Film Review: "A Very Murray Christmas"

With A Very Murray Christmas, "we wish you a Murray Christmas." This Christmas musical comedy film directed by Sofia Coppola, and written by Coppola, Bill Murray, and Mitch Glazer. The film follows Bill Murray as he rounds up an all-star for an evening of music, mischief and barroom camaraderie in this irreverent twist on holiday variety shows.

In October 2014, the film was announced as a Christmas special with Murray to star and Coppola set to direct. In May 2015, Netflix picked up the film written by Murray, Glazer, and Coppola, as a homage to classic holiday variety shows and specials, with George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Julie White, Dimitri Dimitrov, Michael Cera, Chris Rock, David Johansen, Maya Rudolph, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Lewis, Rashida Jones, and Miley Cyrus. Principal photography took place at the Carlyle Hotel and its Bemelmans Bar, in New York City. Initially, rapper Rick Ross was scheduled to sing Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' with Murray, but when Ross became unavailable, Clooney filled in. Also, Cyrus' acoustic version of Silent Night was a last-minute addition 

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Murray, Clooney, Shaffer, Poehler, White, Dimitrov, Cera, Rock, Johansen, Rudolph, Schwartzman, Lewis, Jones, and Cyrus. Murray was at his most accessible during the show, sharing the difficulties of hosting a special during the holidays. Though the whole affair was relatively underwhelming for Murray and the wildly eclectic ensemble cast. But to his credit, he seems to have recognized this flaw in her brand strategy and has been working overtime of late to humanize himself. Anyone who watches the special will definitely gain a new appreciation for him.

A Very Murray Christmas dynamic and positive special that highlights the importance of sharing time with loved ones during the holidays, even if they are celebrities. Nothing in the special destroys the image of Murray. However, the potential for a Murray holiday special was never given room to materialize. The choice to combine Murray and Christmas may have reached out to a broader audience, but the incongruence of the special's various parts was bound to frustrate a sizable portion of that audience. The special feels like nothing more than a cross-promotional commercial. The songs and their singers chosen were less fit for a Murray Christmas special, and no one seemed willing to stray too far from the show's message. The aim for holiday timelessness, was for the cast to come to Murray's help. If the fifty-six seemingly endless minutes of the special had a predecessor, it might be the long-suppressed Star Wars Christmas Special (1978), though nothing here was so outrageously wrong (or right) that people will still be bootlegging this one in 35 years' time. At least there was a familiar 'why is this happening?' question hovering over the star-crossed proceedings, albeit without the benefit of any guest stars as seriously wacky as that one's to show up and redeem the incongruousness. Sadly, this will be remembered as an average holiday special that nobody will talk about.

Simon says A Very Murray Christmas receives:

Also, see my review for The Bling Ring.