r/movies • u/Choice-Wind-9283 • 11h ago
Discussion What you think about Scrooged (1988)?
In this movie Bill Murray is playing Bob Croos who tv executive and in this version of the Christmas carol he is supposed to be Scrooge . I really like this version , the humor is much darker than other holiday movies and ghost of the Christmas past and future looked really scary . Bill Murray give probably one off most underrated performances in this movie and also Karen Allen and Alfie Woodard
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u/pizzacrys 11h ago
Bill Murray was perfect for this role. Dark, twisted, and somehow still one of the best Christmas movies ever.
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u/AssignmentDapper59 11h ago
Murray brings this manic energy that never lets up, even in the quiet scenes you can see it behind his eyes. The ghost of Christmas future messed me up as a kid, that thing was pure nightmare fuel. Karen Allen is so warm in this too, she balances out all the chaos perfect.
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u/PrincebyChappelle 9h ago
Carol Kane is also wonderful and perfectly cast.
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u/Mrmdn333 9h ago
David Johansen too. Those two bring a great 80s NYC energy.
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u/GarfieldLoverBoy420 6h ago
Extremely quotable too. My go-tos are “Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel” and “It’s a bone, you lucky dog!”
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u/riegspsych325 ⊃∪⊃⪽ 7h ago
it was his old, decaying boss as the ghost of xmas past that gave me a nightmare or 2 as a kid. Same with the being stuck in a coffin as it’s fed into an incinerator, scared the shit out of me
But now, I can laugh at the shot with Murray pounding against the coffin whilst his feet are on fire
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u/Defiant_Income_7836 11h ago
I thought about this movie the other day as to show what a heartless executive he is, he's promoting an action movie where Santa is a rambo like character and nothing is sacred, even Christmas it seems. Right at the start of the movie
I thought of this because I'd just seen the trailer for violent night, which looks exactly like the movie scrooge was parodying. I guess we are living in parody end times right now
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u/mouse6502 6h ago
Seven o'clock. PSYCHOS SEIZE SANTA'S WORKSHOP! and only Lee Majors can stop them. THE NIGHT THE REINDEER DIED. Here on IBC! Yule Love It!
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u/SmoreOfBabylon 5h ago
The fact that Mrs. Claus is played by Ron Howard’s mom is the cherry on top of this scene.
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u/Defiant_Income_7836 6h ago
I underestimated the ability for people to quote scrooged, I learned that this morning
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u/brainkandy87 7h ago
Yeah, but Lee had been an awfully good boy that year. He needed a movie to showcase that.
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u/Easyboyeasyyyy 6h ago
Frank Cross.
It’s a name meant to reflect the way Charles Dickens’ characters had names which reflected their personalities. He is frank and he is cross.
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u/FantosTheUrk 8h ago
I'd just like to say that Violent Night is fantastic.
And the sequel is coming soon, next year maybe?
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u/swingsetlife 7h ago
Francis Xavier Cross
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u/tellmemoreaboutshit 6h ago
The best is that in the scene in his office while talking to his brother, in the background the wall has written on it, "Cross: Something that you nail people to."
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u/gernblanston512 6h ago
Yeah, Bob Croos? Wha?
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u/swingsetlife 6h ago
it’s either bot or AI, or AI pretending not to know things so is to hide that it’s AI.
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u/Langstarr 11h ago
I love the bit in the shelter when he starts quoting Burton in Richard III
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon 6h ago
I think that was also Anne Ramsey's final film appearance, if I'm not mistaken. (RIP, Mama Fratelli.)
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u/BluenoseTherapist 10h ago
I love that bit too. It carries a lot of emotional weight if you're paying attention, and the actors playing the shelter folks are absolutely on point. I love every frame of that movie.
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u/BluenoseTherapist 10h ago
I love that bit too. It carries a lot of emotional weight if you're paying attention, and the actors playing the shelter folks are absolutely on point. I love every frame of that movie.
