Netflix’s holiday special, “A Very Murray Christmas,” is 53 minutes of seasonal songs, joy and Bill Murray doing what he does best, entertaining the masses with his array of comedic talents.
The show follows Murray on Christmas Eve as he tries to put together a Christmas special. Unfortunately, his show gets cut off when a snow storm shuts down the production for the night.
There is not really anything more to the plot than that. The best way to describe it is a 50-minute “Saturday Night Live” skit that has gone on for 45 minutes too long.
It’s not that it was bad, but it’s really only enjoyable if you are an avid Murray fan. The storyline was easily predictable. However, I believe it was made that way on purpose, so it could come off as more of a satire.
The show opens with Murray wearing reindeer antlers and singing “Christmas Blues” with Paul Schaffer accompanying him on the piano. Opening in this manner set the tone for the rest of the special.
There was a total of 14 songs and all of them were done in a style that was reminiscent of a 1960s variety show. Well-known celebrities such as Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Miley Cyrus joined Murray during these musical numbers.
Not all of them were great. It was obvious who were singers and who weren’t, but that added to the humor of the special.
The cover Murray and Jenny Lewis sang of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was one of my favorites. Lewis’ vocals were sweet and jazzy, which fit the song well.
Murray’s improvised lines added a comedic element that was much needed for this classic holiday song.
Another song that was done well was “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” sung by Rudolph.
Rudolph’s vocal talents are always pushed to the side by her amazing impersonations, but this performance serves as a reminder to everyone of how much of a powerhouse she can be.
However, the one song that broke up the type of music played had to be the band Phoenix’s rendition of the Beach Boy’s Christmas song “Alone on Christmas Day.” It added an upbeat note to the rather bluesy special.
The entire show felt like a tip of the hat to Murray and some of his finest roles.
It was directed by Sofia Coppola, who captured Murray in one of his best known works, “Lost in Translation.” Also, Murray’s singing was highly similar to his Nick the lounge singer bit he did on “Saturday Night Live.”
There was also a connection to the Wes Anderson film “Rushmore.” Murray was joined by Jason Schwartzman, who played alongside him in the film. It was nice to see the two on the same screen again.
One thing that was bothersome was the acting, or lack of, on the show. The celebrities were just playing themselves.
At times this can add a comedic element, but for this special it was too overused. It felt like a bad “Saturday Night Live” skit where the guest has no other talent, but being themselves.
Overall, “A Very Murray Christmas” was entertaining. It was more of a relaxing special the family would watch together around the holidays than a Christmas comedy, but the spirit of the season was there in the show. This is a piece that was made for all those Murray fanatics.
MEGAN HAMM
