Scrooged (1988) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Scrooged

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 12 November 2026 · The Pros 51 · The Punters 70 · Spore Score 55 · How we write our takes

Why The Punters rate it higher than The Pros

Scrooged is a Christmas film that took years to find its fans. The Punters give it 70, The Pros 51, and the Spore Score is 55, with a fuzzy tag. Critics in 1988 found it messy and mean-spirited, with a sudden switch to sentiment at the end. Audiences who grew up with it on television see a cynical, very funny Bill Murray film, and that 19-point gap reflects how its reputation has improved.

What it is

Richard Donner, director of Superman and Lethal Weapon, directed this modern retelling of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a ruthless television executive staging a live Christmas Eve production of A Christmas Carol. He is visited by the ghost of his old boss and then by three spirits: a New York taxi driver played by David Johansen and a violent fairy played by Carol Kane among them. Karen Allen plays Claire, the woman Frank let go years earlier, and Bobcat Goldthwait plays an employee Frank fires on Christmas Eve.

What it does well

Murray is perfect as a Scrooge for the television age: sarcastic, selfish and funny even at his worst. The satire of network television, with its cheap stunts and ratings obsession, still feels sharp. Carol Kane's Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows her love by hitting Frank, is one of the funniest supporting turns in any Christmas film.

Where The Pros have a point

The tone lurches around. The film moves from dark comedy to horror effects to a long, emotional speech at the end, and not every switch works. Some of the jokes are crude and some scenes run on longer than they should.

Who it is for

Adults who like their Christmas films with a bit of bite, and Bill Murray fans. It is a good antidote to sugary festive viewing, though it is less suited to young children.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Hit and miss, with a Spore Score of 55. Messy, but Murray makes it a cult favourite. On this one The Punters have seen something the critics missed in 1988.