'Scrooged': The most underrated Christmas movie ever?

TheAntiSimian Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 03:30 PM EST

Death, or the Ghost of Christmas Future, or whatever in that movie still gives me the creeps. I LOVE that interpretation of that character. Love the movie too.

Matthew Bruno Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 02:59 AM EST

"I have to take my son to the doctor."
"Grace, when I work late, you work late."
"But I made the appointment two months ago."
"I care! We're indivisible. If I'm workin' late you gotta work late. If you can't work late, I can't work late. If I can't work late...I CAN'T WORK LATE!!!"

Glitterbat Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:56 PM EST

Oh, and sorry for posting twice, but another gem is the "Married...With Children" parody of "It's A Wonderful Life". Whoever had the brainstorm to cast Sam Kinison as an angel is a genius.

Glitterbat Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:54 PM EST

"Mixed Nuts". It's contrived and wacky, but worth every minute for Madeline Kahn's entire performance and Liev Schreiber fabulous in drag.

PS. I work at a counselling office and we find the shot of Madeline reading "Distress" magazine at her phone pant-wettingly funny every time. That and hearing her call Steve Martin a naughty name at the top of her lungs are pure comedy gold.

beth Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 02:18 PM EST

Love this movie; we have the DVD and my teens love it now, too.

LB Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 10:51 AM EST

late in the game part III: love this movie. classic, classic, classic. just reading another commentor's post with the quote, "if you...TOUCH...ME AGAIN...i'm going to rip your g*d*md wings off!" made me bust out laughing.

Rachel Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 06:01 PM EST

late in game ,too! This one is my husbands favorite so we made my 13 yr old watch for the 1st time & she loved it! On the must watch list for sure!

McBG Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 01:35 PM EST

Christmas isn't Christmas for our family until we watch Scrooged...we can recite the whole thing and, all these years later, it still makes us laugh and cry in ways that other movies can't...highly underrated...

MoSnow Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 12:32 PM EST

My Christmas season is not complete unless I can watch Frank take the cab from the old lady and say "Bye Bye Grandma"

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Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 02:02 AM EST

I'm late on this game, but I love this movie too. It used to scare me when i was younger. I was scared of frozen man in sewer, the scary ghost in the elevator, and the cremation scene. Now that I am older I appreciate the movie. I think they used to show this all the time on HBO along with "Dutch" (another old favorite mentioned earlier this week!). Aww, I miss the old HBO. Our family watches Christmas Vacation every year. My grandmother loves that movie! That is definitely a holiday classic. Sadly we didn't watch it this year, too much going on!

wg Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 02:25 PM EST

I grew up on "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" and "Santa and the Three Bears" as staples of Christmas. Sadly, they don't run those anymore. :( I do need to rewatch "Scrooged" though - haven't seen it in far too long.

Brian E Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 03:29 AM EST

Yay! It's my favourite Christmas movie too. I watch it EVERY Christmas eve before going to bed. Nothing gets me in the mood more than "This is one Santa that's going out the front door.". Alfre Woodward (Grace)'s expression when Calvin speaks at the end is what gets me choked up every time. Definitely deserves more love.

aaa Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 07:39 PM EST

I LOVE Scrooged!!! My favorite exchange, when Alfre Woodard tries to stop Bill Murray from being angry at her little boy for being on the set:

"Frank! That's my son!!"
"All right, then YOU beat him."

Just the way Murray delivers the line kills me every time. I will also second, third, whatever # we're on for the The Ref. Tragically ignored. I actually got slipper socks for Xmas and all I could think was "Slipper socks - Medium".

Jelana Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 12:46 PM EST

The wall border in Frank's office: "Cross: a thing they nail people to." (I might have that off a bit). Brilliant.

Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 12:36 PM EST

I agree, I never understood why this movie doesn't get more love.

marmy Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 12:32 AM EST

My favorite from Scrooged:

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/47356/Sometimes-you-have-to-slap-them-just-to-get-their-attention

although, http://www.entertonement.com/clips/44533/Oh-Fudge might be the quote that has been more applicable this weekend.

Houston Jen in DC Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:34 PM EST

Plowboy, BBC America broadcast Blackadder's Christmas Carol throughout the day yesterday. You can also catch clips of it on YouTube.

Anna Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 07:32 PM EST

Umm, Whitney, I always believed your favorite line to be "Look, Frank, it's a toaster!"

kim in kentucky Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:28 PM EST

Saw it in the theater, liked part of it -- but it is one of those movies that grow on you the more you watch it. Glad to see the posts about The Ref!!

orville Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:23 PM EST

"Miss? You do shop here often? If you do, I can walk on the other side of the street." "Ba dum dum."

One of my favorites as well. This one, A Christmas Story, Baryshnikov's Nutcracker, and Love Actually are yearly musts for me. Love Actually may be one of the most perfect movies ever made.

Matt Miskin Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 12:29 PM EST

Scrooged better than Stripes?

justjack Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:58 AM EST

ah... I loves me some Bill Murray! this movie totally rocks. although I agree with some other posters that you can't be hatin' on Charlie Brown, come on.... although anybody who wants to start taking swings at A Christmas Story, I'm in! are we NOT over that yet?

Plowboy Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:44 AM EST

Love Scrooged, also love another grumpy comic version of a Christmas Carol called Blackadder's Christmas Carol. This one has a different twist, Hugh Laurie from House as Narrator, and I can't find it anywhere on TV. Bugs me.

Ceballos Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:09 AM EST

That picture just makes me want to scream out:

"It's a bone, you lucky dog!"

In a related story, this movie made it all the way to #5 in my favorite Christmas movie list. Saw this movie (and LOVED it) when I was little and I still do to this day!

http://whatjohnceballosthinks.blogspot.com/2008/12/johns-top-10-christmas-movies.html

RTA Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 10:40 AM EST

Love me some Scrooged fer sure. Also love Family Man, another overlooked but very enjoyable flick with a little Christmas thrown in.

denny Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 10:35 AM EST

I LOVE me some Scrooged, but the most underrated Christmas movies, by far, are The Muppet Christmas Carol (Michael Caine is my pick for best Scrooge of all time... NEW GALLERY IDEA, EW!) and A Diva's Christmas Carol with Vanessa Williams. That sh*t is HIGH-LARIOUS!

Jackie Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 09:08 AM EST

LOVE "Scrooged"! My older brother and I used to watch it together every year. Favorite lines:

Christmas Present: Sometimes you have to SLAP them in the face to get their attention!
Frank: You didn't SLAP me in the face! You kicked me in the b... (cut off as she grabs his lip)

Christmas Present: Oh look! There's Mr. Hedgehog. Where's he going? To HARLEM! (as she hits him with the toaster)

Elliott: My wife left me... and she took our little... baby... daughter... ... WITH HER!

Albatross Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 08:52 AM EST

I agree 100%--an amazing movie! I like the fact that Frank doesn't so much change at the end as turn his focus in a different direction. Oh, and "Thanks for the shot!"

love this Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 08:40 AM EST

This is definitely an underrated movie classic. Love it.

Sherry Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 07:36 AM EST

This movie is OK, the Ref is better and Bad Santa is priceless!

maxwell19596 Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 06:20 AM EST

Bill Murray was in rare form in "Scrooged" He did the amazing job of being someone so awfull, yet you like him. Really the only other performance that is similar would be Billy Bob Thornton's in "Bad Santa".
Bill Murray is, and always will be tops though. He is a true genius. A cute Christmas movie that because of a really bad title, no one even knows it is a Christmas movie would be "Unaccompanied Minors" It's cute, and has something that really ties it into this rant,and that is Brett Kelly
the young Canadian actor who stars in this movie, and Bad Santa. He is a great little actor. Carol Kane was so memorable in Scrooged. She really seemed to enjoy roughing up Billy Murray. Also I would be remiss not to mention a annual Christmas tradition here in our house of course I'm talking about "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" Chevy Chase at his comedic peak. 50 pound bags of "Ole Roy", no Christmas bonus, and so many lights you can see your house from space...Merry KissMy@$$ everyone!

