scrooged

Director: richard donner

Actor: bill murray,karen allen,john forsythe,john glover

Data Published: Wed Nov 23 1988

Genres: Comedy,Drama,Fantasy,Romance

Key Words: ghost,compassion,greed,redemption,christmas

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096061/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooged

Description: Scrooged is a movie starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, and John Forsythe. A selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.

Plot: IBC Television president Frank Cross is pushing his company to broadcast an extravagant live production of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve, making the staff work throughout the holiday. Frank fires executive Eliot Loudermilk for disagreeing with him, and sends cheap IBC-monogrammed towels to all on his Christmas list, including his personal assistant Grace, and his brother James. Frank's boss Preston Rhinelander, seeing the stress Frank is under with the production, brings in Brice Cummings to provide assistance, though Brice secretly wants Frank's job. The night before the show, Frank is visited by the ghost of his mentor Lew Hayward, who died in an accident as an unloved miser. Lew warns him three more ghosts will appear to him over the next day to help Frank avoid the same fate. Before it vanishes, the ghost dials up Claire Phillips, Frank's lost love from years ago. Claire comes to the network to talk to Frank, but Frank does not make time for her, and she returns to the homeless shelter where she works. As rehearsals start, Frank is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, appearing as a taxi driver. He takes Frank to see his past: how he found solace in television after his mother left his father, and how he had fallen in love with Claire but lost her favor when he prioritized his television career over her. When back in the present, Frank goes to see Claire, hoping to make amends. However, his attitude quickly sours when he refuses to buy a cup of coffee for Herman, one of the homeless, and after Claire's co-workers pester her about Frank's disdain for the homeless. He returns back to the studio. The Ghost of Christmas Present arrives as a clumsy fairy. She takes him to Grace's apartment, showing his assistant's struggles to support her large family, including her youngest son Calvin who has remained mute since seeing his father murdered. The Ghost then shows him James, who still respects Frank as his brother despite declining invitations to his Christmas celebrations and cheap gifts. The Ghost leaves him in a utility space under a sidewalk with Herman, frozen to death due to Frank's selfishness. Frank desperately tries to escape, breaking through a boarded up door to end back up on the set of the production. Preston directs Brice to take over rehearsals to give Frank some time off. Retiring to his office, Frank finds Eliot waiting for him with a shotgun, as after being fired, Eliot lost everything. Frank escapes into the elevator where the reaper-like Ghost of Christmas Future awaits. The Ghost takes him to the future, where Calvin has become catatonic and been institutionalized, and Claire had heeded Frank's words and shunned the homeless to become just like Frank. Finally, the Ghost shows Frank's cremation ceremony, with only James and his wife in attendance. Frank, having come to a revelation about his life, is shocked when he finds himself in the coffin as is it about to be incinerated, and breaks his way out, ending up back out of the elevator facing Eliot. Frank's completely changed demeanor surprises Eliot, particularly when Frank offers him a high-level executive position. With Eliot's help, Frank returns to the production set, secures Brice in the control room, and breaks the show's live broadcast to speak of his new appreciation for life. He apologizes on air to Grace, James, and the cast and crew, and makes a passionate plea to Claire to come back to him. Claire sees this at the shelter, and makes for the network with the help of the Ghost of Christmas Past. As Frank and Claire reunite, Calvin comes up to Frank and speaks for the first time, reminding him to say the closing words of the Carol, "God bless us, everyone", much to Grace's elation. Frank leads the crew in singing "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", and sees Lew, the three Ghosts, and the ghost of Herman smile and wave back to him.