A Christmas Carol (2004) Online

Well, from everyones reaction, I expected to HATE this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised! I really think people expected too much. This is a TV movie, not a Broadway musical! For a TV movie, it does it's job VERY well. As a Theatre lover, I really enjoyed everyone in the cast. Jesse L. Martin was wonderful, as was Kelsey Grammar. It was Jennifer Love Hewitt who REALLY surprised me though. What a lovely voice!! She really is a terrific actress. She's only in two scenes, and she steals both of them. Her song "A Place Called Home" with the Young Ebeneezer is a genuinely touching moment. Most of the score is VERY hummable, and i've always enjoyed Meknens music. I really don't get all the hatred this movie has gotten. Sure it has it's problems, but we can't always expect perfection, especially from a made-for-TV movie. I will Definitely buy the DVD when it comes out!!

I couldn't get enough of this! Catchy tunes and and fast pacing kept it going right to the end. Can't wait to add this to my collection as another great version of A Christmas Carol.

I've noticed some complaints about the adding of characters and slight plots changes. Well, I WELCOMED these. It makes the story fresh and interesting, I mean come on! We all love this story but have seen it/heard it/read it exactly the same many many times.

Be sure to catch Jason Alexander's song, as well as the one at Fezziwig's. They hightlight a strong musical score. I'm hoping for a soundtrack. Honorable mention to Jennifer Love Hewitt, I wasn't sure what to expect having only hearing her sing pop. But she holds her own here and shows versatility with her voice.

A Christmas Carol is a great, simple, musical. Large chorus numbers filled with choreography and soft ballads. It is a welcomed break from the attention deficit Moulin Rouge and scene-stealer infested Chicago.

There have been so many productions of Dickens' classic that it is hard to be different and good. This one surprisingly was both. Most striking was the seemingly very authentic settings--sets, decorations, costumes, characters all seem to take us back to Dickens' London. The music was quite good overall, some songs not as strong but most were hummable and the lyric captured the story and mood. Choreography though anachronistic at times had some very good moments. The women soldiers in the theater seemed a take-off on the Rockettes. The leads performed well, especially a strong K. G. in acting and (yes) SINGING (surprise). Those who hated this will find flaws to pick at, but perhaps we expect too much from an overworked Seasonal classic. It was entertaining and worth the viewing!

When I first watched this movie I didn't even get to see the whole thing but even without the ending I knew this was worth watching again so when Hallmark repeated it I naturally sat back down and didn't move from beginning to end. This is a beautifully put together film and the cast is fabulous. Jennifer Love Hewitt as Emily was the best rendition of the role I'd ever seen. The role is small but she managed to do something with her two short scenes that I have never seen done in any version of this story. The score is something I could listen to for weeks on end especially my two favourite songs: The Nights Of Long Ago and A Place Called Home. Both these songs were beautifully performed especially by the two main ladies (The Ghost of Christmas past and Emily). The weird thing is that when I first heard the score I didn't realize it was written by Alan Menken. I have been a fan of this composer for years ever since I was a kid watching the classic Disney movies like 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Aladdin'. I swear that when I first watched it I said "Wow! this sounds like something Alan Menken would write". So you can imagine my delight at finding out it was in fact him who composed the music for this film. I say that if you read reviews before seeing the movie it's a waste of time because someone's always going to disagree with your final decision of what you think of the film. So don't take my word for it... Watch the movie and make up your own mind about it. It will be repeated on Hallmark on the 25th and 26th of the month and early next year as well. I hope you'll/you'v Enjoy/ed the film as much as I have. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

With music from the composer of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, it's not hard to see why this striking reworking of the classic is such a success. I can't over-emphasise how great the music in this film is; strong, dependable themes with some of the best lyrics I've ever heard in a musical.

Visually, some of the filmmakers' decisions are very bold (the costumes of the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come), but it's important to remember that most of what we think of as "normal" for the ghosts' costumes in musical versions of the novel have NOTHING to do with Dickens' version anyway. In the actual book, the first Ghost is an old man; usually on film it's played as a child and Jane Krakowski's version is a fully-grown woman. In fact, this adaptation is actually MUCH closer to the book than the better-known film versions; the two children Ignorance and Want are included, and the book's religious (don't worry, it's not too heavy) and social messages are brought to the fore. The reworking of Scrooge's early life surprised me a bit, but it was very plausibly done, presumably to reflect Charles Dickens's own early experiences. Jennifer Love Hewitt is unexpectedly brilliant as Emily (though I don't get why they changed her name).

