From Decider · · 50s
Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer vs. Christmas Scrooges
Which 21st-century movie star Scrooge best honors Charles Dickens’ spirit?
In brief
Which 21st-century movie star Scrooge best honors Charles Dickens’ spirit? Jim Carrey’s 2009 A Christmas Carol best balances villainy, comedy, and pathos for classic Scrooge. Originally reported by Decider.
Scrooged (1988)
Bill Murray’s Scrooge was a clunky Christmas Carol riff that didn’t live up to its potential.
“Scrooged has since become a holiday perennial, and it has a lot of very funny material in it; it also feels like an instructive ’80s time capsule in a way that it couldn’t at the time.”
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Jim Carrey’s motion-captured Scrooge balances villainy, comedy, and pathos with minimal overblown chintz.
“With the help of the animation team, Carrey is especially convincing at inhabiting the gnarled, knotted aspects of Scrooge that reflect the character’s withered soul.”
Spirited (2022)
Ryan Reynolds plays a media consultant Scrooge haunted by ghosts to change for the better.
“Reynolds is the potentially "unredeemable" Scrooge figure, targeted by a network of ghosts who select one person annually to haunt and change for the better.”
Ebenezer (2026)
Johnny Depp’s Scrooge is a garden-variety version with minimal impact on the story’s spirit.
“Depp, though, is doing a pretty garden-variety version of Scrooge, with a pinch of his funny-voice antics and plenty of uninspired line readings.”
Version Control Verdict
Jim Carrey’s 2009 A Christmas Carol best mixes villainy, comedy, and pathos for classic Scrooge.
“The Version Control Verdict: Jim Carrey”
At a glance
Jim Carrey’s 2009 A Christmas Carol best balances villainy, comedy, and pathos for classic Scrooge.