Scotto Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 03:48 AM EST

we watched it earlier tonight and it was pretty damn cool. the thing is, bill murray doesn't miss a note, and that saves it. however, the most underrated xmas movie i know of remains "bad santa". period. it just flat out owns the category in every respect.

Emma Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 03:16 AM EST

SCROOGED is my FAVORITE xmas movie!

i love the chemistry between bill murray + karen allen. such a great modernization of a classic tale.

"don't miss SCROOGE, your life must just DEPEND on it!"

MikeM Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 02:27 AM EST

"Oooh Frank! You know I love the rough stuff!" Timeless Christmas classic. That's what Scrooged is!

Chi Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 02:18 AM EST

Scrooged is great and love Dennis Leary in The Ref but it's not Xmas without at least one viewing of Bad Santa

Kaiulani Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 02:07 AM EST

Besides Scrooged, my favorite Christmas movie is The Ref. For some reason, crude and Christmas just seem to go together for my family.

alex Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:55 AM EST

The Muppets Christmas Carol is one of my favorites and I was a little upset I didn't catch it on tv this year.

Chris Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:22 AM EST

"I'm sorry, James. The answer was the 'S.S. Minnow'. No points this round."

Cliff Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 01:00 AM EST

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!

sVc Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 12:31 AM EST

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.

whitney pastorek Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 12:08 AM EST

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.

E.B. Berman Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 11:58 PM EST

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.

Brian Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 11:41 PM EST

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."

Erik Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 11:35 PM EST

"You're a HALLUCINATION, brought on by ALCOHOL! Russian vodka, poisoned by CHERNOBYL!!!!!"

Classic.

kate Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 11:33 PM EST

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.

Raven_Moon Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 11:04 PM EST

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.

tuneman Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 10:28 PM EST

Three movies without which it is not christmas:
1. Scrooged
2. The Ref
3. Muppet Christmas Carol

Michael Sacal Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 10:18 PM EST

This was on TV here in Mexico City a few hours ago. Love this movie.

Ramo Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 09:45 PM EST

Love Scrooged. Especially love that the cab driver is none other than David Johannson from the New York Dolls (aka Buster Poindexter).

ann Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 09:45 PM EST

I love Scrooged. Great choice.

josh Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 09:03 PM EST

that guy driving the car looks a lot like Perez Hilton.

david Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 08:58 PM EST

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

Brian Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 08:41 PM EST

I 100% agree.....My favorite xmas movie...Carol Cane beating the tar out of Bill Murray makes me laugh every time.

James Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 08:30 PM EST

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.

fancypants Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 08:15 PM EST

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.

Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 08:09 PM EST

Scrooged is the best.
LOVE this movie.

Chris Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 07:26 PM EST

Scrooged is great... but The Ref is better!

Barbie Bohrman Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 07:17 PM EST

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!

gray Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:40 PM EST

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?"

Sarah Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:28 PM EST

It just doesn't get much better than "a TOASTER!!"

Sarah Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:18 PM EST

It just doesn't get much better than "a TOASTER!!"

mark Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:17 PM EST

the best scrooged ever - loved it as a kid, love it now.

Pam Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:14 PM EST

Ooooh, look, its a TOASTER!!!

Makes me laugh out loud every time.

Love this movie.

jenn Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 06:09 PM EST

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!

Patrick Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 05:52 PM EST

"Pick a side, grandma!" Love, love, love that movie!!

Kate Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 05:41 PM EST

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".

theBigE Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 05:37 PM EST

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!