And... I was holding my breath, preparing to be appalled by the accents, but Grammar is fine. His wig is awful, but he's pretty good, and sings well. Most of the accents are brilliant, and there are lots of strong British ensemble stars such as Ruthie Henshall. The music is fab. My mum bought this for me as a possibly-ironic Christmas present, and our whole family loved it. Give it a try!

i totally disagree with the review i just read of how terrible it was. i thought it was done in taste, and i thought jesse martin in his role as present ghost was fantastic. i had no idea he was that talented, and enjoyed him very much in the show. i thought the story followed exactly what the store was about, and i liked the idea of Grammar playing Scrooge, he was terrific. i have it on tape, and i will put it in my files for a keeper. i will keep going to the present, just to watch Jesse sing and a little dancing. i was very surprised to read the review above that i just read. i don't see any of the things wrong that the person making the comment said. again, i loved it.

A wonderful movie. Hard to believe it was made for TV.

Alan Menkin's wonderful music. This is not a made for TV musical. It has a engaging cast, memorable music, and wonderful choreography. Kellsey Grammar is a revaluation!!! Once you get over that Frasier Crain is playing Scrooge, his musical timing is extraordinary.

The direction is moving. The songs seem familiar as they are woven into the story and are often reprised to great effect. The reprises are never hokey.

This production is much too good for TV. It is much like Oliver, another Dickens tale made into a musical, and while not quite as good, it has no right to be either, as it played in the theaters for years and had a much bigger budget, on a relative basis. Destined to be an annual classic!!!

I want to start out by admitting I really don't like musicals. I usually find them silly, boring and they give me a headache. Thankfully none of these happened any of the times I watched NBC's enchanting musical starring Kelsey Grammar as Scrooge. What a delight! The songs were very good, the production values superb and the true spirit of Dickens' novel came through! I was particularly impressed with Grammar's Scrooge and Jesse L. Martin as the Ghost of Christmas Present. I really only watched this because I adore Jennifer Love Hewitt, I'd watch her in hour-long commercial for fruit! But I really thought this was just great. Every time I watch I like it better!

When the TV station played this in 2004, my mom watched it, but she didn't tape it. She didn't think it would be a good version. She loved it! It was not showed again that year. She was really sad about it. In October 2005, it came out on DVD. I wanted to get it for her for Christmas, but I knew that if she saw it in the store she would buy it. So she got a very early present. She ended up getting the soundtrack for Christmas. It is terrific. When you listen to it, it is like you are watching the movie. I knew every scene after the first time I saw it. I would like people to know that even if you don't care for musicals, you should take the time to see the movie. The cast is great and Kelsey Grammar was the best!

This is one of the best productions of this well known story that I have seen. The music is original and wonderful. The acting? Well -- it is a musical, so that acting is stylized, but the performances are much better than I expected, especially from actors we all have seen elsewhere. Who would have thought that Kelsey Grammar and Jesse Martin could sing so well? (Please don't tell me they were dubbed by Marnie Nixon !!) The costumes and special effects are well done, and complement the music and dancing.

All in all it was delightful. Perhaps the best thing I have seen on the tube in a while.

I thought this was a pretty good musical of Charles Dickens' classic. Greedy and selfish Scrooge gets visited by the ghosts of colleague Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Present, and Future and is reformed into a more giving human being.

While a pretty nice and feel-good film, I wished Jennifer Love Hewitt would of gotten more screen time. Other than that, the story, acting, choreography and music were generally on spot. The special effects were well done. Jane Krakowski's portrayal as the Christmas Ghost of the Past was my favorite. They could have, though, used a better Bob Cratchit though, as I think he gave a weak performance.

Overall, a nice feel-good Christmas film that is perfect for the entire family.

