If I were to write a list of my top three Christmas movies of all time, Scrooged would be on that list! Released in 1988, Scrooged is one of the cleverest reimaginings of the classic, A Christmas Carol story ever created. I have seen this movie so many times and it never gets old and always makes me laugh. This is Bill Murray at his very best.
How to Download Scrooged
Scrooged was released on November 23, 1988. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. For other Christmas Carol movies, check our reviews of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), A Christmas Carol (2009) or Scooge: A Christmas Carol (2022).
The Movie Review
Scrooged Movie Plot Summary
Bill Murray plays the role of Frank Cross. Frank Cross is the president of a major TV network in New York City. Frank is as ruthless as they come and even though it is nearly Christmas, he does not care and demands that his staff work as hard as he does! One of the early scenes in the movie is the best, it is a trailer that Frank makes for the TV network’s live Scrooge special that features a highway high jacking, international terrorism, and a dude shooting up! He ends up firing one of his employees Eliot (hilariously played by Bobcat Goldwaith) for disagreeing with him.
Working for Frank is his assistant Grace, played by Alfre Woodard. Grace is pretty much this movie’s version of Bob Cratchit. She works hard for Frank, but her family is very poor and her youngest son has some emotional problems, making him this movie’s version of Tiny Tim. As well as this, Frank has a younger brother called James who is this movie’s version of Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. A neat bit of trivia here is that this is actually Bill Murray’s real life brother.
Frank is visited by his former boss who warns Frank about his selfish ways and that he still has time to change. He also informs Frank that he will be visited by three ghosts! The visiting of the three ghosts could not come at a worse time as Frank has this massive live Scrooge TV special to oversee and his position is threatened when “LA slimeball” Bryce Cummings (played by John Glover) shows up, acting like a friend, but you can tell he has his eyes on Frank’s job.
The Ghosts in Scrooged
At its core, this is the classic story of Scrooge, but with a modern twist, well modern for 1988 of course. Frank goes through the same experiences that Scrooge did but in a different way. My personal favorite of the three ghosts is The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Carol Kane, she is freaking nuts and hilarious. The way that she and Frank fight and bicker is easily my favorite part of the movie.
Why Scrooged Is Perfect for Your Christmas Watchlist
There are so many laughs in Scrooged that I could hand on heart do a top 10 funniest moments in Scrooged! However, despite being funny, Scrooged also has a lot of substance to it as well and ultimately, we do see Frank become a better person, learn the errors of his way, and truly embrace the spirit of Christmas. If the ending scene/song doesn’t fill you with the Christmas spirit, you very well could be Scrooge yourself and need a visit from three ghosts! While there are many laughs, there are also some pretty heartbreaking and dark moments in the movie as well.
I think that Billy Murray really gets to show just how good of an actor he is in this movie. There is a scene where he is in the sewer (I have always thought that it was the sewer) and Frank sees a homeless guy he met earlier, frozen to death and his acting here is amazing. The way he can flip from mean to sarcastic, to caring to scared is incredible.
Scrooged in Stunning 4K
Scrooged got a tremendous 4K upgrade. They released this on 4K for its 35 anniversary and it looks great. It has a very real, raw, and gritty kind of look to it, you actually feel like you are there. The sound is also greatly upgraded too, it is a great visual and audio upgrade in every regard. Unlike many other 4K releases of 80s and 90s movies, Scrooged does not skimp on the special features adding a bunch that had never been seen before this release.
Download Scrooged and Other Christmas Classics
Scrooged is an all time classic and essential viewing during Christmas time. This is a movie that I always wait to watch just a few days before Christmas. I tend to do National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve, Gremlins on the 23rd, and Scrooged on the 22nd as my run into the big day and I honestly cannot see that list of three ever being cracked. There is no way that I could give Scrooged (or those other two movies I mentioned) anything other than a 10/10.
