Bill Murray and Stephen Colbert: Modern-day prophets?

Bill Murray and Stephen Colbert: Modern-day prophets? December 1, 2016

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The celebrity television special used to be a Yuletide staple.

Corny as all get-out, they used a threadbare plot (often involving being stranded in a snowstorm or setting up for holidays at home) as an excuse to have a major celebrity mingle with other stars for a series of musical performances. Performers like Kathie Lee Gifford, Perry Como, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope turned these into annual events. And while you have to suffer through a lot of cheese with your eggnog, sometimes they resulted in moments that have become holiday classics, such Crosby’s rendition of “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” with David Bowie.

In time, the celebrity events faded away, replaced by an onslaught of animated specials, concerts and other Christmas events. The corniness was mocked on “Saturday Night Live,” and the sincerity couldn’t last in this ironic age.

Perhaps that’s why two of the most recent attempts at revitalizing the celebrity Christmas special are hosted by comedians who would just as soon poke fun at the idea of a holly jolly Christmas as they would sing “Auld Lang Syne” around the tree. And while Stephen Colbert and Bill Murray’s respective programs are full of laughs and pokes in the ribs, there’s also an underlying warmth that reminds us it’s very hard to remain a total cynic at Christmas.

Aired on Comedy Central in 2008, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most overtly comedic of the two specials. Filmed when “The Colbert Report” was gaining momentum, it focuses on the comedian’s loud-mouthed alter ego, who’s trapped in his cabin (there’s a bear outside) when he should be en route to filming his big budget special in New York with Elvis Costello. As Stephen tries to figure out a way to outwit the bear, he’s visited by special celebrity guests who stick around for a few musical numbers. Toby Keith sings song about the supposed war on Christmas, Willie Nelson composes an ode to a certain herb, and Jon Stewart attempts to convince Stephen to give Hanukkah a try.

The “Stephen Colbert” character was, of course, created as a political caricature (ever the capitalist, he pens a Christmas song just to collect the royalties), and there’s some of that here. The Toby Keith song is one of those great pieces of satire that’s both over-the-top and yet so fine-tuned that I wouldn’t be surprised if some Tea Partiers made it their own Christmas anthem. Ever the egotistical blowhard, Colbert has two stockings by his chimney — one that says “Stephen” and the other that says “Colbert.” And, of course, he learns that the titular “Greatest Gift of All” is the DVD of the special we just watched.

“A Colbert Christmas” is a go-to every Christmas for me not because of its incisive wit or political digs, but because of the silliness that propels it. Most of the songs are just funny, whether Colbert’s crooning about building up a retirement savings or when Feist portrays an angel who treats prayers as customer service (“an authorized prayer technician will be with thee shortly.”) The best moments come from Colbert steering right into the corniness of Christmas specials in particular, from the repeated jokes about his fake fireplace to Elvis Costello’s amazement at goats dressed as reindeer and mice (“well you can’t tell!”). Plus, I guarantee it’s the only Christmas special that has its host sing “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” with a grizzly that he then makes out with before Santa Claus cuts out Elvis Costello from inside.

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“A Colbert Christmas” pokes fun at Christmas specials with the kind of joy that barely hides real admiration for its source material and true enthusiasm for the season. “Stephen Colbert” might be an overjoyed child when it comes to the holidays, but one gets the sense that the real Colbert fueled the special with his own Yuletide cheer. He throws himself into the musical scenes and clearly relishes every corny joke his character makes. But you can’t commit yourself to an hourlong Christmas special unless you truly have some excitement about the season, and there’s the general feeling that while Colbert thinks some of the American trappings of the holiday are silly, his enthusiasm for Christmas isn’t too far removed from his character’s. Colbert is, of course, a comedian who is quite outspoken about his Catholic faith; it’s not too much of a surprise that he’d have a fondness for the advent season and a special place for the message that gets buried under all the pageantry. The special ends with a moment that’s surprisingly sincere for the overblown character, as he and Costello sit at the piano to sing “There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In.” It’s a funny song, but with an underlying sentiment I appreciate more each year.

Joy and enthusiasm don’t exactly radiate from”A Very Murray Christmas,” released last December on Netflix, particularly at the start. Bill Murray might be an icon of party crashing, spontaneous toasts and general goodwill, but in the past few years his cinematic personality has been one of the sad clown. In fact, the first we see of him, he’s sipping a drink by a window, looking forlorn because the Christmas special he’s about to tape at New York’s Carlisle Hotel is going to be a disaster, due to the biggest blizzard of the century. Murray sings the blues (literally) with Paul Schaeffer before facing the music waiting for him downstairs.

