The Eighth Day of Christmas: Scrooged

"It's got Bill Murray, and that's always a good thing." - John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

What would the holidays be like without Bill Murray?  Well, probably pleasant.  This comedian has been one of my favorites since the beginning and he continues to possess a humor unlike anyone else I have ever seen.  Oh yeah, he's also the biggest asshole in the world.  Known for ditching promotional appearances, party crashing, burning bridges with collaborators and his closest friends; Bill Murray simply does not give a fuck. 

If you're not familiar with Bill Murray's personal life, he famously does not give interviews.  In fact the only way to get a hold of him is through an 800 number that he may or may not answer.  You can leave a message, but good luck on getting a call back.  Even the most popular celebrities have been ignored by him.

In the last decade Bill has only had four encounters with the media.  
When he does accept a meeting it's drastically unclear what kind of answers you're going to receive.  All an interviewer can hope for is that he is in a decent mood and should know just to not even mention Ghostbusters 3.  

Putting all of that aside, Bill Murray is a fantastic actor.  Scrooged is a twisted modernization of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Murray plays a cynical television programming executive named Frank Cross.  Like Mr. Scrooge, Frank is cold-hearted, overworks his assistant, and has zero tolerance for employees who slack around Christmas time.  Cross is kidnapped by a NYC cab driver (The Ghost of Christmas Past) and revisits his childhood, teens, and events throughout his career up until the present.  The rest is obvious as it's a story that we've all seen and heard way too many times. 

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 66%

The negative reviews Scrooged received mostly revolved around the films dark comedy.  While Murray humor is an acquired taste, I feel like this character best represents him as a person.  He is a man of many, many moods and is utterly unpredictable.  However, when his dark side subsides and the light begins to shine, you can't help but smile and say, "It's Bill Murray!"

- Colby.