A Christmas Carol (2004)

It's Christmas Eve in 1843 England and the misanthropic miser Scrooge (Kelsey Grammer) shows no compassion toward the less fortunate and calls Christmas humbug. Based on the 1994 stage musical by way of the classic novella by Charles Dickens and directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. The musical itself was performed annually every Christmas between 1994 through 2003 at Madison Square Garden. The songs by Alan Menken (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) who did the music and Lynn Ahrens who wrote the lyrics are first rate, the special effects are very good, production values are excellent and the Dan Siretta choreography is lively. There are a handful of fool proof stories that almost never get old and Dickens' Christmas classic is one of them. Grammer makes for an excellent Scrooge, keeping it natural and never overdoing it and with the exception of Jason Alexander as Jacob Marley, the rest of the cast follows suit. If you've not seen it, it should make a nice Christmas treat this year. With Geraldine Chaplin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jane Krakowski, Brian Bedford, Jesse L. Martin and Ruthie Henshall.