# A Very Murray Christmas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598 "2015-12-06T05:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/1 "2015-12-06T05:30:25Z")
New holiday special on Netflix went up yesterday-- _[A Very Murray Christmas,](http://www.wired.com/2015/12/a-very-murray-christmas-proves-netflix-defines-how-tv-works-now/)_ starring Bill Murray, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, David Johansen, Rashida Jones, Amy Poehler, Paul Shaffer (the ultimate accompanist!) and a dozen or so more guests. Sort of an old-school Christmas variety show. I absolutely loved it, my wife was a bit more lukewarm, but she’s not much of a Bill Murray fan. It was quirky, it was unique, it did have a few clunker moments (uh, Michael Cera, what?), but overall a very nice 56 minutes of holiday songs, deadpan Billy Murray and a glitzy dream sequence. For me the highlights were: -Bill and Chris Rock’s lobby interaction and their ‘Do You Hear What I Hear’ duet. (“You’re a rapper!” “I don’t rap! Do you know me?”) -The gang’s boozy rendition of ‘Fairy Tale of New York’ at midnight. -Clooney poking his head out from behind a Christmas tree singing ‘Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin.’ It was just so ridiculous! I’m not sure but this may become a holiday tradition in the Lendervedder abode. Me getting boozed up with Bill Murray and friends, while my wife reads in the bedroom. Anyone else watch it? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/2 "2015-12-06T16:48:06Z")
Yes, Madame P and I saw it. We’re both big fans of Bill, so we enjoyed it a lot, and the bits you mentioned were the top moments in the show. I also enjoyed his handlers/producers at the start of the show, and the whole “say anything so he’ll go on” bit. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/3 "2015-12-06T17:32:28Z")
Looking forward to it. We’re saving it for family viewing over the holidays! ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/4 "2015-12-06T20:08:55Z")
We’re fans, and started to watch it, but couldn’t get past the first bit. Kind of dull, self indulgent, appeared fun and amusing to the ones who did it, but I guess we’re not big enough fans? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/5 "2015-12-06T20:19:25Z")
Didn’t Stephen Colbert do something very similar a few years back? (Not that Murray shouldn’t do one, too, but…) ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_of\_Words](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@Jack\_of\_Words](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_of_Words)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/6 "2015-12-06T20:29:04Z")
I’ve been saving it up on Netflix. I want my christmas stuff a bit nearer a random arbitrary date I’ve chosen (25th Dec, as it happens). Alas, I don’t know any of you, so your opinions haven’t influenced my schedule either way 🙂 I kinda hope it’s going to be worthwhile - I can bear Bill Murray at his best, and George being amusing is usually…amusing. I don’t know some of the names, but Poehler’s good value and I like Miley C even more than Billy Ray. I’ll let you know how it went for me. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/7 "2015-12-06T23:35:10Z")
Thanks for the heads-up, **Happy**! I’ve got some days off coming up; I’ll take a look. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/8 "2015-12-07T10:09:48Z")
One of the best Christmas specials I’ve seen in ages. Come to think of it, I think this is the FIRST Christmas special I’ve seen in ages. This could become a holiday tradition of mine as well. The Michael Cera part seemed unnecessary, but I quite enjoyed seeing him do something that wasn’t “Michael Cera”, if you understand me. The rest was a good old-fashioned Christmas special, somehow made palatable for modern times. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/9 "2015-12-08T15:32:32Z")
Sounds cool. I’ll probably check the show out. Here’s _The New Yorker_’s take on it: [http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/bill-murrays-little-christmas-miracle](http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/bill-murrays-little-christmas-miracle) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/10 "2015-12-08T18:10:33Z")
Wife and I watched it. She seemed to enjoy it more than I. I thought a lot of it appeared to have been phoned in. Especially Clooney. But she observed that it wasn’t any worse than x-mas specials of our youth - such as Bing and his fambly. So, I guess on that scale, it was okay. The moment I saw that “do” on the bartender, I thought, is that some David Johannson wannabe? Man. The years have been tough on him. He’s no longer funky nor chic! ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/11 "2015-12-08T18:20:57Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > …self indulgent, appeared fun and amusing to the ones who did it… Definitely self indulgent, clique-ish let’s-put-on-a-show vibe. You imagine that they all hang out together in their off hours in a New York penthouse (Miley included). It was as if the whole thing had the sensibility of a New Yorker cartoon. I enjoyed it, though, because I dig all that self-referential crap (and I wish I could hang out with them too!). ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/12 "2015-12-08T18:46:54Z")