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u/watchedclock 11h ago
Probably my favourite version of the story. I’ve been watching it nearly every after year for the last twenty years or so. Love it.
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u/axw3555 11h ago
Second best adaptation after the muppets.
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u/tryingtodobetter4 8h ago
For a long time Scrooged was my favorite go to Christmas movie, but my wife introduced me to Muppets Christmas Carol, and I think it's become number one.
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u/Agreeable_Ship5386 10h ago
When he looks in the Ghost of Christmas Future at all the screaming souls and just says “Did our people do that? We’re gonna get phone calls.”
Cracks me up 🤣
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u/tauntonlake 8h ago
a classic. Perfectly cast. For all of the dark-hearted, bah-humbugs of us out there.
The message at the end is heartwarming.
And it's actually funny.
10/10
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u/Listening_Stranger82 11h ago
Its a mandatory yearly watch. Loved it since i was a kid.
"Niagra Fawwllls" is family code for any time something make us cry
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u/Waldron1943 10h ago
David Johansen was funny as the cab driver. Can you believe that guy started as a singer?
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u/zudoplex 9h ago
Died just last year. When I think of scrooged, he really stands out. His voice and his cackle. He was great as the hit man in tales from the darkside.
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u/Klutzy-Delivery-5792 8h ago
David is in the middle
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u/Waldron1943 8h ago
And don't forget Buster Poindexter.
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u/Relative-Plan-8710 7h ago
Karen Allen is a gem in this movie
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u/BluenoseTherapist 10h ago
"Did I forget something, little man?" is about the time I lose it. 😭 Every. Single. Time. (For reference, I'm a 60 y/o guy.)
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u/FunkyPig17 9h ago
100% agree, I can't get through that scene without going all Niagra Falls, Frankie-Angel. (And I'm 50)
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u/Sirwired 10h ago
"Charles Dickens would have wanted to see the nipples!" is a line I use all the time with LadyWired when [none of Reddit's business]. Cracks us both up every time.
This movie's been in regular Christmas rotation the whole 26 years we've been together.
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u/pm_me_your_trebuchet 5h ago
scrooged is fucking awesome.
"AAAAAAAHHH HAAAAAAA! Are you him? Are you him?"
"Are you "he"...sir"
"Back off big guy. That stuff may work with the ladies but not with me"
"Let's be honest. You paid for the ladies."
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u/StrawberryKiss2559 10h ago
I love it. As a bartender that grew up in the 80s, I really get a kick out of the fact that he drinks Stoli and Tab.
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u/samiles96 9h ago
That's a great movie. Also, Miles Davis plays a cameo role in it. He's the trumpet player Murray's character encounters on the street.
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u/EGarrett28 11h ago
I didn't watch it too often because as a little kid I was terrified of the grim reaper character.
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u/Propaganda_Box 7h ago
Guess I'll be the dissenting opinion. Bill Murray does an excellent job of being an absolute prick (back then it was kind of his whole thing) and thats what you want for someone called scrooge. But I dont get this love interest having doe eyes for him the whole movie when he is being completely insufferable right in front of her.
Then at the end, after apparently having realized he's been a selfish prick, he still makes everything about him. Showing he hasn't actually learned anything.
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u/tellmemoreaboutshit 6h ago
I get it. Logically you can question why she would get caught up with him, but two points:
Early love, when it's special, leaves a lasting mark.
The source material allows for this logical fallacy as it's kind of the point of the story. Learning to value Love.
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u/kazh_9742 5h ago
She's interacting with both versions of him even if he's only one version.
At the end, he tanked his whole production to bring the cameras and attention into the cast and crew. There were a few problematic aspects but he did have a turn.
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u/larobj63 6h ago
I very much agree. The "character development" at the end never really happened, I don't think there was any sort of redemption arc at all, I still disliked his character as much at the end as I did at any other part.
