review for A Christmas Carol on AllMovie

One of the best of the numerous adaptations of author Charles Dickens's holiday classic, this made-for-television original movie produced for the TNT network benefits greatly from its closer-than-usual adherence to the source material and a career-high performance from leading actor Patrick Stewart. The actor perfected his role in a long-running one-man stage show version of the tale, and his years of acing the part of Scrooge come through in every scene, whether he's mindlessly tapping his toes to a long-forgotten tune, dusting off a laugh that's cracked and dry from disuse, or scowling with contempt at charity workers. The technical credits here are excellent, with the benefit of modern special effects and the cinematography of Ian Wilson even garnering an Emmy nomination, but what sets this A Christmas Carol apart from the rest is the quality and believability of Stewart as the embittered antihero, a role that's difficult to attenuate: too campy, and the end result is the Mr. Magoo cartoon; too sour and you get George C. Scott in the overly gruff 1977 TV variation; too mean and there's Reginald Owen in the first big-budget treatment of the tale from 1938. Alastair Sim in the 1951 classic is widely considered the high-water mark of Scrooge portrayals and it's a testament to Stewart's commitment and talent that his is probably the best work in the role since then.