Movie · 1988 · Fantasy, Comedy, Drama · 1h 41m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (272.7K ratings)
The spirits will move you in odd and hysterical ways.
Overview
Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.9/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.31/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 38
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Richard Donner
Production
Paramount Pictures, Mirage Productions
Cast
Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover, Bobcat Goldthwait, Robert Mitchum, David Johansen, Carol Kane, Nicholas Phillips, Michael J. Pollard, Alfre Woodard, Mabel King, John Murray, Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Lee Majors, Pat McCormick, Brian Doyle-Murray
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, messy, very 1980s take on A Christmas Carol that works best as a dark studio comedy with bite. Bill Murray’s abrasive energy, Carol Kane’s scene-stealing turn, and the eerie effects give it a weirdly memorable holiday edge, even when the satire gets broad.
Best for
Viewers who like cynical holiday comedies
Fans of dark fantasy with practical effects
People who enjoy Bill Murray’s deadpan chaos
Anyone looking for a twisted Christmas classic
Skip if
You want a warm, sentimental adaptation
You dislike abrasive leads who stay unlikable for a while
You prefer subtle comedy over loud, manic satire
You need a faithful, straightforward Dickens version
Overview
Scrooged takes the bones of A Christmas Carol and drags them through late-80s TV cynicism, corporate greed, and a very mean sense of humor. It’s uneven, but the movie has a nasty comic rhythm that suits Bill Murray’s persona surprisingly well, especially when the film leans into its bleakest gags and most surreal ghost sequences.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is the craft around the edges: the makeup effects are genuinely eerie, the production design has a grim holiday glow, and the score helps push it into a slightly off-kilter fantasy space. Carol Kane is the movie’s secret weapon, turning the Ghost of Christmas Present into a chaotic force of nature.
Bottom line
It’s not a cozy Christmas rewatch for everyone, and some of the comedy lands with a thud or overstays its welcome. But if you like your holiday movies acidic, frantic, and a little haunted, it earns its place as a cult-season staple.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (2★) · 1973 likes
Am I still supposed to find the Scrooge character unlikeable and annoying and irredeemable 75 minutes into a 100 minute movie
Jay (3.5★) · 1635 likes
need a fairy ghost of christmas present to beat jeff bezos into paying his employees more
airwreckuh (2.5★) · 1190 likes
LMAO okay but why was there just some random goth chick in Santa’s workshop??
adambolt (3.5★) · 865 likes
how did Bill Murray's vocal cords ever recover
Rachel Rhodes · 793 likes
"You can see her nipples."
"I want to see her nipples."