After a four year hiatus from acting after the blockbuster “Ghostbusters,” Bill Murray made his return in 1988 with the adult themed crude humored Christmas movie “Scrooged.” In fact, we know it’s the 80s right from the opening bit depicting various promos for outlandish television shows and continuing through wardrobe, music, and the inner workings of a high-rise office in corporate America.
Bill Murray stars as Frank Cross, the “youngest president in the history of television, and Murray’s off screen issues with Director Richard Donner (“The Omen,” “Lethal Weapon”) have become part of the movies lore. Murray himself described his time on the film as one of “misery”, while Donner called Murray “superbly creative but occasionally difficult”. The end product displays the differences between the two. “Scrooged” is at times funny, at times head-scratchingly annoying, with Murray’s loud and cartoonish portrayal of Frank Cross irritating for the majority of the movie.
What we get is a version of the epic Charles Dickens tale “A Christmas Carol” which has been done millions of times to varying degrees of success, with live actors, cartoon creations, and even the Muppets. I often wonder if Dickens knew when he wrote the story in 1843 the impact it would have on our entire culture.
Frank Cross is a cold-hearted television executive, callously firing a meek employee (Bobcat Goldthwait), sending thoughtless gifts to his family, and at one point brazenly conning an old woman out of her cab. It’s New York City in the 80s through and through, and while Murray’s performance is somewhat bipolar, he’s still funny when need be.
In true Dickens form, Frank Cross is visited by the spirits of Christmas we all know and love. The first being his former boss (John Forsythe) who, instead of lugging the burdensome chains of the original Jacob Marley character, appears dragging his golf bag. Other ghosts are portrayed by Carol Kane (“When a Stranger Calls”) and David Johansen. Frank’s love interest comes in the form of Karen Allen – Indiana Jones’ shorty in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Where “Scrooged” works its best is as a dark comedy, which makes it surprising that Murray is the weakest part of the story. Coming off the success of “Ghostbusters” one would expect a film with subtle humor and improve style lines. Instead, we get a lot of shouting and over-the-top histrionics. Even the ghosts are tiring after a few minutes as they continue to pester and annoy with repetitive jokes and antics.
Alfre Woodard plays Cross’s assistant, and along with the Bobcat Goldthwait character represent the “Tiny Tim” angle of the story. Woodard is an excellent actress and plays the part with dutiful enjoyment. Goldthwait, as you would expect, is pretty annoying. I think the best character in the story is Karen Allen’s Claire, but even that is as a thinly painted as a do-gooder who doesn’t seem like she would ever mesh with Frank Cross, though flashbacks show us he was a different person earlier in his life.
“Scrooged” ties in the original story with many subtle and some not-so-subtle Dickens references. There’s also some new elements that make the film more modern, and the overall dark tones which take it to the next level.
It’s a cult-classic, but I think a lot of that stems from movie lovers adoration for anything involving Bill Murray. “Scrooged” is a decent movie, and ground breaking in the genre for its time. I was hoping for a hysterical Christmas alternative that would cement itself in my yearly viewing rotation. I got an also-ran that’s worth one go around but has no replay value at all. It’s good – just not as good as it should be.