So the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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u/V1cV1negar 11h ago
One of my go-to Christmas films every year. I like the modern/dark take on the Scrooge story, though as much as it's kinda the whole point and to be expected, the final scene is a bit too happy, as stupid as that sounds. Usually when I put the film on each year I tend just to be willing the credits along when it gets to that last bit.
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u/MobiusNaked 9h ago
My second favourite version after Scrooge with Alastair Sim 1951
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u/BigODetroit 7h ago
This is the one. If you didn’t grow up watching local TV over the air, you probably don’t know about it.
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u/ReflectionEterna 8h ago
Better than Muppet Christmas Carol? You're insane and wrong!
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u/planetalletron 8h ago
The scene in which Carol Kane beats the shit outta Bill Murray is genuinely healing to me, and I watch that clip regularly.
GREAT movie.
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u/Roadgoddess 6h ago
It’s honestly one of my favourite Christmas movies next to a Christmas story.
Carol Kane was just wonderful in this movie.
Plus, I learned you can staple antlers to a mouse! lol
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 11h ago
Niagara Falls
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u/Rkramden 9h ago
That I had to scroll this far down to find any mention of David Johansen is criminal.
Other than Bill Murray, he's the first person I think of when anyone mentions this movie.
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u/Expensive-Sentence66 9h ago
One of Murrays best roles - probably because he plays himself.
The film comes off as a dark comedy, which it mostly is, but does go a bit deeper in places. I do kind of wish it had played a few more risks in the dept. Still quite good though.
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u/Connect_Special_7958 9h ago
“Daddy loves Beaver!”
But seriously, I always found it interesting that in this movie, Bill Murray’s character laments the death of an unhoused friend, and in Groundhog Day, he tries his damnedest to save an unhoused man. It made me wonder if that was a Bill Murray idea added in. Kind of like how Kevin Costner, in two films (that he produced), gets propositioned to impregnate a woman in a post-apocalypse. Bill Murray’s got an agenda for saving the unhoused; Costner’s got an agenda for repopulating the planet.
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u/Mysterious-Snow496 9h ago
You can say homeless
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u/ReflectionEterna 8h ago
They can also say unhoused. Synonyms are great!
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u/spamtardeggs 7h ago
Cinnamons are just the words you use when you don’t know how to spell the word you want to use.
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u/Complete_Entry 7h ago
I dont like unhoused. It's a word meant to soften the term, but homeless people know they are homeless.
Words should be sharp, but not cruel. We don't call them bums anymore.
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u/Ofreo 4h ago
It’s the "euphemism treadmill" that’s talked about. It does nothing to actually help homelessness. If it makes you feel better though, great. If it helps you humanize someone great. Most homeless people don’t seem to care. My own anecdotal experience is people actively trying not to be homeless, do like the “experiencing homelessness” type talk. But everyone is different.
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u/chrisgee 8h ago
i like a lot of it but 2 things always bugged me. 1. they keep saying "charles dickens' immortal 'scrooge'" but the story is called "a christmas carol." 2. there's a mislead in the christmas future segment where he thinks his brother has died bc his sister-in-law is crying at the funeral. then he realizes it's him in the coffin and freaks out when it's incinerated. that's NOT the lesson of the story. scrooge dies utterly alone, no one to mourn him. that's what makes him clock what a dick he's been. so his redemption feels hollow. i'm probably reading too much into it but i saw this in the theater when it came out and have been harboring this ever since.
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon 6h ago
My favorite adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" ever, and I am always willing to watch it any time of the year.
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u/tearlock 6h ago
His rant at the end signifying his change of heart is mostly a lot of noise and weird stuff that doesn't seem good. Like for example he starts reminiscing live on tv about past sex life with Claire. Everyone just seems to laugh like it was cute or something including Claire but in reality any self respecting person would have walked out. Then at some point he makes out with a solid gold dancer. I mean everything about the end seemed like a guy just having a mostly harmless but weird nervous breakdown on camera, not so much some rebirth of human compassion.
