"Scrooged" is the Best Movie for the Holiday Season

Today I have an idea that I have been thinking about for quite some time now. There are a ton of holiday movies, and since we are in some holidays and almost at some other holidays this time of year, I have finally come up with what I consider to be the best Xmas movie. My family has celebrated Xmas my entire life, so the holiday movies I watch this time of year center primarily around Xmas. I have seen all the hits. I love "Elf", "Home Alone", "A Christmas Story", to name a few. I have also enjoyed some more modern holiday movies. I found myself really liking "Happiest Season", which was just released last year. But there's one movie I consistently go back to this time of year. It is my comfort food for Xmas. It lets me know that we are fully in the Xmas season.

The best holiday/Xmas movie, for me, is "Scrooged". "Scrooged" gets it totally right. From start to finish this movie is damn near perfect. I have no notes for it. First of all, the cast is dynamite. Bill Murray is perfectly cast as Frank Cross. He is the Scrooge here. He is a cynical executive who despises the holiday season. While it could've been cliche or phoned in, Murray's attitude as Cross is perfect. This is what I imagine Murray acts like in his real life. It wasn't too much of a stretch for him and he totally nails it. Karen Allen is his love interest, Claire Phillips. She is wonderful here. She's light and cheery. She embodies the people who live for this season. But, where she could have played this as constantly happy, she nails the little drama moments. She also plays unhappy, in the alternate universes, very well. Allen is such an underrated actor. And this role, for me, is her tour de force. I come away even more impressed by her performance with each new watch. The ghosts that visit Cross are well played too. David Johansen as the ghost of Xmas past is great. I love that he plays the role as a cabby. I love how gross his cigar is that he's constantly chomping on. I like how he has no problem showing Cross all of his past problems. I really love this role. Carol Kane is as perfectly cast as Murray is in this movie. She plays the Ghost of Xmas Present. What makes her so electrifying in this movie is how evil and mean she is. She is constantly hitting Cross. She is trying to wack some common sense into this hate filled, awful man. She pulls no punches and she is willing to literally harm him to try and get him to see the error of his ways. And Pat McCormick, the Ghost of Xmas Future, shines in his small role. He doesn't get a ton to work with, but he really adds some much needed drama to this comedy movie. These five are great, but some of the side characters are awesome too. Bobcat Goldthwait is excellent as the disgruntled co-worker. John Glover seems nice, but reveals his sliminess eventually. Robert Mitchum is a scrooge himself. Alfre Woodard is electric as the studio head with a young kid. I mean, this cast is amazing.

What makes me really think this is the best holiday movie, they get the tone perfectly. This movie portrays how gloomy and dark the holiday season can be. It shows cynicism better than any other holiday movie. But it also has a heart. After the ghosts visit Cross, this movie has a ton of heart. It's almost too gloomy for a bit there, but then the writers, actors and director nail how cheery and fun the holiday season can be. Murray, after seeing all three ghosts, is so happy that his crew is taken aback for a moment. They don't trust his happiness because of who he is. But, in the long run, they buy it and go along with it. And I love that.

The holiday season can be good and bad and "Scrooged" tells the best version of that real life situation. I'm sure everyone will have their opinions as to why I'm wrong, and that's okay. Please, tell me why. But, for me, "Scrooged" totally nails the feelings and attitude that this season brings. And I love it so much for that. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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