9. Scrooged (1988)

why limit yourself and your happiness to watching it only at Christmas? Bill delivers pure gold in this movie all year round. let's start off with basics, like Bill's name in the film: Francis "Frank" Xavier Cross. it's such a great name. i love how in one of the opening scenes, when Frank's in a workout room with his brother James (btw, that's actually one of Bill Murray's real brothers, John Murray) you catch a glimpse of a border of writing on the wall that reads: "Cross: (n) A thing they nail people to." that pretty much sums up Frank's personality - he's an egotistical, relentlessly uncaring and power hungry TV executive - SUCH an asshole, and Bill plays the part SO very well. but you can't hate him, because the attitude, pomp, an snarkiness is just too damn funny. like i love the very short scene when he's giving his acceptance speech for his humanitarian award, and he says: "I got into broadcasting because I like to give. Sometimes I found myself hurting from giving too much, and I'd say "Stop it". I'm always gonna cherish this." he then flicks the award with his finger, and it makes this great little ting sound - it's such a fantastic who-gives-a-sh-t gesture (heightened by the fact that he later leaves the award on the seat of a cab). so great.

and i love the dynamic between him and his assistant Grace, played so perfectly by Alfre Woodard. there's a scene when Frank is running down a list of names and is telling Grace to send the person either a vcr or a bath towel for Christmas - and his boss Mr. Rhinelander is about to come in. Grace quickly rushes over to Frank to get him meeting-ready, and she HIKES HIS PANTS UP - it's so cute. he then asks her for booze which she pours him and then he burps loudly a couple of times - and i really like it that he says "Pardon me. Oh, excuse me," because it's such a surprising line because it's so uncharacteristically POLITE of him to excuse himself. but then he turns to Grace and for a split second he gives her this look of complete gratitude (because the woman just works so damn hard for him) and he shows his appreciation by telling her to "Put herself down for a towel."  *snort* when she looks at him stunned and asks what about her bonus? he throws in a face cloth. perfect.

i also quote this movie all the time - like oftentimes if i'm telling someone that i got emotional at something or if i see someone crying, i'll say "Niagara Falls, Frankie, Angel". but the quote is not from Bill but from the cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past, played by David Johansen. he says it when he brings Frank back to 1955 to his childhood home - you see Frank as a little kid dressed as a cowboy in the living room with his mom and dad (played by another one of Bill Murray's real brothers, Brian Doyle-Murray). when Frank hears his mother call her young son "Frankie Angel" Frank starts to cry (btw, watching Bill Murray's face as he cries in this scene is hilarious - it's like he's SQUEEZING the tears to come out). and then the ghost whispers, to really drive the emotional moment home: "Niagara Falls, Frankie, Angel." Frank composes himself and quickly explains that the only reason he got emotional is because he was touched by his father's gift (of butcher shop meat): "a 4-year-old kid receives what in today's market would be a $40 or $50 piece of milk-fed veal."

i could go on forever about this movie because there are so many things i love about it... Bill has his hair slicked back and wears black cowboy boot with his suits - amazing; the Annie Lennox song "Put a Little Love In Your Heart" that plays at the end (it's on my iPod); Frank flirting with his long-lost love Claire (played by Karen Allen). Bill totally has got the moves. especially near the end of the film, when he puts himself in this sort of a yoga pose (an eagle pose - garudasana!) and asks Claire if she remembers that from the Kama Sutra book she bought him years ago: "Our legs are like this. You circle me, chanting, before we begin? It was practically impossible. Tonight, I think we could do this without any serious physical or psychological damage." ROMANCE!

"I've never liked a girl enough to give her 12 sharp knives." Frank Cross (Bill Murray) in Scrooged