- Film Review
- Reviewed By Stella Papamichael
-
2 out of 5
Jim Carrey spreads himself thin in this faithful animated adaptation of the Dickens classic, playing not only the miserly Scrooge but also the ghosts who visit him on a cold Christmas Eve. The star does a fair English accent, but it's difficult to see why director Robert Zemeckis cast such a zany actor only to put him in a straitjacket. The tone is also rather uneven, with Zemeckis making London sparkly clean and glossing over darker moments by either submitting to comedy (Gary Oldman pulling faces as Scrooge's dead business partner) or resorting to stunts, like a horse-and-cart chase just as Scrooge must confront his own mortality. Thankfully, the motion-capture technology doesn't have the same unnatural effect it did in the director's earlier Polar Express, but it doesn't do justice to the actors, either. Basically, it's a ghost story without the soul.
Plot Summary
Animated fantasy based on Charles Dickens's classic tale, starring Jim Carrey. In Victorian London, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge has no time for the spirit of Christmas - then some unexpected visitors show him the error of his ways.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Ebenezer Scrooge / Ghost of Christmas Past / Ghost of Christmas Present / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
- Jim Carrey
- Fred
- Colin Firth
- Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim
- Gary Oldman
- Belle / Fan
- Robin Wright Penn
- Mr Fezziwig / Old Joe
- Bob Hoskins
- Dick Wilkins / Portly gentleman no 1 / Mad fiddler / guest no 2 / Businessman no 1
- Cary Elwes
- Belinda Cratchit
- Molly Quinn
- Mrs Dilber
- Fionnula Flanagan
- Peter Cratchit / Undertaker's apprentice / Tattered caroler / Beggar boy / Well-dressed caroler
- Daryl Sabara
- Martha Cratchit / Guest no 1 / Caroline
- Fay Masterson
- Caroline's husband
- Callum Blue
- Mrs Cratchit
- Lesley Manville
Crew
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
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