A Very Murray Christmas is streaming on Netflix from Friday.
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Wait, so what is this? The trailer features the first glimpse of George Clooney singing, as well as Miley Cyrus, Bill Murray and more. Something for everyone, it has to be said. Flanked by a bevy of dancers, and a sleigh bearing George Clooney and Miley Cyrus, the gaudy aesthetic of this last section plays right to Murray’s strengths, as it celebrates the earnest showbiz nature of a songs-and-jokes variety spectacle, while still letting Bill be Bill.
It only runs for an hour and will be a nice slice of entertainment before the Christmas madness begins in earnest.
That’s the extent of A Very Murray Christmas’ scant plot, as the fallout of Murray’s attempts to rein in a bewildered Chris Rock – in one of the best scenes – sends him through a multitude of musical interludes, tangents, and dream sequences where he, you guessed it, learns the true meaning of the season.
Instead of hanging with his celeb pals, Murray gets drunk with the hotel staff – enter Phoenix, Lewis, and the great Maya Rudolph – for their own singalongs. The special will also provide more insight on what Murray’s life is like.
Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Murray attends the Wednesday night premiere of his upcoming holiday special. Those ADHD-plagued tikes would likely rather see Julie White appearing in Michael Bay’s Very Transformers Christmas with Skids and Mudflap destroying “Christmas in Hollis”.
While only a slight effort, A Very Murray Christmas reunites Bill Murray with a pair of favorite collaborators.
“There’s a loose, rambling spirit to the proceedings, whether it’s Murray singing with Lewis on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” while minimizing the rapey undertones or Murray joining Phoenix on a jangly, infectious cover of the Beach Boys’ “(You’ll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day”. And who does tongue-in-cheek better than Bill Murray? I don’t know if it’ll surpass Claymation Christmas on Shaggy’s Holiday Special List, but it certainly can’t be that bad.
Only time will tell if “A Very Murray Christmas” will join the ranks of seasonal classics like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special”.
And the comedy set pieces feel equally unsteady, as though everyone committed to a half-finished script, hoping mere proximity to Murray, the unquestioned master of improvisational dialogue, would somehow rub off on them. Generous host that he is, Murray is also willing to be upstaged in comedic beats, though A Very Murray Christmas shouldn’t be approached as a laugh-heavy parody.
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If that, coupled with the chumminess of so many bold-facers caroling together, sounds a little too inside Hollywood, A Very Murray Christmas mostly overcomes that vibe by keeping things loose and improvisational. “I love him so much, honestly”. I do think the holidays have a sort of nostalgic melancholy and joyfulness to them, and Bill is so good with showing both those qualities.
