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Scrooge & Marley

By Golu
Oh my god!! What was this film? Such over the top acting, even for a 2002 film. Actually , more than actors, I would blame the director for not realizing what he was making his actors do. Maybe the idea of doing a gay version of the Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol would have sounded really good on paper but real poor execution and unnecessary bland songs and broad performances makes for a difficult viewing of the film.

Its Christmas eve, and we meet Ben Scrooge, who owns and operates a gay Chicago nightclub. We soon see that he is a cold hearted old man, who doesn’t care about charity, people’s wishes, problems, his employees or even his extended family. All he cares about is his money and business. His gloom and doom life is a complete contrast to the happiness and warmth and cheer. When he is about to go to bed, he is visited by his long term, now dead, business partner Marley, who warns him that if he soon doesn’t change his ways, he will find himself in hell drowning under the pressure of all his evil-doings and to help him do that, three spirits will visit him over the course of the night. When ‘Christmas Past’ visits Ben, we see the history of what Ben was a youth, and was thrown out of home by his father, how he meets Marley and they become business associates and how they fucked up the guy who gave them both so much of love and support. Ghost of ‘Christmas Present’ shows him the life of one his employees, who has adapted a lot of orphan kids and wants home and food and good healthcare for them. But Ben’s rigidity prevents him from doing so. And when finally ‘Christmas Future’ gives Ben a peak into what his life would end up being if he doesn’t change his ways soon. As expected, Ben wakes up happy that he is still alive and vows to change and change he does. Christmas day starts with a new beginning, a new Ben, ready to embrace his extended family with love and be the good person and samaritan for his employees.

The one thing that was so obvious while watching the film was that the film was probably done at a very very low budget. There is just 3 rooms, where the entire movie was shot, including the apartment space where Ben lives for a duration of 30 plus years. Not even a single thing changes in that space. The execution is also more like a stage play, VFX is terrible and as I mentioned above, there is a certain amount of overacting and waving about of hands that goes throughout the film, which feels quite funny, unless that was the original intent.

I wouldn’t waste my time on this film, unless you really have exhausted the huge list of queer films out there. (3/10)
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