julian kennedy
I can't quite put my finger on it. This special starts out bad, possibly purposely so, with Amy Poehler hamming it up something awful. But it grows on you with memories of Christmas's past. By the time Murray is singing a surprising non-rapey version of Baby it's Cold Outside we are in full Christmas swing. Capped off with a blast of nostalgia for Christmas Specials past with a surprisingly talented Miley Cyrus and a ridiculously charming George Clooney.I used to be a Love Actually Christmas Eve traditionalist. This however has been my go to Christmas special the last two years and I see no reason not to continue that tradition again next year.
Tom Rombouts
Just saw this on DVD, a little more than a year after it came out. Sure, it is not that "funny" if you are expecting SNL level comedy, but I really enjoyed it. First, I had never heard the song "Christmas Blues" before. Not bad at all. And the later group performance of "Fairytale of New York" (originally by The Pogues from the late 1980's) was just great. (I guess I have to write a little more - right now my review is not long enough for IMDb.) It was interesting to see David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) of the New York Dolls. I see that he was also in the 1988 Bill Murray film "Scrooged". And I was not familiar with Jenny Lewis, but she is a very good singer. I got this on a whim, but am really glad that I saw it.
Jackson Booth-Millard
I heard in recent years that film and television on-demand service Netflix was creating its own television series and programmes, then they started making films, and I heard about this seasonal offering, so I hoped it would be good, written and directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation). Basically Bill Murray (also writing), playing himself, is in New York City at the Carlyle Hotel filming a Christmas special for television, and a number of a celebrity guests have been invited. But a massive snowstorm is occurring, Bill is worried no-one will show up for the TV show, he and the producers are doing everything possible to keep things afloat and continue. It is only through a series of coincidence, luck and perseverance that celebrities come along and join Bill to sing along and dance in holiday spirit to create an entertaining show and bring Christmas cheer. Also starring George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Chris Rock, Michael Cera as Jackie the Talent Agent, Bridemaids' Maya Rudolph as The Lounge Singer, Jason Schwartzman as Elliott the Groom, Rashida Jones as The Bride, Amy Poehler as Liz, Paul Shaffer, Dimitri Dimitrov, Scrooged star David Johansen as The Bartender, Jenny Lewis as The Waitress and Julie White as Bev. Murray has previously played himself in Space Jam, he does well with his trademark presence and quips, the big name co-star do their parts fine also, there are amusing moments, but it is definitely more about the Christmassy singing and dancing, all in all a fun seasonal musical comedy. Worth watching!
sonofhades
I guess every actor makes bad decisions when they are provided with enough money or they owe someone a big favor. Apart from that, I cannot understand why such stars like George Clooney, Bill Murray, Chris Rock and Miley Cyrus + a dozen other actors signed up for this. Sofia Coppola as the director? Just what did Netflix blackmail them with?There is no plot. There is a few lines of dialogue between songs that are mostly sung by people who ought to concentrate their efforts on acting instead of singing. They're not bad at singing, but if you're watching music show, you want to see it performed by the best singers possible, right?I wasted an hour of my life watching this show. There were exactly 2 times where I smiled. That's why I gave this film 2 out of 10.
AD
