NBC News critic says 'A Christmas Carol' adaptation glamorizes 'cruel corporate tsar'

NBC News cultural critic Ani Bundel called movies Like “Spirited” and “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” to put magic on the “cruel corporate Caesar” on Saturday.

“Spirited” and “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” are musical adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Bundel wrote that both adaptations “hit the wrong key”.

“But both renditions’ insistence on heralding this secular myth of the billionaire turned benefactor at a time when the news was full of stories to the contrary meant both musical adaptations hit the wrong key,” she wrote.

In her criticism of the films, Bundel suggests that neither version wants to admit that the “cruel corporate czar” or that the Scrooge-like character is a “bad guy”.

Cast members Octavia Spencer and Will Ferrell attend the premiere of “Spirited” in London, Britain on November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
(Reuters/Maja Smijkowska)

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In a year when nearly every monopoly seems to be laying off workers, the cathartic conclusion of a hard-hearted billionaire makes cultural sense. But neither film is willing to admit even that tough corporate czar is a bad guy, as if the producers fear offending the wealthy who run it. their streaming services,” wrote the NBC News critic.

Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer And more stars in “Spirited” on Apple TV+. Ferrell plays the ghost of The Christmas Gift and Reynolds plays Clint Briggs, a reimagined Ebenezer Scrooge.

NBC’s Bundel also argued that the entertainment industry’s failure to recognize the “societal shift” was “even more troubling”.

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“The entertainment world’s refusal to notice the societal shift is even more disturbing. Dickens’ story is timeless for a reason, and there needs to be space in the moment to make a version that speaks to the present moment. It’s a pity that neither of them knows how,” Bundel continued.

A sign is pictured outside the NBC headquarters at Rockefeller Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US January 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
(Reuters / Carlo Allegri)

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Spencer opened up about preparing for the musical in November.

“I had no idea what it took to do music, because that’s the thing, we all sing every single day,” she said. “I don’t consider myself a singer, but I thought I could probably do it, because when you sing on the radio, you sound so good? You hit the notes, but you realize you’re singing too low. They were going to have a microphone, so I thought I could use My little radio singing voice…and my voice coach Eric Vetro was like, “Yeah, I’m going to need you to sing — project!”