‘A Very Murray Christmas’ Netflix Original Review

Netflix had its best year in 2015 for Netflix Originals and Netflix still has a lot of tricks left to play. One of the more experimental titles it’s put onto the service is A Very Murray Christmas which arrived on Netflix on December 4th.

The hour long special is a relatively new format for any network but seems to be a great home for Netflix that’s usually a catalyst for new experimental entertainment. Will this be Netflix’s first great Christmas title that you’ll watch every year?

It is based on the idea that Bill Murray hosts a New York City show but then disaster strikes and the city is closed down due to poor weather. But as the saying goes – the show must go on. Bill rallies his celebrity friends to help him put together this special. It usually involves Bill getting to know someone and then having a short singsong before moving on to the next celebrity.

It’s important to note what an impressive cast they’ve managed to assemble here. Bill Murray, Amy Poehler and Chris Rock are joined by Maya Rudolph Rashida Jones, Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman (Maya Rudolph), Miley Cyrus, Chris Rock and Chris Rock.

Bill Murray is the star of this show, with the rest supporting him and helping to filter in and out. The whole show is meant to be lighthearted and you will see what you get. It will cause you to want to stop halfway through, as the show seems to go nowhere and simply exists for the sake it does. It is a sketch from SNL that will likely instantly appeal to most people, but it may not for you.

It’s a musical movie so it makes sense to make use of the catalogue of Christmas songs out there and it does with different celebrities joining in with each one. The plot becomes repetitive, and it's hard to see the point of Bill Murray getting knocked unconscious and entering a fantasy world.

So in summary, this Christmas special is a good one off watch but honestly will leave you thinking about you could’ve been watching something better. It’s exterior with the big and well-known cast is appealing but scratch the surface and you’ll find a mellow musical that Disney has and will continue doing a better job of delivering. This will probably end up leaving you wanting Christmas to be over. This was Chrismess, as Michael Cera put it.