Grade B

This is a bright, lively rendition of the old story, with excellent music and fine acting, singing and dancing. It reminded me often of both "Sweeney Todd" and "My Fair Lady," with clever lyrics and well-staged numbers. Scrooge was played by Kelsey Grammar (whom I had never seen or heard of) and was as good as Rex Harrison, only a better singer. The special effects used for bringing back dead Scrooges's family members and business associates had them materializing out of writhing lumps in the walls and doors of the room, much more effective than what you can see on a stage or in most older movies. Four of us expected to be bored and ready to turn the thing off after a few minutes, but we watched it through to the end without a word spoken and with quite a few tears shed. Good show!

My family absolutely loves this musical. Nearly a month after Christmas we find ourselves watching this musical several times a week. The performance provides an excellent opportunity to discuss and teach children the countless lessons of this classic. The music and lyrics touch the heart as few productions can. What a joy to hear your children sing along with the wonderful performances and vocals. Each and every actor does a tremendous, heartfelt job drawing you in to this accurate retelling of Dickens work. I believe this performance will become a classic, and our family believes it is simply the best made for TV production of any kind we have seen in 40 years. A true masterpiece.

My family and I watched this latest version of the Dickens classic and were all totally entertained. I thought the songs were excellent and performed very well by actors who can actually sing. Kelsey Grammar handled the part of Scrooge quite believably throughout the musical. Jane Krakowski's Ghost of Christmas Past was indeed a delight to watch, I, for one, would like to hear more of her singing. I think she has quite a lovely voice. I felt that all the actors did admirably in their roles.

I think this will become a Christmas classic.

I have seen several live performances as well as about every DVD/VHS and TV special of A Christmas Carol. This one is second favorite of all time, first being Live at the wonderful Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI. I don't mind that creative license was used during this musical. The meaning of the story is the same. Kelsey Grammar plays the role of Scrooge perfectly. I have no thoughts of his role as Dr. Frazier Crain, as he brings the role of Scrooge to life. There is something special about seeing a heart being softened, and it is as if you can feel the heart of Scrooge soften, and grow. My Christmas season does not start nor is it complete without seeing this musical.

I have read, and I am surprised by the content and tone of a lot of commentary on the Christmas Carol Musical.

I'd like to express my opinion within the tone taught by the work of Charles Dickens. To do otherwise is just a lot of noise (bible says clanging cymbals).

I enjoyed the TV program very much. I had seen the Madison Square garden production 5 times, excepting 2001 after 9/11. I think Dickens' decision to call his sentimental romance a 'carol' makes it quite fittingly a musical. I do love the 1951 Sim version, and I watch all the others each year; I think they all have a lot to offer in painting the texture of yearly reclamation and redemption for all of us.

Complainers are correct to ask why redo this story over and over in the same way. The Musical adapts the theme and tone of Dickens' novel for today's sentiment; I hope a new crop of actors will do the same in another 20 years for best serving that generation.

As I am reading Dickens novel currently, I am aware that each of the presentations (1930's, 1950's, the various musicals) take liberties with the text of the novel. The adaptations don't bother me as I appreciate the meaning of the words "based on". In the case of the current musical i think the composers and actors have built a touching presentation which, by Dickens' standard, should depict the emptiness of greed and the fullness of caring, even in poverty. The scene near the end in the cemetery is particularly moving, when all of the children enter holding candles and are then joined by Scrooge's mother and sister. The energy of those anticipating Christmas, the energy of the dancing at Fezziwig's, and the simplicity of eager yet simpler anticipation by Crachit's family seems to me a bit more real in our time that earlier filmed versions. (I still enjoy the other versions, however).

I was sad to hear the Madison Square Garden production was to end after Christmas season, 2003, but I am happy to know I can still see this warm, enjoyable production each year to drown out the typical holiday noise and refocus on family, togetherness, and good will.

Perhaps those who only respond with harsh criticism need to reread Dicken's novel and see where his lesson has fallen on deaf ears.

just my 2 shillings :) Ric

This is the worst version of "A Christmas Carol" that I've ever seen (for the 20 minutes or so that I could bear to watch). Charles Dickens must be rolling in his grave. I know you need to take liberties when adapting a book to screen, but inventing the idea of Scrooge's father going to debtor's prison is ridiculous. It may play well on Broadway, but does not translate well to TV. The musical numbers were laughable and unintelligible. Jason Alexander (who was great in the musical "Cinderella") sounded like he was doing in a parody of "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof. Stick with the Alistair Sims, Reginald Owens or Patrick Stewart version.

