A Very Murray Christmas (2015)

Sadly Over-hyped

Best movie ever!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It always has been a respectable digital platform for films but this year Netflix went up another level. With them putting out respectable TV shows on their platform like Daredevil or good comedy specials from people like Chris Tucker or Aziz Ansari, they are an entertainment platform here to stay. Even more so, it's impressive how they stuck a big named actor like Adam Sandler to sign a four film deal with them. Let's also not forgot the film A Very Murray Christmas Netflix made with Bill Murray that came out earlier in the month to celebrate Christmas. Due to a massive snowstorm during Christmas time in New York City, Bill Murray worries that nobody will shows up to his TV show. Even with everything going on outside, guests and celebrities still find time to join Bill Murray to celebrate Christmas and to find a real meaning to the holiday. With really no plot here and only running fifth-six minutes long, don't expect a lot and this drags a lot also. It's a holiday special that depends on how much you like Bill Murray. He is much the same in A Very Murray Christmas as he is throughout the year. He is loud, obnoxious, and of course drinking is a must. His cast includes people like Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, George Clooney and others. Expect a lot of fun singing even by Murray himself and the best singing comes from really a surprising guest. With the type of talent here and with the excellent director in Sofia Coppola, I would rather have wanted this to be a full-length film with actual real characters. In a way though, that is asking a lot. A Very Murray Christmas is at least a respectable holiday special even if it's a bit of a disappointment. It is a special that likely is just going to be forgotten in Murray filmography years down the road.

A Very Murray Christmas (2015)** (out of 4)This Christmas special was made for Netflix and when you've got a talented director like Sofia Coppola and a talented actor like Bill Murray you expect much better. The story has Murray set to perform a live Christmas show but NYC has been hit by a major snowstorm so he's worried none of the stars will show up. Not only do we get Murray but we also have Paul Shaffer, Michael Cera, David Johansen, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Miley Cyrus and George Clooney.There are many problems with this 56 minute special but the biggest is the fact that it's simply not funny. While watching the film I couldn't help but wonder what they were even trying to do. Show off a great cast? Perhaps because that's really the only thing that the movie accomplishes. Murray is always fun to watch but he really isn't given much to do here outside of singing some songs, which he adds a nice spin on. Clooney shows up towards the end and while it's fun seeing him in something like this he really isn't given too much to do. The scene-stealer is Cyrus who sings three songs but takes the movie with a wonderful version of Silent Night.

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.

With Christmas coming up,I was intrigued to discover that Bill Murray had reunited with Sofia Coppola to do a "holiday special" for Netflix,which led to me getting ready to find out how Murray this Christmas could be.The plot:Getting set to film his X-Mas special in a hotel filled with celebrity guests,Bill Murray is told that he will have to perform the show on his own and without a live audience,due to the blizzard stopping anyone from getting out. Fearing that no one will see the special,Murray's hopes start to shine when he spots Chris Rock stuck in the weather,and drags him in as a guest.View on the film:Taking place largely in a hotel,co-writer/(along with Mitch Glazer & Bill Murray)director Sofia Coppola gives the trim 56 minute running time a touch of Christmas glamour,by surrounding the hotel in snowy whites which create a strong feeling of being stuck in the hotel.For the screenplay the writers take a satirical view at the fake world of TV Christmas specials,as the hilariously stiff exchanges between Chris Rock & Bill Murray recall the infamous Bing Crosby and David Bowie X-Mas special,whilst a dive into Murray's dreams reveal the diva attitude for an X-Mas special to solely focus on the host.Whilst the special offers some satirical lights,the writers struggle to keep the lively atmosphere of an X-Mas special bubbling away,with the extremely abrupt ending strongly suggesting that the film makers were unable to come up with a grand final that Christmas specials are known for.Joined by a wise-cracking Paul Shaffer and a humble Jason Schwartzman,Bill Murray gives a terrific performance as himself,with Murray showing himself to be bitter and completely lacking in enthusiasm for the holiday season,as Bill wishes everyone a Murray Christmas.