I’m gonna make this short and sweet, ’cause I think it’s the way Frank Cross would want it: While the rest of the world is weeping along with musty old roasted chestnuts like It’s a Wonderful Life and Hey Look It’s Santa Charlie Brown You Dumbass (or whatever it’s called), there is but one Christmas movie that melts my heart. That movie, PopWatchers, is Bill Murray’s immortal classic, Scrooged, a crotchety nugget of late ’80s Manhattan filled with taxicabs and homeless shelters and mysterious sidewalk steam, the magical insidery world of network television, Bobcat Goldthwait with a shotgun, Carol Kane with a toaster, mice with reindeer horns potentially stapled to their heads, the Solid Gold dancers showing just a teensy bit of nipple, and one final singalong of "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" which brings me to tears every single time. My mother can have her Rosemary Clooney and White Christmas, my cousins can have their Zooey Deschanel in Elf. I’ll take my favorite Williamsburg scenester in a holly-laced top hat crooning, "Feed me, Seymour," to no one in particular. Both crude and sentimental, resonant and ludicrous, and featuring Murray at his most dashing pre-Lost In Translation peak, Scrooged is the perfect holiday movie for bitter, reluctant, closet Christmas lovers like me. Maybe it’s the "bitter, reluctant" part that keeps it off the Hallmark Channel. I dunno.
But what about you, PopWatchers? Is there a holiday movie you think belongs in the canon that maybe gets a little overlooked now and again? Share it in the comments… or just use them to quote your favorite line from Scrooged. Here, I’ll start: "Oooh, a Christmas party! I’m so glad I wore my pretty dress!"
More holiday fun from EW:
20 Worst Holiday Movies
Exclusive First Look: Ausiello’s 2008 Christmas list
Lettie’s ‘Age of Solo’: The CD I’m giving this holiday season
What’s the saddest moment in a holiday TV special?
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Sorry, Whitney, but this movie is maybe the WORST Christmas film I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen Ernest Saves Christmas. Scrooged is too long, with clunker jokes, and forced Christmas cheer. Definitely NOT underrated!
Love, Love, Love Scrooged. I watch it every Christmas Eve while the rest of the world is watching “It’s a Wonderful Life”. When they start up Put a Little Love in Your Heart, for me it’s “Niagra Falls, Frankie Baby”.
“Pick a side, grandma!” Love, love, love that movie!!
Made me smile to see this- Scrooged is my favorite Christmas movie as well. While my partner loves Scrooge and my family insists on watching Miracle on 34th every year- Christmas has to include Scrooged for me!
Ooooh, look, its a TOASTER!!!
Makes me laugh out loud every time.
Love this movie.
the best scrooged ever – loved it as a kid, love it now.
It just doesn’t get much better than “a TOASTER!!”
It just doesn’t get much better than “a TOASTER!!”
completely agree. it’s the one christmas movie i will watch with my family of xmas movie addicts. fave lines include:
“Elliot Loudermilk – Code Nine”
“Call the police!”
“I’m sorry, I thought you were Richard Pryor”
and the classic
“Which floor?”
Couldn’t agree more. I tell everyone every year that Scrooged is the best xmas movie EVER! As a matter of fact, rented it on pay per view yesterday…Frank Cross is priceless!
Scrooged is great… but The Ref is better!
Scrooged is the best.
LOVE this movie.
i don’t appreciate whitney’s attitude regarding the charlie brown xmas special. the charlie brown special is a great xmas tradition. apparently excessive snark makes up for one’s lack of verbal expression.
Who hates the Charlie Brown Christmas Special? I do give you props for going out on a ledge and all but really what type of childhood did you have? You just have to be downright mean to hate Charlie Brown’s Christmas.
I 100% agree…..My favorite xmas movie…Carol Cane beating the tar out of Bill Murray makes me laugh every time.
one of the best re makes ever that actually improve on the material,i dont know who could watch that movie,see his end speech and not get misty eyed
that guy driving the car looks a lot like Perez Hilton.
I love Scrooged. Great choice.
Love Scrooged. Especially love that the cab driver is none other than David Johannson from the New York Dolls (aka Buster Poindexter).
This was on TV here in Mexico City a few hours ago. Love this movie.
Three movies without which it is not christmas:
1. Scrooged
2. The Ref
3. Muppet Christmas Carol
Why you got to hate on Charlie Brown? Uncool Pastorek. I will give you this, though, “Scrooged” is awesome. I love it dearly. Like many others, I recommend “The Ref.” Good stuff.
I completely agree 100%. It isn’t Christmas until I’ve watched SCROOGED. This year I ordered it off on demand and watched it by myself, and I still loved the experience. The best part is that one of my best friends was watching it at the exact same time I was without us knowing it.
“You’re a HALLUCINATION, brought on by ALCOHOL! Russian vodka, poisoned by CHERNOBYL!!!!!”
Classic.
Scrooged is our annual Christmas Eve movie. Love it!!
And try as I might I ALWAYS tear up when the little boy whispers, “God bless us, everyone.”
New classic: Millions. I’ve made it my own personal Christmas tradition over the last few years. It’s such a warm movie without really trying to be (the cute kid on the DVD makes it look like they’re trying harder than they are.) Danny Boyle is one of the great unsung directors of our day.
No fear, PopWatchers! I love Charlie Brown and Linus reading the Christmas story and Snoopy decorating his doghouse and the ice skating/dancing/’loo-loo-loo’-ing as much as the next gal … … … But you gotta admit “Hey Look It’s Santa Charlie Brown You Dumbass” is pretty awesome. And Frank Cross would have put it on TV in two shakes of Frisbee the Dog’s tail.
I have long debated this same topic among friends and I’ve been waiting for someone to finally agree with me. “Scrooged” is by far the best Christmas movie made. “Scrape’em off Claire. You wanna save somebody, save yourself.” I Had a huge crush on Karen Allen at the time. So many classic one liners. And yeah, I admit it, the ending gets me every time.
Among my favorite lines to quote from Scrooged (sorry, they’re also the most profane, but that’s how I roll):
1) “Oh my gosh! Does THAT s*ck!”
2) “Now, I have to k*ll ALL of you!”
3) “Could you stop…the g*d**mned hammering, please?”
4) “The b*tch hit me with a toaster!”
And the immortal:
5) If you…TOUCH ME…AGAIN…I’m gonna rip your g*d**mned wings off!”
Merry Xmas, all…help someone make their miracle happen!
“I’m sorry, James. The answer was the ‘S.S. Minnow’. No points this round.”