A selfish TV executive who is in charge of a live version of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve is visited himself by three ghosts, all wanting to show him the errors in his ways.
This is the first time I have seen this version of A Christmas Carol and really enjoyed the slightly different take on it. Bill Murray was not actually Scrooge by name but nature he really was, will Frank Cross learn the error of his ways. With Murray in the lead role you know it’s going to have a funny and quirky style. As with any version of a Christmas Carol you really do want Frank to change his ways and make everything right in his life.
I don’t know what it is about A Christmas Carol but it doesn’t matter how many versions you have seen. Obviously with this one having Scrooge as a TV live special, it adds that extra comedy edge when Frank really thinks he is losing his mind and everyone around him feels that way as well. But it’s all on his relationship with his younger brother and the only woman he has ever loved. You want to see him reform and make up with these people and understand what Christmas actually means to everyone else.
It does have some very touching moments, especially during the last scene with the little boy. Even if it was quite predictable that was going to happen it was still a lovely moment and will fill your heart just as much as Tiny Tim in the usual story. The thing that is special about this story is that it does make you think about your own life and people you have in it. This was obviously current back in 1988 and the power of television was coming very big at that time so a live version and TV executive was very relevant. Something we can still relate to this day.
Bill Murray was probably seen as a rather strange choice for this role but really did a fantastic job at bringing a slightly different edge to his. His witty and amusing responses to the three ghosts really is good to watch as it is just that tiny bit different. The scenes between Frank and the ghost of christmas present in Carol King really are hilarious!
So another version of A Christmas Carol I can cross off my seen list and I think it is one of the better ones. Still doesn’t beat my favorite version which is A Muppets Christmas Carol!
