7. Scrooged (1988)
On the Flickering Myth Podcast, Scott Davis commented that there is no better casting for an 80s contemporary update of the Charles Dickens classic story about corporate America than Bill Murray. And, he’s bloody right!
It’s a story that has been told to death and been adapted lord knows how many times, but Scrooged is one of the few instances that makes the story feel modern and relevant (although it won’t be the first adaptation on this list). Murray is excellent as this cocky prick who has no regard for anyone but himself, but deep down inside is a loving family-man and charming boyfriend to Karen Allen. And while he is superb, it’s Bobcat Goldthwait who nearly steals the show thanks to the manic and insane performance he was known for.
However, for all the praise we have for it here, Bill Murray is not a fan himself. He and director Richard Donner fell out almost every day and Murray still feels Scrooged was a wasted opportunity. “That could have been a really, really great movie,” he once told Roger Ebert. “The script was so good. There’s maybe one take in the final cut movie that is mine. We made it so fast, it was like doing a movie live. He kept telling me to do things louder, louder, louder. I think he was deaf.”
But, hey, he didn’t like Ghostbusters 2 either. And we quite like that as well.
You can listen to the Flickering Myth Podcast’s thoughts on the Top 10 Christmas movies using the player below:
Originally published December 24, 2014. Updated July 3, 2023.
