A Very Murray Christmas

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AVeryMurrayChristmas_posterLet’s get one thing straight: this isn’t Scrooged, the redux. It’s a plotless variety show without a lot of variety, but it’s got Bill Goddamned Fucking Murray, so what else do you want?

It’s Christmas Eve and Murray is contractually obligated to put on a Christmas special live from the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. He’s in no position to be doing such a thing and the show is doomed to hell, but so what? His piano accompanist is Paul Shaffer, for crying out loud. How bad could it be?

Well, as Amy Poehler and Julie White come bustling into his room to assuage his pre-show jitters\brow-beat him into meeting his obligations, it would seem that they are worried too. There’s a blizzard blanketing NYC, and none of the celebrity guests have shown up. No guests at all, actually, except for Michael Cera, playing a slimy talent agent desperate to sign Murray (who is famous in real life from being unrepresented).

Murray starts off singing dejectedly but can’t even finish his first song. NEN1NCNECeZIRU_1_bThe special’s a disaster! But wait! Who’s that sight for sore eyes revolving through the door? Why it’s none other than Chris Rock, here mistakenly, but here nonetheless, and despite his vehement refusals, he gets emotionally manipulating into joining the live broadcast. Singing ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ as a duet, Murray and Rock are one of the highlights of the show. In a special that’s not even an hour long, Chris Rock proves he may not be a singer but he is indeed an actor; the reluctance to join in spackled across his slowly turns into Christmas cheer as the joy of the song spreads to his heart…until the power goes out, and he takes the opportunity to make his escape.

“Force Majeure!” cry his cheeky producers. The contract taken care of by an act of god, White and Poehler hoof it out of there too, leaving Murray to mope around a nearly-deserted hotel where he comes across a sobbing bride (Rashida Jones) and her wobbly wedding cake. Dream wedding ruined, no guests in sight, no preacher to marry them, and a 90bunch of lobsters going bad, she and her groom (Jason Schwartzman) have fought.

Never fear: when not hosting Christmas specials, Bill Murray also proffers marital counselling, and so in he goes to save the day, and spark up some more “impromptu” holiday tunes. Jenny Lewis playing a waitress is on hand to do the lady part of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’, everyone’s favourite date-rape carol, and the band Phoenix is conveniently on hand pretending to be kitchen staff to back up several more ditties, so that Jason Schwartzman can prove there is a worse singer in this thing than Chris Rock.

And then Maya Rudolph shows up playing a washed up lounge singer, and holy hell, she just puts them all to shame. She belts out a ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ so good that even Darlene Love would approve (she sang that song on Letterman every Christmas since 1986 except for the writer’s strike in 2007 – this will be her first year without, since Dave is retired). It’s not surprising that Rudolph is amazing: she is, after all, daughter to soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer-songwriter Richard Rudolph. Oh, and granddaughter of Teena Marie. She’s got chops, plus extra credentials for often impersonating Beyonce on SNL, and for playing in a Prince cover band called Princess. And I’ve got a huge crush on her.

Then the action mysteriously leaves the Carlyle Hotel for a decked-out maxresdefaultsoundstage in New Jersey, where two new guest stars join the festivities: Miley Cyrus, cheating on her own cameo in The Night Before, and George Clooney to mix the martinis. An unlikely pair? If you say so!

I wish I could find something to be grumpy about with Miley’s performance, but the truth is, she sounds good. Perched atop Shaffer’s bill-murray-miley-cyrus-george-clooney-netflix-christmas-specialpiano, Silent Night is rendered faithfully, although there’s probably a little too much leg for the holy parts. The real surprise, and delight, is when Clooney pipes up during ‘Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin.’ Is the world ready for this side of George Clooney? Unfortunately he flashes a lot less leg, but he does look awfully dapper in his suit.

Anyway, director Sofia Coppola did quite a job of rounding up a slew of stars and dipping them in Christmas coating. You can play a real game of celebrity bingo, as you’ll see in the comments. There’s no plot, no story, no moral: just a lot of the ever-charming Bill Murray. It’s available on Netflix and it’s the kind of thing you can easily just put on in the background while you do some holiday baking or cleaning or wrapping, or better yet – some imbibing.

Cheers.

 

 

 

54 thoughts on “A Very Murray Christmas”

  13. Caz

    Throughly enjoyed this when I watched it last week! Miley Cyrus really does have a good singing voice, just a lot of issues in the past few years!

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  14. calensariel

    Sounds even more bizarre than “Scrooged” which I loved! Especially when the Ghost of Christmas Present hit him with the toaster (at which point I was doubled over unable to breathe at the movies!). :D.

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  16. Jane Lurie

    Good review– watched it and agree. Quite the melange of stars and thought Maya was a big surprise. Chris Rock… that was just funny and hard on the ears. 🙂 Bill still has his lounge singer down pat.

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  18. ninvoid99

    1. THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE…. Lost in Translation
    2. David Johansen aka Buster Poindexter of the seminal NYC proto-punk band the New York Dolls
    3. Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
    4. Monuments Men and Fantastic Mr. Fox
    5. She was the spouse of Chris Rock in Growns Ups and… ugh… Grown Ups 2
    6. Arrested Development
    7. Michael Clayton
    8. Thomas Mars, vocalist for the band Phoenix who play the chefs in the special
    9. Rashida Jones, daughter of Quincy Jones.
    10. Jason Schwartzman is Sofia’s cousin as he was in Marie Antoinette as they also both appeared in CQ directed by her brother Roman.

    I had a blast watching it as I too was sort of skeptical of Miley as I’m not a fan of hers either yet she was good in this as well.

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    1. Jay Post author

      Good for you!!!

      2. You are correct. Would also have accepted Paul Shaffer.
      3. Would also have accepted: Rashida Jones, Parks & Rec
      6. You’re probably right, but I was thinking Wet Hot American Summer.
      11. Bolt

      And yes – I think it was a wise decision to have her sing and look cute in her little costume but not actually talk very much. Much more tolerable that way.

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      6. ninvoid99

        I love Bill too but let’s be honest, he was wasted in that film and he deserves better. Plus, I think everyone is being too kind to the film. I wasn’t. I was angry as I did what anyone who loved something and be betrayed by it did. I had no choice but to kill that fucking film.

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  23. Prudence

    I think my previous comment got lost! Anyhu, I thought this was something Wes Anderson would do and I am surprised to find that its a Sofia Coppola movie. But it sounds really fun. More Bill Murray doing Bill Murray never hurt anyone. And we all could use more Maya Rudolph in our lives. 🙂

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