By Geno McGahee
In 2000, Jim Carrey starred in HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, a terrible movie. It was a money-maker and some people remarkably like it, but I thought it was basic shit. In 2009, Carrey would take another swing at the holiday and take on the lead as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Disney film A CHRISTMAS CAROL. What a difference 9 years can make.
When it comes to holiday-based movies, there’s no better story to base it on then the Charles Dickens classic. When this film came out, I heard a lot of bad things about. There were a lot of bitching about the animation and a lot of bitching about the overall execution of the film. When I first saw the trailer, I didn’t want to see it, but as we approach the holiday, I am in total Christmas spirit, full of joy and love for all (except for those white trash losers that go through my recycling bin) and gave this film a shot. I’m glad I did.
I think everyone knows the story, so I won’t go into great detail with that, but the small details and story-telling here is amazing. The animation that everyone seemed to complain about was very good and, after watching the making of the film, I was even more impressed with the job that they did.
Carrey does a great job as Scrooge, creating this character and bringing his mixture of physical acting and dramatic acting to the role in a good way. Scrooge is a bitter and paranoid old man with no love for anyone, including his loyal employee, Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman). When asked for money to help the poor, he suggests that they die and lessen the population. Scrooge is a total prick all around and is miserable and misery loves company. Even his nephew can’t change his opinion.
Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Marley (Gary Oldman), who is now weighed down with chains that he must carry infinitely. The animation was really amazing here and the visuals were scary. This movie failed at the box office and it wasn’t because it was bad. It wasn’t for kids and the adults didn’t go because not too many adults go to animated features. I can imagine a lot of parents bringing their kids to this and walking out during the Marley scene with all of its visuals. If they kept them there, I’m sure they were sleeping with mom and dad that night.
The transition of the Scrooge character is done systematically and done very well. You learn why he became the man that he was and it was a gradual decline. There aren’t too many versions of this story that shows who Scrooge is and why he is the way he is better than this one. The ghosts in the film look great with the exception of the Ghost of Christmas Past. They went with a candle look but that may have been book-inspired and they kept true to it, but it just looked shitty to me. The other ghosts looked great, but that candle one was mediocre. That’s a minor complaint.
After learning about his fate and his death, Scrooge changes his ways, and it is just understandable considering where he came from and who he is. His anger and hatred was born through misery and fear and it’s captured so well here. It’s a shame that this film didn’t do that well because it’s a quality holiday film and Carrey has redeemed himself after the Grinch film. He still has to redeem himself for THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a great movie. It slows down a little too much when Scrooge encounters death and we go through a long chase scene, but it flows well overall. It’s very true to the book. So, if you love the story, you’ll love this. If you’re looking for a zany Carrey performance, this isn’t going to be it. It’s just a great retelling of the Charles Dickens classic. I highly recommend this.
