Post by The Human Being on Dec 9, 2013 23:20:14 GMT -6
2013 CZ Advent Calendar - December 8th
Scrooged
by HectorTheWellEndowed
Scrooged is the story of utterly immoral NBC executive Robert Greenblatt...sorry, utterly immoral IBC executive Frank Cross, a television executive who has sacrificed family and personal life to his all consuming ambition. Bob...I mean Frank has been struggling with his job, letting things get on top of him, ratings not being what he expected them to be, creating adverts for new shows that have nothing to do with the...You know what? I’m just gonna call him Bob Greenblatt for the rest of this. I’m just gonna keep mixing them up. So, Bob Greenblatt is warned by his former mentor and also a colossal dick that he will be visited by three ghosts before his big, sexy, ridiculous Christmas Eve production of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” goes on air. Simple premise, awesome execution.
While watching the original subject of my advent entry, Arachnophobia, I realised that while I watch that movie every Christmas, I could probably go without it and it wouldn’t bug me. If I forgot or was unable to find the DVD or something, it would bug me (not a pun because they’re arachnids) but I wouldn’t necessary dwell on it. The same cannot be said for either The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas or, the subject of my entry, Scrooged. Now I’m not 100% sure when I saw Scrooged first but I know I was relatively young, maybe 10 or so. What I do know is that the scenes with the last ghost stayed with me. Whoever designed that character has some weird ass nightmares to answer for. Scrooged, as a whole, shouldn’t work. The taglines they have posted on IMDB for the movie are the most godawful I think I’ve ever seen, the brief description of the story sounds like it should be a Lifetime movie, its a story that has been done to absolute death while every time seeming to losing the satirical edge of the original work and, frankly, the movies title is underwhelming and sounds like a kinky and potentially dangerous sexual position. So how the hell, with all that counting against it, does the movie deliver the brilliance that it does?
Well, firstly, to the story. Now the one thing the writers do absolutely superbly is bring back the satire. Dickens original work was a damning indictment of society at the time. He was well known as a leader in bringing attention to the plight of children in society, specifically with regards working environments. While Scrooged can’t campaign for child labour laws to be introduced, what with them existing already, it does shine attention on the inequality of wealth in modern society. The scenes in the homeless center and in Grace’s apartment with her family both serve as the Tiny Tims of the piece. The homeless center is filled with good cheer and familial unity despite being the lowest rung in this society. Greenblatt only dares to go there after his harrowing trip to the past, he wouldn’t dare travel there while in his normal mental state. I think the biggest indication that bringing attention to the homeless was an intentional motive by both writers and the director is at the end, while everyone is hugging and kissing and having a generally merry Christmas, Greenblatt looks up to see his Ghosts sitting in the rafters...and Herman. Herman was the homeless man who showed an inordinate amount of kindness to Greenblatt when he arrives, clearly disturbed, at Operation Outreach. In his visit to the future, he sees Herman frozen to death in the gutter. He was in the worst of all possible futures, which we are lead to believe was averted by his change of heart, by starting to believe in humanity. But, while all the other calamitous effects of his continuing selfishness and greed were averted, Herman still died frozen in the gutter. Goodwill isn’t enough to save everyone, some people need more direct intervention and Herman was one. So, unlike every other attempt to adapt Dickens work, this silly, dark comedy actually keeps the reason Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in the first place, as an indictment on a society that has let others slip through the cracks in the pursuit of wealth.
Obviously, the people involved in the movie differentiate it from most other attempts to adapt “A Christmas Carol.” In Richard Donner the film has a director that continually takes beautiful shots and isn’t afraid of the absurd. In Murray, you have a charismatic leading man who you can’t help but love, even when he is playing a truly horrible creature with no concern for anyone but himself. Bobcat Goldthwait plays his character from the Police Academy films except slightly more normal and with a job. David Johansen, he of The New York Dolls fame, satirizes the stereotypical New York cab driver clinically, his interchanges with Murray one of the finer parts of the movie. Then, of course, we have Carol Kane. I don’t know what to say except I love her and her Ghost of Christmas Present brings the funny to the movie. Its crude, physical humour but if you don’t laugh at her scenes with Murray (THE TOASTER!) then I fear your sense of humour may have fallen down a staircase, out onto the street and into a conveniently placed trailer full of animal feces. While the rest of the cast are all very competent at what they do these three are the people you will remember and quote afterwards. Apart from the Mouse Wrangler (poor guy), Lee Majors, Robert Goulet and Mary Lou Retton (well, you won’t be quoting her but her name tends to get stuck in your head after a little while, to be honest). The cast as a whole are insanely likeable people and while the absurdity of the situation (who does a live stage show just to gain ratings at Christm...Jesus, seriously, the writers were psychic or something) doesn’t mean you’ll be immersed in the world, you will have a hell of a time watching.
I think what I love most about Scrooged is how Christmas is pretty much an afterthought. Its something thats happening somewhere and is only really addressed when Greenblatt is popping around the past and present with the ghosts. It doesn’t overarch with forced sentiment, it uses Greenblatt’s ruined relationships with Claire and his family to at least give the film earned emotional beats. For instance, Claire and Bobs relationship didn’t end at Christmas but it was like the jenga piece that will lead to the inevitable collapse of the tower was just removed. You never see Claire leaving him, you’re given the sense that Bobs neglection of their relationship is something that has been happening for a while. Even the future visits, we don’t see terrible moments in these peoples lives. We see snapshots that show us how awful their lives are. We aren’t forced to feel anything for them. Its left to the viewers imagination to figure out where Bobs friends and family have let their lives go. I liked that. Unfortunately, they throw it all out the window with the little sing song at the end, but still. Bobs little speech at the end is another push at making you feel things but it feels earned to me, Murray sells it. I suppose I look at it like this; If you tell me what to feel I’ll probably just feel angry at you telling me what to feel. If you trust that what you’ve shown me in the movie will make me feel what you’re pointing me towards, generally speaking. I think thats what Scrooge does so wonderfully, it never tells you what to feel, who to like. And for a Christmas movie, thats a rare thing.
So there we have it. Bob Greenblatt gets everything he wants. Except a job. And his career is ruined. So the message is all you need is love. Except Grace gives and receives so much love from her family and she’ll probably be unemployed tomorrow. So, erm, the message is be a good person and everything will work out! Except the guy who had nothing but was a good person died and was hanging out with a bunch of Christmas ghosts. Look, I don’t know what the message is here but Bill Murray is a genius and if thats not enough to get you to watch a movie, then I don’t know what is. Just be warned, you’ll have a certain singalong song that plays at the end of it stuck in your head for bloody weeks. Merry Christmas.
Stray Observations:
- The tag lines I found on IMDB:
Bill Murray is back among the ghosts. Only this time, its three against one.
The spirits will move you in odd and hysterical ways.
Seriously, they’re fucking awful.
- The Night The Reindeer Died sounds like Loki’s favourite Christmas movie. Its a pity it doesn’t exist.
- Its super weird given the week we’re in but my second rewatch was the day after Nelson Mandela died. I hadn’t noticed before but there are so many “Free South Africa” posters and stickers scattered throughout the film is immense. Thinking about it, the movie was released in 1988 so that would have been the cause of the day. Still, adds to my point about the movie having a social conscience.
- The bitch hit me with a toaster!
- Thanks for reading. Its always nice when you guys take the time to read my inane ramblings. Have a song you won’t be able to get out of your head til never.