The endlessly quotable (‘The night the reindeer died’ stays with me!) Bill Murray holiday film, Scrooged hits 4K from Paramount Pictures just in time for the holidays. A riff on the classic Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol, Bill Murray brings the laughs in this delightful film helmed by the legendary Richard Donner.

Murray plays Frank Cross a heartless television president who is organizing a star-studded live performance of A Christmas Carol for Christmas Eve. He’s mean to his staff, fires the hardworking Eliot (Bobcat Goldthwait) and treats everyone in his orbit horribly.

But since it’s Christmas, it’ll be time for a change of heart when Frank finds himself visited by three ghosts, Past (David Johansen), Present (Carol Kane) and the skeletal Future. He is shown glimpses from his past, including moments with the love of his life, Claire (Karen Allen).

He is revitalized and discovers the meaning of the holidays, and the beauty of giving and of love. But it will be filled with laughs and some great moments along the way.

I love this movie. I know people who swear by the Alistair Sims version of A Christmas Carol, and I get it, I understand, but this incarnation of the tale is the one that resonates most with me. It’s brilliantly funny, Donner is a fantastic director, and he gets a great performance from Murray, and the rest of the cast. Not to mention some great effects, wonderful cameos, and wow, the dialogue and character beats! There are some wonderfully poignant moments that make Frank’s arc all the more believable, going in, you know Frank is going to change by the story’s end, but it’s wonderful seeing how this narrative pulls it off.

It’s just so much fun. This was a movie that I came across it on television, no matter where it was in the narrative, I would settle in and watch the rest of it, but it never looked as good as it does now.

The 4K image and sound (love that score by Danny Elfman) are wonderfully sharp and clear, and the film itself is incredibly watchable. Rounding out the disc are some wonderful extras including clips that Bill Murray recorded to be screened at ShoWest, rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage for a couple of key scenes, the work of the production designer and the look of the film, how the film brought the ghosts of the film to life with practical effects and makeup. There’s also a look at how the classic Dickens’ story was updated for the present, a behind-the-scenes look at the film, and a commentary by Dick Donner.

Now if Paramount Canada would just release my other holiday fave, White Christmas on 4K, my holidays would be clear and bright! But as of today, Scrooged is available on 4K, so what are you waiting for? Go out, get it, and celebrate the holiday season in style, with lots of laughs!