Scrooged (1988)

  The Christmas streak continues. Sometimes you just get tired of all the cute, feel-good Christmas movies and you want to watch something more...you.  This is that movie.

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a TV executive trying to put on a live adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas Tale.  He is a total asshole to his subordinates including his poor put-upon Assistant Grace (Alfre Woodard).  This is probably why he gets a visit from his dead former boss (John Forsythe) warning him that three other ghosts are coming for him:  Christmas Past, Present, and Future.  Christmas Past (David Johansen) takes him back to his childhood, where all his favorite memories happened on TV, and then to the day he turned his back on his sweet, charitable girlfriend (Karen Allen).  Christmas Present (Carol Kane) takes him to his brother's house, whose invitation he blows off every year, and to the subway exhaust grate where the homeless man he ignored (Michael J. Pollard) has frozen to death.  Meanwhile, a disgruntled employee (Bobcat Goldthwait) breaks into Frank's office and threatens him with a shotgun.

It's very 80's (he drinks Tab and vodka!) but the story is timeless.  Bill Murray is at his best when he plays an asshole and the supporting parts are very well-cast.  The stand-out for me is Carol Kane.  She's just so cute and violent!

Honestly, there's no reason why you shouldn't already have this movie and this is the perfect time of the year to watch it.  I know, I know, Christmas was yesterday.  That's ok.  It just keeps giving.