My Movie Review/Rant on Scrooged · 4:33pm Jul 27th, 2019
Hello, my loyal friends and followers.
This is your friendly-as-always film and TV show reporter here with another film review.
And before I get started on showing you the review, which is the fifth film to be part of my Christmas in July series, I'd like to ask you guys something:
Has anyone ever wondered 'What would be one Christmas-themed movie that people would be better off not seeing'?
Well, one film that I can definitely say will answer the question perfectly is this letdown right here:
Here's the summary of it:
In this modern take of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol", Francis Xavier Cross is a cynical and mean-spirited TV executive who runs IBC Television. He is extremely cruel to his employees, and his become determined to air a rather disagreeable Christmas special on his channel, even if it means having his employees work on Christmas.
However, his life suddenly changes when he is visited by the ghost of his old friend and mentor, Lew Hayward, who comes to warn him about what happens to those with such vile ways and that there's a chance for him to escape the same fate.
However, Francis is unable to get why he must change, and so Hayward tells him that to help him understand, he will be visited by three ghosts, a Ghost of Christmas Past, a Ghost of Christmas Present, and a Ghost of Christmas Future, will be coming the next day to show him why he must reform?
Will Francis ever change? Or will he be nothing but a humbug for the rest of his life?
Before I get started on this review, I'd like to be honest with you guys about some things. The last time I saw this movie was a few years ago, and I believe it was around the Christmas season in 2016. I primarily saw it based on being a fan of Bill Murray and some of the work he's done, "The Jungle Book (2016)" being an example. And, of course, I was a fan of Richard Donner's work in Mel Gibson's "Maverick" (which I apologize for not reviewing yet, by the way).
However, when I finally got to watch it via Netflix, it turned out to be one of the most depressing and mean-spirited comedies I had ever seen. The farthest I had gotten was around the time the Ghost of Christmas Past was showing Murray's character his past life, right until the film came to a creepy scene showing someone in a bathtub.
The memories of the experience are still really fresh on my mind, and I'd like to tell you what it was like:
With the exception of Murray and his character of Frank Cross, most of the characters were less than memorable. The rest of the cast likewise didn't give notable performances in this film. Bobcat Goldthwait, for instance, was someone whom I found to have been involved long after seeing this movie, and unfortunately...neither he or his character were memorable despite the obvious purity they had.
Bill Murray's character likewise proved to be as unbearable as Ebenezer Scrooge, and his performance certainly didn't help any. You see, something that I often like about Murray is that he's often able to make a dry and laid back sort of character likable, even if that character's a mean one. But here...his performance lacked his usual abilities and he seemed miserable in some ways. Cross himself was not only despicable to follow, but also very stupid.
The direction by Richard Donner certainly didn't give this film much appeal either, I'll tell you that. Throughout the film, it seemed like Donner was trying too hard to make the comedy aspect funny. Instead of getting people to laugh, though, his efforts caused the jokes to be unfunny, flat, and dull. All he seemed to do was just make the film all-the-more infuriating to watch.
Regarding the reports from Murray and Donner that they didn't get along during production, I can honestly say that the confirmation of their tension not only seemed to come from their interviews, but from the film itself too.
For instance, there was this one moment where Cross was talking to an old girlfriend of his, the two of them meeting at the studio where the set for the Christmas program was being built. While they're talking, though, some people were hammering quite loudly, and no matter how many times Cross kept telling them to stop, they kept doing it. It felt like Donner put that there to get on Murray's nerves.
As for the story aspect of the film, which was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue, I think people are going to immediately prefer the classic story by Charles Dickens more than the story presented in this movie. I mean, if this was really what they were going for, then they certainly did a good job at making a script that was nothing but unfunny, mean, depressing, and lifeless.
In the end, "SCROOGED" proved itself as nothing but a Christmas present that doesn't need to be opened, and it’s quite likely the worst to be done by those involved, especially Murray and Donner.
So, I rate "SCROOGED" one out of five stars. A better name for this film, in my opinion, would be "STOOGED", although I wouldn't mind that being the title for a sequel to the amazingly funny and great "The Three Stooges (2012)".
I haven't seen this movie, and I had no plans to see this movie.
So you believe this film being one of Murray's worst in his career?
*immediately grabs a bag of popcorn*
Watch out, world, we've got a rare event here! A negative review from A Man Undercover!
5094987
Yep.
As well as the worst of Richard Donner's career.
5094992
Enjoy the show, Jade.
The premise of this movie actually sounds really good, but I can see why it might not be as good as it sounds. I still might watch it someday anyway, though.
5094992
What did you think of the review?
5094987
Yes.
Why?
5095219
I remember that my Mom thought that at least the scene with the Fairy Ghost was kinda funny ("Oh, Frank! We're fighting again! [headbutt]), but that's it. I also remember from one of the trailers the part where the Ghost of Christmas Future is looking at Bill Murray through a TV set, but that's about it.
5095006
Some argue that Bill's outing as Garfield was his worst role.
I watched it a long time ago and... I liked it.
Although it may never be as good as other movies I have seen, including this one:
impawards.com/2009/posters/christmas_carol.jpg