Everything leading up to that was good. Loved Carol Kane, Buster Poindexter, and pretty much everything else, but the ending.... nah the ending just seemed weird.
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u/maethora27 11h ago
One of my absolute favorite movies as a kid / teen, though scary as hell!
The main character is called Frank Cross, btw.
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u/ch1ma3ra 10h ago
Absolutely love it, watch it every year without exception and several quotes have made it into common parlance over the years.
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u/Graehaus 9h ago
I personally don’t care for it. I’ve watched it a couple of times. I know a few of my friends really enjoy it there Christmas movie as they watch. I just I don’t know Bill Murray is just two Bill Murray, but hey that’s my opinion and if you enjoy it, that’s great. We don’t have to agree on everything.
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u/WinnieWerd 11h ago
I have watched it every Christmas since I can remember. My dad loved it and showed it to me very young so I probably have a strong sentimental bias there. When I was a kid there was a lot I didn’t pick up on but still laughed at Carol Kane hitting him with a toaster and thought Karen Allen calling him lumpy was the cutest thing (still do on both counts). Rewatching it as I got older made the darker parts hit harder and harder in the best way. Every version of A Christmas Carol is dark. Even the muppets christmas carol (which I also LOVE) has a really chilling future sequence. Scrooge is meant to be a total asshole who lacks humanity and this just feels real for a modern take on who the character would be.
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u/Fragrant_Plantain_81 11h ago
It’s a good Christmas movie. First movie I’ve seen that has a weird theatre crowd involvement end credit scene.
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u/zestfullybe 8h ago
Santa, is there a back way outta this place?
Of course there is, Lee, but this is one Santa that’s going out the front door.
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u/txa1265 7h ago
I've gone through multiple phases of feelings about Scrooged:
- Loved it in theaters, but slightly disappointed that Miles Davis only got about 3 seconds on screen.
- In the 90s looking back it felt crass & cynical & heavy handed
- In the 00s while those things remained true I started enjoying the nostalgia
- In the 2010s the nostalgia for a more innocent form of crass cynicism make me love it more
- Now in the 2020s knowing Bill Murray likely sexually harassed and assaulted multiple women and generally treated everyone like crap pretty much sours seeing him on screen.
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u/heycheena 5h ago
The "what is this, Trump Tower?" joke about the sewer goes way harder these days though than it did originally.
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u/Kettle_Whistle_ 8h ago
Is Scrooged streaming anywhere currently?
I am on mobile and don’t want to forget to look for the info later.
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u/Milo_Minderbinding 8h ago
I've taken to watching it on Christmas Eve every year instead of A Christmas Story. Just to shake it up.
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u/KevinStoley 8h ago
I’ve always loved this movie and over the past several years it has taken over Christmas Vacation as my absolute favorite Christmas movie.
It’s a classic with so many great performances.
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u/neocondiment 7h ago
It’s also the only movie containing all four of the Murray brothers: Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray (who plays his dad), Jon Murray (who plays his brother), and Joel Murray (who plays his brother’s friend).
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u/Complete_Entry 7h ago
I always forget the cremation scene. Terrified me as a child and it's worse now (my dad was cremated.) Other than that, it's a great refresh of the story. I imagine if they revisited now he'd run a streaming service.
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u/QuickWalk4862 7h ago
Love it and love the song at the end! Also didn’t know until last year that Robert Mitchum was in it 🥰
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u/MsPreposition 7h ago
“I want to see her nipples”
“And he’s really looking!”
That being said, I really enjoy Scrooged. Carol Kane and Bill Murray have my favorite scenes.
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u/MadRockthethird 7h ago
I watched part of it being filmed when I was a kid so it has a special place in my heart. When Buster Poindexter brings Bill Murray to his childhood home.
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u/kdeweb24 6h ago
It's one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time, and is a mandatory yearly rewatch in December.
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u/DeclutterDiva25 6h ago
I like it and always watch it if it’s on but A Muppet Christmas Carol is my number one adaptation and Christmas film too.
