On the 22nd Day of Christmas
This has always been my favorite "funny" Christmas movie and also my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. It's a little unconventional, and not a family movie. But I love it. My dad loves Bill Murray and I grew up watching Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters. I absolutely love the scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Scrooged (1988)
Scrooged on DVD for $9.99
"Francis Xavier "Frank" Cross (Bill Murray) is a conceited, cynical television programming executive. He has found great success and wealth, but has become coldhearted and cruel. In the opening scenes he can be seen working out in a room with a wallpaper border that reads "Cross: A thing they nail people to". His ruthless concentration on his lucrative, fast climbing career has cost him his true love, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). It has also alienated him from his family, and obliterated any chance of his having a happy and fulfilling life. Essentially, Frank has become nothing but an expensive black suit who barks orders. He grossly overworks his assistant Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard), forcing her to constantly break plans with her family. ("If you can't work late, I can't work late. If I can't work late, I CAN'T WORK LATE.")
When Cross is given the task of heading up a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol, his life inexplicably begins to mirror the story he's producing. First, the ghost of his mentor, 1970-media mogul Lew Hayward (who died of a heart attack during a game of golf), visits him to show him the error of his ways. The Ghosts of Christmas Past (David Johansen), Present (Carol Kane), and Future then appear, and Frank repents. The reformed Frank reunites with Claire, who now runs a shelter for the homeless, and he finds in the end that there are more important things than winning the ratings war.
Most of the characters in the movie represent characters in Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Frank Cross is Ebenezer Scrooge and his brother James is Scrooge's nephew Fred. Eliot Loudermilk and Grace seem to share the role of Bob Cratchit. Grace's son, who is withdrawn/autistic, is Tiny Tim. Lew Hayward, Frank's former boss, is Jacob Marley. Herman and his fellow indigents are the "portly gentlemen" who are collecting for charity and are refused financial help. Claire is Scrooge's former fiancée, Belle. The three ghosts have the same names. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a cab driver with a Brooklyn accent. The Ghost of Christmas Future appears as the grim reaper, with a TV screen for a face. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a campier female version of the ghost in the original story." - taken from Wikipedia.com
And this is the video for "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"
Scrooged (1988)
Scrooged on DVD for $9.99
"Francis Xavier "Frank" Cross (Bill Murray) is a conceited, cynical television programming executive. He has found great success and wealth, but has become coldhearted and cruel. In the opening scenes he can be seen working out in a room with a wallpaper border that reads "Cross: A thing they nail people to". His ruthless concentration on his lucrative, fast climbing career has cost him his true love, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). It has also alienated him from his family, and obliterated any chance of his having a happy and fulfilling life. Essentially, Frank has become nothing but an expensive black suit who barks orders. He grossly overworks his assistant Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard), forcing her to constantly break plans with her family. ("If you can't work late, I can't work late. If I can't work late, I CAN'T WORK LATE.")
When Cross is given the task of heading up a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol, his life inexplicably begins to mirror the story he's producing. First, the ghost of his mentor, 1970-media mogul Lew Hayward (who died of a heart attack during a game of golf), visits him to show him the error of his ways. The Ghosts of Christmas Past (David Johansen), Present (Carol Kane), and Future then appear, and Frank repents. The reformed Frank reunites with Claire, who now runs a shelter for the homeless, and he finds in the end that there are more important things than winning the ratings war.
Most of the characters in the movie represent characters in Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Frank Cross is Ebenezer Scrooge and his brother James is Scrooge's nephew Fred. Eliot Loudermilk and Grace seem to share the role of Bob Cratchit. Grace's son, who is withdrawn/autistic, is Tiny Tim. Lew Hayward, Frank's former boss, is Jacob Marley. Herman and his fellow indigents are the "portly gentlemen" who are collecting for charity and are refused financial help. Claire is Scrooge's former fiancée, Belle. The three ghosts have the same names. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a cab driver with a Brooklyn accent. The Ghost of Christmas Future appears as the grim reaper, with a TV screen for a face. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a campier female version of the ghost in the original story." - taken from Wikipedia.com
Click to viewAnd this is the video for "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"