I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect from “A Very Murray Christmas” upon its debut, and it took me awhile to warm to it. I was excited for him to re-team with his “Lost in Translation” director Sofia Coppola for this special, but also not quite sure how her more esoteric flair and his recent role as America’s lonely funnyman would play as holiday fare.

The answer: messily. Particularly in its early going, “A Very Murray Christmas” moves in fits and starts. There’s a painful comedic exchange with Michael Cera and Amy Poehler, and it’s not much fun to watch Murray sulk and whine during the special’s first 10 or 15 minutes. Coppola films the snowed-in hotel in dark hues and shadows, especially once the power goes out, and the entire mixture of sadness and humor never gelled with me on the first viewing, even if I could appreciate the humor in moments like Murray’s duet with a very anxious Chris Rock.

Revisiting the special this year, my criticisms fell away as I saw more of what Coppola and Murray were doing. “A Very Murray Christmas Special” is every bit a tweak of old celebrity Christmas specials as “A Colbert Christmas” is, except it’s a bit more sincere. The jokes are corny and the celebrity interactions a bit forced because, well, they always are on these specials. But rather than raise an eyebrow at the corniness, the special embraces it and brings its own sweetness and sincerity, bit by bit. The musical numbers (save for the Chris Rock bit) aren’t meant to be funny; they’re genuinely well-performed, entertaining moments, from Jenny Lewis and Murray’s duet on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (with Murray flirting as great as ever) to Phoenix’s rendition of “Alone on Christmas.” When Maya Rudolph, a gifted comedian, shows up to sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” she’s not mugging for the camera or doing a routine; she’s delivering a hugely entertaining musical moment.

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When I first watched the special, I wanted a laugh riot. After all, Bill Murray’s one of the funniest men alive. But the earnestness took me back. Coppola and Murray deliver a warm, intimate special, set in shadows and featuring a cast of strangers snowed-in together. Murray is the host, moving through the hotel and soon forgetting his own Christmas worries in favor of helping other people at the holidays. He helps an engaged couple (Rashida Jones and Jason Schwartzman) reconcile after a disastrous wedding. He ensures that none of the food in the hotel goes to waste by having all the cooks bring it into the bar so the snowed-in patrons can enjoy Christmas dinner together. In the special’s warmest moment, the entire cast gathers around the piano to sing “Fairytale of New York” and there’s not a bit of snark or irony to it. Instead, it’s as warm, welcoming and Christmas-y as anything in the holiday specials of old.

Watching it again, I realized that what Sofia and Murray do with this special is give people what they didn’t know they wanted: a full Bill Murray Christmas special. Murray’s a comedian who’s been through so many iterations in his career. While some may want the outgoing, silly Murray, others may cherish his more low-key recent stints. And still others like him as the living folk legend that he currently is. And so, we get it all. It starts with the whining, sad Bill. But then we get the irked, slightly diva-ish entertainer. Then, in its best passages, he’s the life of the party, a sort of wandering philosopher making people’s lives better. I have to admit that, when the special was announced, I thought it might just be a cash grab on Murray’s part. But the actor throws himself into it and appears to be having the time of his life, especially when it culminates in a dream sequence where he sings Christmas carols on a beautiful sound stage with George Clooney and Miley Cyrus (whose “Silent Night” is incredible). It’s here that “A Very Murray Christmas” brings back the old, boisterous Murray and turns itself into something big, festive and incredibly fun.

Why do I feel myself so drawn to these specials? Why are they how I choose to kick off Christmas each year? I think it’s because, and don’t laugh, Stephen Colbert and Bill Murray, in their roles, play sort-of modern Advent prophets.

After all, both specials feature Christmases that are near disasters, but they remind us that there’s a joy that transcends cancelled Christmas specials and inconvenient blizzards.We often arrive at December a little worse for the wear, stressed out and tired. I assume this year is no exception for many people. And these specials tell stories that say, “even when it looks like a mess, there’s still something worth celebrating. A joy we can’t explain.” And the hosts, even if they have lessons of their own to learn, are there to lead us to that moment of joy at the end.

And isn’t that what the prophets did? They told people who were waiting for a savior, sitting in silence from God, that hope was not lost? That it was, in fact, on the way? That there was still joy to come?

Listen, is this a stretch? Absolutely. I’m not saying either of these are Christian propaganda or that they’re a religious experience. But they kick off my holiday season with warmth, joy and expectation. And that’s the role of the prophets. And can’t a prophet sometimes make us laugh?

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” is available on DVD. “A Very Murray Christmas” is available on Netflix.


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