Parents' Guide to

Scrooge

By Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

This musical Scrooge is great for kids.

Movie G 1970 115 minutes
Scrooge Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

age 7+

Scary Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come!

My almost 5-year old never gets scared in movies, but this one gave her such a fright she had to sleep in my bed. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come part is not appropriate for young kids. We ended up FFwding through it, but the initial image is still haunting her. Otherwise we thought this was a good family Christmas movie.

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Great messages

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Unlike George C. Scott in the 1984 film version, or Alastair Sim in the 1951 classic, Albert Finney doesn't contribute much to the role. His performance is a mere caricature. Hearing him sing robs him of his menace (even when he's singing "I Hate People"), and what is a Scrooge without menace? Humbug! But this is a non-threatening version, good for kids, and for adults who don't want all that chain-rattling and wailing, so its lighter touch is forgiven.

Less forgivable are the songs, which slow the whole production down. Sure, it's funny to see Scrooge's death foreshadowed as a funeral parade with joyous crowds singing "Thank You Very Much," but that's as good as the musical numbers get. In the battle for the best Marley, Alec Guinness makes a convincing entrance, doing a slow, swimming sort of walk capable of raising a few neck hairs. The movie's worth seeing for Guinness alone, and for the weird ending in which Scrooge falls into his own grave and winds up in hell, where Marley offers to show him to his quarters.

Movie Details

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