Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
Back in 2003, director Sofia Coppola did something unthinkable. She transformed actor Bill Murray from his comedic persona into a lonely, quiet man in Lost in Translation. It was a performance so powerful that it resurrected the flailing actor's career and even earned him an Oscar nomination. While both Coppola and Murray have remained relatively busy in the years that followed, neither have necessarily done work that compares to the impact that the film made. Coppola would make dramas like Marie Antoinette and Somewhere, which were accused of not being about anything. Meanwhile, Murray was capable of being a great person by crashing weddings and making anything fun. His movies on the other hand weren't that great. It's pretty much why the novelty of getting the Lost in Translation gang back together was so inspired when it was announced in late 2014.
Could the duo bring out the best in each other again? A Very Murray Christmas quickly became one of Netflix's most anticipated programs of the year, which is saying something among over a dozen anticipated shows. It was a chance to see Murray celebrate Christmas in his own special way. Considering how well he improvised parts of his career to the point of becoming iconic, it could easily be the most anarchic yet classy Christmas special ever. It would be a moment for people to find a new beloved special that wasn't just about singing songs and celebrating the holidays. It wasn't going to be corny. It was going to be all about Murray being Murray. And, depending on your tolerance, it was just that.
The hour-long special opens with a shot reminiscent of Lost in Translation. A saddened Murray looks out the window as a pair of antlers fall on his head. Paul Schaffer is in the corner playing the familiar tunes on a piano. It's melancholic and lonely. The gist of the special is that Murray is on the verge of recording his own holiday special, but runs into several problems. His guests cancel. The power goes off. Most of all, he's just a miserable old sod who doesn't know if he can bring the cheer. He turns to his row of celebrity friends, such as Amy Poehler and Jenny Lewis, to give him some enthusiasm. All it does is push off the inevitable problems for a little longer.
The issue isn't so much that the proceeding special is dour. It wouldn't be a great special, but at least it would be different. Instead, it's a navel gazing the likes of which even Coppola hasn't achieved before. It's the equivalent of Christmas on Klonopin, with almost everyone seeming too bored to do anything creative. By the time that the special is a quarter through, the music finally kicks in, and it's not anything great. With exception to Lewis and a guest appearance from Phoenix, it turns into what is essentially comedy stars doing karaoke in wee hours of the morning. There's not a lot really to get from it. It's the same old shtick, but with comedians singing instead of using their talent to do anything remotely creative.
This is a special that feels grounded in over very crass gimmick. Basically, it believes that because Murray sounds like merry, that audiences will flock to it. Of course they will. It wouldn't be too much of a detractor from in between watching Jessica Jones and the upcoming F is for Family. However, that's as far as they dared to think of it. The rest is the familiar soulless cash grab where Murray does what he unfortunately has gone on to do in most of his movies. He mugs for the camera, expecting his very reluctance to do anything to compensate for anything presenting overtly impressive. It doesn't help that Murray pretty much did something similar, and more effectively, decades ago with Scrooged. Anyone expecting a fraction of creativity to that film may as well be disappointed.
Maybe it's just that Christmas specials are crass and pointless in general. Maybe Coppola's specific direction wasn't the best call for something like this. However, it still feels like it was a slight of hand for those that loved their work in Lost in Translation. We don't get a single moment to suggest the magic that they had over a decade ago. What should have been the perfect blend of comedy and brooding ends up being neither. By the time an emotional beat kicks in, it replaces it with one of those old, dull songs. By the end, it turns into the familiar variety show with the old razzle dazzle. The only real savior by this point is George Clooney popping up from behind trees. The rest is just shrill and features untalented vocalists singing songs. Is that the joke? I don't know.
