SCROOGED (1988) *** A Christmas Carol goes corporate, and even Charles Dickens couldn't have imagined the heights to which corporations have elevated the deadly sin of greed! Why, they've elevated it so high that it's beyond the altar, a transcendent religion unto itself, magnificent in its magnitude for those who appreciate such things. But, you may be allowed to wonder, if everyone's so onto what's wrong with corporations, how can they continue to exist? It's a one word answer, my friends. But, wait, something else. I mean, who made this movie? Who hired a street corner band headed by Miles Davis? A street corner band headed by Miles Davis? Well, yeah, and who put together this great cast led by Bill Murray and Robert Mitchum. Hmm, yes, I'm beginning to see your point. But, but... There's no denying the soul to the piece. Bill Murray's executive is so foul as to be entertaining. There's a certain delight to the way that he mistreats others, something so engraved in the human psyche that it can be traced back to Vlad the Impaler, the Spanish Inquisition, the Marquis de Sade. The difference, at least between Bill and the Inquisition, is that he's not blaming it on God, he's not claiming to be good, he's not a hypocrite. So there's something good about him? Maybe. And if there's something good in even him, there must be something good in us all. And if there's something good, there's still hope! And...not entirely changing gears, Carol Kane isn't the greatest actor to play a role of a Christmas angel, but she may be the most memorable. The slick production of it all reeks of....uh, professionalism. Someone must have kicked down big bucks for these great special effects, and cool sets, and for David Johansen's cigars, and Karen Allen's roach clip. It's a fun film, and it's got some authentic Christmas spirit. So maybe there's some soul somewhere in the corporate beast, or maybe someone with a soul reaching for the controls. Or maybe they just know that there's cash to be made by making fun of themselves! No, no, that's not it! Off with that humbug stuff!
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