As I watched this movie (in its entirety) last night, I found myself screaming at the TV and actually getting up to leave the room out of sheer frustration.

The acting was almost uniformly awful; the music and lyrics sounded like advertising jingles and were totally inappropriate to the mood of the story; and the dialogue was both good and original...sadly, the original parts were not good and the good parts were not original (rimshot).

What pained me the most was to see the way the writers totally bastardized the story. One thing that irritated me right from the start was the fact that the story is not told from Scrooge's perspective. It is crucial to the story's unfolding that we hear and see ONLY what Scrooge hear and sees as he is transformed through the visits of the three spirits and Marley.

The writers apparently also decided that Scrooge needed a "better" reason to be a miser, so they decided that Scrooge's father was poor (he was not at all poor in the story) and imprisoned for debts. Scrooge grew up working in a shoe factory (instead of going to a boarding school, as in the story) and decided, like Scarlett O'Hara, that he "would never be poor again!" This completely shatters the richness of the original story, wherein Scrooge comes to love money in the absence of his father's love and attention.

A thoroughly despicable and awful movie. Some people deserve to lose their jobs over this stinker.

Zero stars out of four.

Trailers in the build up to this show made it look very promising. Shame all the highlights of it were in the trailers.

Never in all my days have I ever seen such a turgid remake of what can only be described as one of the mose heart warming Christmas events.

Grammar made Scrooge look like Frasier on downers, totally wooden and apathetic. Never nasty enough before the visits, not scared or regretful enough during the visits, and too sickly sweet after them.

As for Jason Alexander - how he won a Tony is beyond me. This guy is a one dimensional cretin with all the talent of my little toe. The less this man is on the TV the better for humanity.

Even Jane Krakowski was a let down, Ally McBeal showed what an amazing voice she has, and then she has to work with what can only be described as the most awful musical numbers of all time.

Never have I seen such terrible English accents, such hammish acting and dire choreography. My daughters school version of this classic was better produced, acted and choreographed.

I just hope that these actors have not seen any of Dickens other novels - Imagining Grammar as Fagin in Oliver Twist is too much to contemplate.

I read some of the comments regarding this version of A Christmas Carol and someone wrote about the bad "English accents." I found it ironic because four members of the ensemble are British musicals stars in their own right. They are Linzi Hateley, Claire Moore, Ruthie Henshall and Dave Willets. While Kelsy Grammar is great as a performer I wasn't sure about his take on Scrooge. His moodiness was like that of Frasier Crane. He was upstaged by all of the Christmas ghosts particularly Jesse L Martin. Jane Krakowski sexiness as the Ghost of Christmas past seems a little out of place. On the whole it is a good production and well sung. I did like this version and wouldn't mind watching it again even if the non English actor's have bad "English accents."

I can only surmise that the people who have given this good reviews watch TV Movies regularly and have incredibly low expectations. I do not, but came to this as fan of the story. I've seen a LOT of adaptations and I can say with certainty that this is the worst one I have ever come across.

I've got nothing against Kelsey Grammar. Though not a Frasier fan, I respect him as an actor and have enjoyed his performances in a lot of other shows and movies. But in this...oh dear. He's awful. Hopelessly miscast and hammy. His repertoire involves squinting and frowning...and that's it.

The rest of the cast fares little better, but they're far from the worst thing about this cheap production. First and foremost, this is a musical but there's not one decent song in the entire film. In fact, the songs aren't really songs at all. It's just dreary dialogue set to verse. There's no choruses, no rhymes, no real lyrics. Just meandering vocals accompanied by dancing that is totally out of place. The whole thing resembles a really bad opera. The only times the movie had my full attention was during the occasional lapses in verse when, mercifully, the script would call upon Dickens's original dialogue.

