Ms. Scrooge (1997)

Sick Product of a Sick System

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

My wife is a huge fan of the Holiday Movies shown on the Lifetime and Hallmark Networks. The "A" typical Christmas love story, chick heavy genre of Single Mom and Sir Galahad wandering into town and sweeping the woman off her feet. This movie does a 180 degree turn in a different direction. I've seen most of the Scrooge movies made with Alistar Sims as the benchmark for excellence in that particular role. This one is the extreme antithesis of that classic movie. Even the animated Mister Magoo rates much higher on the Scrooge movie charts over this abomination of that Dicken's tale. Cycely Tyson's work in TV and movies to this point is regarded as respectable as a talented and versatile actor. This production is not Miss Jane Pittman. More like Miss handled Christmas story. Some might say by watching this movie that it borders on being racist. The only positive aspect of this wannabee movie is the acting of Katherine Hellman as Maude Marley. Slim pickings that year in dramas on Television as this movie was nominated for the Online & Television Association award. Great casting of the Crachit children (The Greenblatt Kids)? I wish I was around for the re-write with John Corty and the final teleplay with John McGreevy I would have suggested the following. Put in a laugh track. And second, have the final scene where Samuel Jackson comes to her home with pistil in hand quoting Ezekiel 25.17. I totally lost my composure when you see Ebenita ironing greenbacks during the late hours. I explain to people that this movie exists but they think I'm putting them on.

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.

Honestly, I can't believe this movie received money from backers to even be made.The acting was abysmal. The editing was atrocious! The directing was lacking. The story was ridiculous. The fact that they modernized this story wasn't an issue, others have done that very successfully. But why did they feel the need to turn Scrooge into a black woman? What purpose did that serve. I don't have an issue with that, but they didn't pull it off well at all. It was a poorly made statement that served no purpose to the story.What a complete laugh. Absolutely horrible, not that I expected anything of higher quality from the Hallmark channel.Don't waste your time.

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.