blu ray transfer. I'm happy to report that the transfer is excellent! Finally fans of Scrooged can enjoy watching Frank Cross discover the true meaning of Christmas in beautiful hi-def. I'm so tired of buying a blu ray of a favorite movie and getting something that looks worst than standard-def. This is NOT the case with Scrooged. It looks and sounds great. Buy and enjoy.

Frank Cross is a TV network president with a heart of coal. He gives towels as presents, facecloths as bonuses, and fires people on Christmas Eve. Frank even takes pleasure in causing sudden deaths with his frightening television ads for his latest debauchery, a live Christmas Eve presentation of Charles Dickens' immortal classic, "Scrooge," starring Buddy Hackett, Mary Lou Retton, and the Solid Gold Dancers! But, this Christmas, things are going to change for Frank Cross. A frightening encounter with his deceased boss (John Forsythe) leaves Frank with a warning of three more spirits to follow, each on a mission to teach Frank about the joy of Christmas and goodwill towards men; each on a mission to inspire change in the seemingly hopeless and uncaring creature that Frank has become. These aren't your ordinary Christmas spirits, though. These are tough, New York personalities just right for the likes of the modern yuppie scrooges of 1988. The Ghost of Christmas Past is David Johansen, a scruffy, smart-alecky cab-driver that shows Frank the tough times and tenderness of his youth and the choices that took him down the wrong roads in life. The Ghost of Christmas Present is deceptively-sweet sadist Carol Kane, who shows Frank the hardships of his fellow man, including his own assistant, and the warm feelings that others have, such as his little brother James, that he could be sharing in if he only made the effort. And, finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future pays Frank a terrifying visit that gives him glimpses of a future he'd more than like to avoid. Of course, this is a Scrooge story, and the ending is no mystery, but that won't prevent the incredibly joyous feeling you'll have inside when the miraculous change comes about!

"Scrooged" truly is a modern classic! A labor of love from one of the most genuinely funny guys around who brought much of his own family along for the ride, "Scrooged" was not a huge success for star Bill Murray. Regardless, it eventually became accepted as a true Christmas classic that is enjoyed at least once a year by Christmas fanatics all over, and, in that respect, is not unlike "It's a Wonderful Life." The smart, witty writing and visual style, along with fantastic Danny Elfman music and an amazing cast, all make "Scrooged" a film that is not to be missed during the holiday season! The star-studded cast also includes "Raiders of the Lost Ark's" Karen Allen as Frank's lost love, Claire, Bob Goldthwait as Eliot, one of Frank's unfortunate employees, and "Smallville's" John Glover as rival Bryce Cummings, just to name a few. The DVD is thankfully widescreen, but only offers the theatrical trailer as an extra. "Scrooged" does have some scary moments and some mild adult humor but is fine for anyone who can handle the likes of "Christmas Vacation." As touching as it is hilarious, "Scrooged" is probably the finest feather in Bill Murray's cap. A hearty thanks goes out to Bill for giving us this magical Christmas gift!

This is one of those offbeat takes on an original classic that many folks are divided on. I personally think this is one of those rare creative works that manage to parody the original tale while still delivering its traditional message.

It's hard to tell how well this 1988 setting would have worked without such an awesome cast, headed by Bill Murray in the Scrooge roll as Frank Cross, only rather than be a miserly recluse, he's an acid-tongued icy-hearted TV executive who is every bit as clever before and after weathering his ghostly visitors. The other chief scene stealers include Carol Kane as an adorable prankster version of The Ghost of Christmas Present, Bob Goldthwait as a modern day deranged Bob Cratchett, and David Johansen as a taxi driving Ghost of Christmas Past.

Matching the humor of the ghostly encounters are the Christmas TV specials that Frank Cross produces: "The Night the Reindeer Died" starring Lee Majors, and a live TV taping of "A Christmas Carol" starring Buddy Hackett as Scrooge and Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim.

The parody is excellent, but it is not overdone to the point where it lacks emotion. Bill Murray is a great comedian, but also puts some genuine feeling into his role. Karen Allen and Alfre Woodard give moving performances, and although Michael J Pollard's role is too brief, there is something sweet and vulnerable about his eccentric wayward character.

It's hard to tell how this film appeals to the purist fans of "A Christmas Carol." Most die-hard Christmas lovers I know enjoyed it, but there are a few who thought it was too silly. I find it both very silly and very moving, and it's one of the "must see" Christmas movies my wife and I try to catch each year during the holidays.

In 1988, Richard Donner (who directed the 1976 horror film "The Omen", the 1978 film "Superman" and all four "Lethal Weapon" films between 1987 and 1998) directed the hilarious film "Scrooged", which is a modernized remake of the classic Charles Dickens' short story "A Christmas Carol". The film stars the well-known actor/comedian Bill Murray as Francis 'Frank' Xavier Cross, the "Ebenezer Scrooge" character of the film. Frank is a high-rolling, power-hungry, penny-pinching TV executive who decides to produce a live version of the classic "A Christmas Carol" on his TV station on Christmas Eve. His secretary, Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard), is the "Bob Cratchit" of the story. With several children to raise, including her seemingly autistic son Calvin (Nicholas Phillips)--the "Tiny Tim" of the story, Grace has no choice but to begrudgingly work for Frank underpaid and under appreciated. When Frank's boss, Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum, 1917-1997), decides that Frank needs as assistant, the brown-nosing Bryce Cummings (John Glover), Frank becomes extremely jealous; but Frank's problems are only beginning when the ghost of a former coworker, Lou Hayward (John Forsythe), pays him a visit.

There are many memorable scenes in the film including Frank reliving part of his childhood with the taxi-driving Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen), Frank reliving meeting his former girlfriend Claire Phillips (Karen Allen) who works in a homeless shelter, Frank seeing his brother James Cross (played by Bill Murray's actual brother, John Murray) and his family celebrating Christmas with the hilarious Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane), Frank being terrorized by a fired employee Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), Frank meeting the Ghost of Christmas Future (Chaz Conner, Jr.), Frank thinking that a waiter is on fire, the various accidents that the TV censor (Kate McGregor-Stewart) endures, and the ending scenes. Several cameo appearances include Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Lee Majors, Pat McCormick and Mary Lou Retton (who Frank wants to portray his TV "Tiny Tim").

There is no way to know whether Charles Dickens (1812-1870) would like this modern remake of his classic story, but I believe that he would love the fact that his story remains just as powerful, entertaining and inspiring today as it was when it was first published in 1843. Overall, I rate "Scrooged" with 5 out of 5 stars for its superb use of poetic license, great humor, engaging plot and wonderful dialog. It has become a Yuletide classic itself that I never tire of watching each year.

Scrooged is an updated twist on Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol". This film was directed and produced by Richard Donner (known for Lethal Weapon). Donner's vision is what makes this film so GREAT to watch. Music by Danny Elfman is a real treat too! Bill Murray is at his prime in this film. If you enjoy Bill Murray's acting and are a fan of Richard Donner's films, this is a must see to add to your Christmas collection. This film is a part of my Christmas viewing tradition. I watch it every year and I believe you will too once you see it for yourself.