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u/Sharp-Ad-9423 6h ago
One of my favorite Christmas movies and probably my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. I watch it every year.
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u/Most-Artichoke6184 6h ago
I saw the movie when it came out and I don’t remember a single scene in it.
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u/Known-Damage-7879 6h ago
I don’t want to talk about a Christmas movie not around Christmas, but this is a must-watch every single year and the speech at the end makes me tear up every time.
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u/Altruistic_Block4074 6h ago
I really really like it until the last 10 minutes when it runs into the "80's Comedy Has No Ending" crisis.
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u/tellmemoreaboutshit 6h ago
For me it's perfect. It takes incredible source material specific to the season and then provides the modern twist. It is also prophetic. How many of the opening movie show concepts came to exist? Even Cross' own trailer can be seen regularly today.
The movie both respects the past while looking to the future. The ensemble cast is exceptional. Just the fact that they made Mama Fratelli endearing is a testament.
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u/EmpireStrikes1st 5h ago
It's the other movie where Bill Murray is unable to save a homeless man from dying.
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u/TriscuitCracker 5h ago
Love it. Funny, dramatic and heartwarming at the end.
It really, really freaked me out as a kid when he sees his dead, frozen buddy in the sewer, as well as the Ghost of Xmas Future visions
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u/artbrute 5h ago
True story: Screenwriter Michael O'Donoghue was on set when Frank Cross' final speech was shot. After Bill Murray did his take, O'Donoghue blurted out, 'What the Hell was that? The Reverend Jim Jones Hour?' Director Richard Donner then punched O'Donoghue in the arm.
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u/OhTheHueManatee 4h ago
Between that movie and The Muppet one there is no reason to watch or make another movie or show based on A Christmas Carol.
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u/Sad-Artichoke-2174 4h ago
"I don't mind you shooting at me, Frank, but take it easy on the Bacardi!"
I love this adaptation of a Christmas Carol, and parts of it still make me cry like a baby. But this is a really good quote
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u/HeirophantGreen 4h ago
Really great movie. Bill Murray was excellent as usual.
A guy in my homeroom in high school, Damon Hines, played the son and he did a great job, too.
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u/roger--wilco 3h ago
Quintessential late 80s-early 90s corporate parody comedy. Gives me similar vibes to Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Giant entertainment conglomerates producing satire about giant entertainment conglomerates. It was a strong theme in film and television from like 1985-1995. A comedic sort of corporate navel-gazing.
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u/OceanFive 3h ago
But Daddy I asked Santa for a choo-choo. Then go out and get a job and buy a choo-choo.
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u/NWA-Livin_ 2h ago
It’s kind of a 2nd tier classic in my book. I own it and watch it every year, but earlier in the Christmas season. I consider Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and It’s a Wonderful Life my top tier.
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u/latenightnerd 2h ago
It’s my favourite version of A Christmas Carol. His live monologue at the end inspires me more to be a good person than any other version I’ve seen.
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u/FloydDangerBarber 2h ago
Bobcat Goldwaith chasing Bill Murray with a shotgun, and Carol Kane beating the ship out of him are high points for me.
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u/hanzbooby 1h ago
HOW MANY FINGERS DOES MRS CLAUS HAVE? eleven… RIGHT! ITS CRAP! LOSE IT - I DONT WANT IT ON THE WALL!
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u/monkeyhind 57m ago
I saw it when it first release and then saw it again on cable TV roughly 20 years ago, and both times I thought it was good until the end redemption scene, where Bill Murray playing a changed man came off as so smarmy I could hardly watch it.
The idea of a cynical Christmas movie wasn't as stale in 1988 as it is now. Now it's surprising if a Christmas movie isn't mean-spirited -- Hallmark Channel type romances exempted..
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u/Holmcroft 8h ago
My favourite Christmas movie, and I watch it every Christmas Eve. Never fails to choke me up during the final speech/singalong, and I also find it very funny.