I could have done without Miley Cyrus bleating her way through Silent Night. Other than that we enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/13 "2015-12-08T18:47:48Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > -Clooney poking his head out from behind a Christmas tree singing ‘Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin.’ It was just so ridiculous! This alone made the entire thing worth it. My wife and I were laughing throughout the show and our pre-teens were looking at us like we were insane. We were trying to figure out if Murray was trying to recreate scenes from some of his movies- there was a line that seemed straight out of Ghostbusters and another straight from Groundhog Day. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/14 "2015-12-08T18:52:12Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Definitely self indulgent, clique-ish let’s-put-on-a-show vibe. You imagine that they all hang out together in their off hours in a New York penthouse (Miley included). > > It was as if the whole thing had the sensibility of a New Yorker cartoon. > > I enjoyed it, though, because I dig all that self-referential crap (and I wish I could hang out with them too!). The review I read (possibly from NPR?) loved it because, in the reviewer’s opinion, it was completely straight and devoid of irony. I’m not so sure I agree with that. I was very “meh” about it. It seemed a bit too improv, and much of it didn’t work. I agree with the list of high points given by other posters here – I just don’t think they were high enough. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/15 "2015-12-08T20:33:17Z")
It was … less than one would hope. I knew going in that there would be a lot of songs. So that was going to be an issue. More Murray, less music is my motto. Sort of good: they did my two favorite Xmas songs: _Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)_ and _Fairytale of New York_. Nope. The first, without Darlene Love and a big backing band doesn’t work. A voice that can nail a higher range and a wall of sound is a must. The second was just done poorly. They even “cleaned up” the lyrics. And no trilled "R"s. Fie. OTOH, **MrsFtG** was amazed that I knew the song and could sing along. And those were the songs I would have otherwise wanted to hear. Overall, it just had a “first draft” feel. Our stream cut out while trying to FF thru _Silent Night_ and wouldn’t resume. Not sure if I’ll bother to finish watching it. The “I was in _Monuments Men_.” exchange _has_ to be from real life. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/16 "2015-12-08T21:28:56Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The “I was in _Monuments Men_.” exchange _has_ to be from real life. I bet the follow-up “You were, what, 7th on the call sheet?” was hilarious, if you knew what a call sheet was. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/17 "2015-12-08T21:50:45Z")
I was looking forward to this when Netflix made it available. Sadly I thought it was mostly a waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/18 "2015-12-09T04:01:17Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I was looking forward to this when Netflix made it available. Sadly I thought it was mostly a waste of time. Yeah, I did too. I’m not usually an against the grain kind of guy, but I was disappointed. I thought it would be funnier. Love Bill Murray. Don’t blame him for doing it, but it was a big of a snooze. I guess it was just a standard Christmas special with a few laughs here or there. I don’t know what else I was hoping for. George Clooney was pretty funny. Miley Cyrus looked weird, but I haven’t seen her in forever since I don’t watch commercial TV or anything. She sounded weird too. I thought she was a better singer. I would have edited out the Michael Cera bit. It felt added on for no reason. In fact, I would have started with the song at the piano and had the power go out. Starting there would have made more sense. Anyway, it wasn’t terrible, just kind of a bore. Oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-murray-christmas/739598/19 "2021-12-15T18:32:51Z")
Bumping. Seventh year watching this gem. I still love it. > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I absolutely loved it, my wife was a bit more lukewarm, but she’s not much of a Bill Murray fan. It’s grown on my wife too. She’s the one who suggested we watch it last night. The whole thing is ridiculous, but that’s what makes it a charming bit of Christmas in our house. Anyone else turned this into an annual watch?