I didn't think it was possible to mess up an adaptation of Dickens's timeless story so much, but this production enlightened me. While it's a nice idea to show us exactly why Scrooge is a miser (most other adaptations simply explain why he's miserable), to explain that his father was imprisoned is off-book and totally wrong. Bizarrely, this is actually a nod to Dickens himself rather than his creation. Other adjustments (such as Scrooge's lost love Belle being called Emily, or the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come being unmasked from its regular guise as a Grim-reaper style ghoul to a dancing old woman) are not quite as jarring but are still pretty pointless.

Direction is pedestrian. I understand this was originally a theatre production but some sort of effort to transform it cinematically wouldn't have gone amiss. The aforementioned dancing sequences (particularly out of place in the sombre future sequences) go on for far too long and are just totally mundane and unimpressive to an audience watching this on TV.

The whole thing is cheap, dull and unimaginative. There are countless adaptations of this story out there so newcomers should start with Sim. And when it comes to a musical adaptation, look no further than the Muppets.

I really am sorry! I hate saying negative things about other people's work. I really tried hard to like this version of one of my favourites, especially having bought the DVD. Part of the trouble is I think that many of our friends across the pond have seen Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins and think that this is really what us Brits sound like. I'm sorry guys, we don't sound or act like that anymore than the stereotype that all Americans are loud and wear checked trousers. But what can I say, it was flippin awful! I can't blame it on being a musical. The Albert Finney version from 1970 is stunning and I am looking forward to taking my family to see the stage version this Christmas. The feel was wrong! there were gaping great plot holes that Dickens certainly didn't write (where the hell did nephew Fred get all his money from if he was born in abject poverty for a start). The acting wouldn't have looked out of place in a pantomime. And Dickensian England looked a very clean and posh place full of....well....Dick Van Dyke stereotypes!

Now if you want to see how it should be done. Go back to Hallmarks non musical version with our own Patrick Stewart (he was so good I stopped expecting him to say 'make it so' in about 5 mins). George C Scott's version is pretty good and as I said the original musical was excellent.

As I said, I am sorry to be so negative. And to be honest, my daughter loved it! But then she watches Charmed!

Since I love the works of Charles Dickens, especially "A Christmas Carol", I decided to tune in and watch this latest version of his masterpiece. I can't even finish it. It's a musical. A poorly done musical. The songs are unbelievably poor. The acting is bad. And sadly, probably the worst part for a purist such as myself is the fact that they have added characters and scenes not in the story. Why? The story is great the way it is, why change it?

I was saddened to see how poor this production is. There are many, many good productions. Check out the others.

Go watch Patrick Stewart's version, on stage, if possible.

Or read the book and use your own imagination. Don't waste your time on this one.

Of course seeing that Kelsey Grammar was in the lead role made me curious enough to watch this movie when it first appeared. But I was hooked immediately in the first scene when I heard the music and saw the incredible energy emanating from the screen. The music was very lyrical and moving, the characters were not at all scary (When I was a child, all of the original Christmas Carol movies scared me because the spirits were too creepy and Scrooge was too mean) and I was amazed at the musicality of the leads. Grammar is obviously a well-trained vocalist. And there was not one weak performer in the whole bunch. I enjoyed the movie so much that I taped it later on and my children and I watched it over and over again until we all walked around the house singing the songs. This was a wonderful way to introduce my kids to Dickens and a classic holiday story. If you watched this film as a "purist" as one critic proclaimed, you set yourself up for a let-down. Dickens never intended for his writing to become musical productions. If you watched it for the spirit of the holiday season, you were left dancing and singing long after you turned off the television. My family can't wait until it comes out on DVD! Like the lyrics repeatedly rang out - "and God bless us everyone!"

I've always been a fan of a Christmas Carol.... seen almost every version.... from Henry Winkler in "An American X-Mas Carol", to the western "Ebeneezer", and of course the classic with Alastair Sim... my all time favorite.

But after watching some of this show... I don't know. It's kinda like watching a Twilght Zone version of this classic... some of the music was extremely annoying... like the dance number at Feziwigs (not sure how to spell it).... it sounded like a damn machine gun!

I've always liked Kelsey Grammar... be he Fraiser or Side Show Bob.... but this version just doesn't have the same... feeling as the others.... too much dancing and singing.

Give me Alastair Sim or Patrick Stewart on stage any time! This is a great story.... but makes a poor musical!

Cheers!