The 'Murricane' comes to Netflix with a holiday treat

Bill Murray, over the years, has evolved into a completely different animal than one might have guessed, watching his early progression through SNL, Stripes, Caddyshack and Ghostbusters, those years that made him a star.  But some of his recent work, notably Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers and Hyde Park on Hudson have gained him the respect as an actor that he seemed to crave when he wrote and starred in the problematic 1984 remake of The Razor's Edge.  Murray is, of course, one of those actors who is always himself, in every role.  But he has become a much more layered self, willing to show his vulnerability as well as his outrageous, fearless sense of humor.

Netflix's new special, A Very Murray Christmas, plays on both sides of this fascinating coin, with a fictionalized premise that shows Murray playing himself, attempting a 70s-style live variety show, but without guest stars -- one of the biggest blizzards in history has essentially shut down New York, and his intended guests can't get to the Carlyle to be part of it.  Directed by Translation's Sofia Coppola, the special is blessed with crisp writing and a mountain of self-deprecating humor, as Murray and his co-stars take potshots at Hollywood and the very medium they're mimicking.  It's clever, even laugh-out-loud funny.  The way he and the cast make fun of themselves, of bigger stars (especially Bill's most famous friend, Mr. George Clooney) and of everything they're trying to do is downright endearing, and the show somehow injects warmth, rather than cynicism, into wry, winking jokes and an unusual collection of Christmas standards.

That warmth may well come from a lot of fun on the set.  The production is decidedly a family affair, with Coppola's cousin, Jason Schwartzman as well as her husband, Thomas Mars, making appearances, and her brother, Roman Coppola, credited as producer and associate director.  The project is clearly filled with friends, as most (if not all) of the cast members have a connection with Murray, Coppola or both.  You can see genuine camaraderie in the way the cast interacts, even in the schmaltzy moments, where performing friends are most likely to overdo it when working together.

Nice surprises

A few small parts really stood out:  

• Michael Cera is alarmingly sleazy as Murray's agent.  He still looks like he's about 12, but his range is expanding.
• Jenny Lewis, playing a waitress who sings like an angel.
• Julie White, an acerbic comedian we see too little of, was edgy and funny as one of Bill's handlers. 
• Rocker David Johansen has several fun moments as the bartender.  (You may remember him as the cackling taxi driver in Scrooged.)  
• Dimitri Dimitrov, a character actor with a small but respectable list of credits, was charming as Murray's manservant.  This is a role where other actors would try to steal focus and mug for the camera, but he showed nice comic timing in the background (even just de-linting his boss's jacket), without being annoying.  Would love to see more.

The music is so much better than expected:

• One of the nicest surprises is the reminder that Murray can really sing:  this realization is the show opens with Murray up in his hotel room, running through "Christmas Blues" with Paul Shaffer.  It's a nice rendition, and shows off Shaffer's chops, too:  he's a very fine musician, and was never fully utilized with David Letterman.  
• Murray and Miley Cyrus are good together in a later duet, and I quite liked her solo "Silent Night", which hints at her country roots and reminds us that this media princess is neither Hilton nor Kardashian -- this kid actually has talent.
• Clooney, vamping from behind a Christmas tree in a funkadelic version of Albert King's "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin".  One of the reasons we love him so is that he's so good at cutting loose and making fun of himself.  He actually had very little to do in this show, but that little moment will certainly stick in the memory for a while.

Click here for more info on Netflix.com, or to watch online (subscription required)