A Very Murray Christmas is something that should have been halfway decent. Even if there's the hurdle that is Murray's persona to get over, the promise of working with the director who inevitably made him an Oscar nominee is something that definitely feels wasted here. It's a film that tries to be meta, but instead just ends up feeling so conventional. Fans will likely see this and not take my cautionary opinion to heart. Yes, it's only an hour. Maybe you'll like Murray doing what everyone else has done better. It's just disappointing as a collaboration and as a creative outlet for an actor best known for his sporadic gifts. There's so much that could've happened. Instead, it's just a forgettable special that has George Clooney popping up from behind trees. Really, that's it.
Could the duo bring out the best in each other again? A Very Murray Christmas quickly became one of Netflix's most anticipated programs of the year, which is saying something among over a dozen anticipated shows. It was a chance to see Murray celebrate Christmas in his own special way. Considering how well he improvised parts of his career to the point of becoming iconic, it could easily be the most anarchic yet classy Christmas special ever. It would be a moment for people to find a new beloved special that wasn't just about singing songs and celebrating the holidays. It wasn't going to be corny. It was going to be all about Murray being Murray. And, depending on your tolerance, it was just that.
The hour-long special opens with a shot reminiscent of Lost in Translation. A saddened Murray looks out the window as a pair of antlers fall on his head. Paul Schaffer is in the corner playing the familiar tunes on a piano. It's melancholic and lonely. The gist of the special is that Murray is on the verge of recording his own holiday special, but runs into several problems. His guests cancel. The power goes off. Most of all, he's just a miserable old sod who doesn't know if he can bring the cheer. He turns to his row of celebrity friends, such as Amy Poehler and Jenny Lewis, to give him some enthusiasm. All it does is push off the inevitable problems for a little longer.
The issue isn't so much that the proceeding special is dour. It wouldn't be a great special, but at least it would be different. Instead, it's a navel gazing the likes of which even Coppola hasn't achieved before. It's the equivalent of Christmas on Klonopin, with almost everyone seeming too bored to do anything creative. By the time that the special is a quarter through, the music finally kicks in, and it's not anything great. With exception to Lewis and a guest appearance from Phoenix, it turns into what is essentially comedy stars doing karaoke in wee hours of the morning. There's not a lot really to get from it. It's the same old shtick, but with comedians singing instead of using their talent to do anything remotely creative.
This is a special that feels grounded in over very crass gimmick. Basically, it believes that because Murray sounds like merry, that audiences will flock to it. Of course they will. It wouldn't be too much of a detractor from in between watching Jessica Jones and the upcoming F is for Family. However, that's as far as they dared to think of it. The rest is the familiar soulless cash grab where Murray does what he unfortunately has gone on to do in most of his movies. He mugs for the camera, expecting his very reluctance to do anything to compensate for anything presenting overtly impressive. It doesn't help that Murray pretty much did something similar, and more effectively, decades ago with Scrooged. Anyone expecting a fraction of creativity to that film may as well be disappointed.
Maybe it's just that Christmas specials are crass and pointless in general. Maybe Coppola's specific direction wasn't the best call for something like this. However, it still feels like it was a slight of hand for those that loved their work in Lost in Translation. We don't get a single moment to suggest the magic that they had over a decade ago. What should have been the perfect blend of comedy and brooding ends up being neither. By the time an emotional beat kicks in, it replaces it with one of those old, dull songs. By the end, it turns into the familiar variety show with the old razzle dazzle. The only real savior by this point is George Clooney popping up from behind trees. The rest is just shrill and features untalented vocalists singing songs. Is that the joke? I don't know.
A Very Murray Christmas is something that should have been halfway decent. Even if there's the hurdle that is Murray's persona to get over, the promise of working with the director who inevitably made him an Oscar nominee is something that definitely feels wasted here. It's a film that tries to be meta, but instead just ends up feeling so conventional. Fans will likely see this and not take my cautionary opinion to heart. Yes, it's only an hour. Maybe you'll like Murray doing what everyone else has done better. It's just disappointing as a collaboration and as a creative outlet for an actor best known for his sporadic gifts. There's so much that could've happened. Instead, it's just a forgettable special that has George Clooney popping up from behind trees. Really, that's it.
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