Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Hayden Kane
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Lachlan Coulson
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
colemyst
This is a well done version of The Christmas Carol. Giving a more modern taste to the setting and characters. I like that Scrooge has become a black woman, showing that not every tightfisted miser must be the typical old white guy. Ms.Tyson is excellent as a 20th century Scrooge. Michael Beach is also very good as her nephew and Reverend of the neighborhood. Katherine Helmond as Marley is over the top fun, I would have like to have seen more of her as a ghost. One complaint is that the director didn't pull more emotions from some of the actors. With a few exceptions, much of the time people were in the middle of the road emotionally. Afraid to be too joyous or too desperately downtrodden. But overall a nice holiday movie to add to the season.
mathorn
...but this has to be the worst A Christmas Carol adaptation of all time. And that takes some doing, what with the likes of various Lifetime efforts. Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against Cicely Tyson. I've enjoyed her tremendously in other roles (look at Sipsey in Fried Green Tomatoes, for example). But the script gives her no option but to chew the scenery. And chew it she does, with all the enthusiasm of Tiny Tim tying into a Christmas goose.Give me the classics anytime: Alastair Sim, 1951. With the exception maybe of Scrooged, all the others are just over-the-top efforts to grasp the past, present, or future Spirit of Christmas.
lastliberal
It amazes me how many ways a simple story like Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" can be interpreted. We have the pleasure of watching Cicely Tyson (Idlewild, A Lesson Before Dying) in another strong role.John Korty, who directed Ms. Tyson in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, again directs her as Ms. Ebenita Scrooge. Veteran writer John McGreevey interprets the familiar tale.Katherine Helmond ("Soap", "Whose the Boss") was funny as Marley, and Michael Beach ("Third Watch", Short Cuts) was super as her nephew.It was a different twist on a familiar story, told from an African-American perspective, and it really warmed the heart.Of course, you all know how it ends.
R1ch
_Ms._Scrooge_ is a remake of Charles Dickens' _A_Christmas_Carol_. If you are tired of Scrooge as a crotchety old English guy, you can now see the same story modernized with an elderly black woman playing Scrooge. The adaption is well done, and the contrast with the original story is part of the fun.Cicely Tyson plays Scrooge. I first noticed her years ago in the movie _Autobiograpy_of_Miss_Jane_Pittman_. That award-winning movie and _Ms._Scrooge_ together make an interesting set. In both, Cicely is shown at different times of her life to develop a personal history of how she became who she is now. While the _Autobiography_ is a better movie, _Ms._Scrooge_ is still very good.The supporting cast does an excellent job. Perhaps Katherine Helmund goes over the top as Maude Marley, and she appears to be enjoying her state more than one would think a lost soul should. Still, she effectively sets the stage for what Scrooge is yet to experience. Julian Richings is totally eery as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Roles where actors don't speak have got to be hard to play, but Julian finds the way.
