A Very Murray Christmas

It always has been a respectable digital platform for films but this year Netflix went up another level. With them putting out respectable TV shows on their platform like Daredevil or good comedy specials from people like Chris Tucker or Aziz Ansari, they are an entertainment platform here to stay. Even more so, it's impressive how they stuck a big named actor like Adam Sandler to sign a four film deal with them. Let's also not forgot the film A Very Murray Christmas Netflix made with Bill Murray that came out earlier in the month to celebrate Christmas.

Due to a massive snowstorm during Christmas time in New York City, Bill Murray worries that nobody will shows up to his TV show. Even with everything going on outside, guests and celebrities still find time to join Bill Murray to celebrate Christmas and to find a real meaning to the holiday.    

With really no plot here and only running fifth-six minutes long, don't expect a lot and this drags a lot also. It's a holiday special that depends on how much you like Bill Murray. He is much the same in A Very Murray Christmas as he is throughout the year. He is loud, obnoxious, and of course drinking is a must. His cast includes people like Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, George Clooney and others. Expect a lot of fun singing even by Murray himself and the best singing comes from really a surprising guest.

With the type of talent here and with the excellent director in Sofia Coppola, I would rather have wanted this to be a full-length film with actual real characters. In a way though, that is asking a lot. A Very Murray Christmas is at least a respectable holiday special even if it's a bit of a disappointment. It is a special that likely is just going to be forgotten in Murray filmography years down the road.

3/5

Chris Tucker Live

He has put himself in good roles through the years with films like the Rush Hour franchise, Fifth Element and more recently with Silver Linings Playbook but I believe that comedian Chris Tucker is really an underused actor. He is a guy who made a name for himself in the late 90's and who appears in Hollywood films every so often. I won't say his comedic style or humor is new because it's not. It has a Eddie Murphy vibe to it and is also like comedic talent Kevin Hart. Now in 2015 and when Chris Tucker feels like "old news", it's more than an odd feeling to see that Netflix has put out a live comedy film from him called Chris Tucker Live.

Produced by Tucker himself and directed by Phil Joanou, Chris Tucker gives us a pretty basic comedy show about the topics of life issues including parenting and dating, Michael Jackson and what's it's like having a religious mother in his childhood.

I have never been much to sit through a comedy show movie due to a lack of interest level and my attention span is not the best when I am only watching one guy alone. This tv-movie though never drags nor do we want it to end. With a running time of an hour and half, it is perfectly set up to not run long for it's audience. It is a film that makes you want to just have more of Chris Tucker.

To fully appreciate this comedy special, it really basically comes down to how much you like Chris Tucker. His jokes are simple but you find yourself laughing out loud. It is not really memorable in any way and really you wonder why this was put on Netflix or a tv-movie as it's labeled. Really though it's hard not to like Chris Tucker. He is a quality guy who seems like he comes from a good family. It's nice to listen to his inspirations and really he comes off a good role model.

Chris Tucker Live is basically a comedy special made for someone like me who hasn't seen most Chris Tucker films and now will want to visit them for the first time or for his die-hard fans. It is nothing to watch again but it works perfectly as a Netflix film.

3.5/5