Mrs. Richardson and Miss Richardson and I went Friday night and watched the latest rendition of "A Christmas Carol," starring Jim Carrey.  I've become so jaded to Hollywood's handling of beloved classics that I half expected this to be a thinly veiled propaganda piece for Democrat-sponsored healthcare reform (you know, "If you don't vote "Yes" on this version of this bill, then you want Tiny Tim to die."  That kind of thing.)

Lo and behold, though, what I saw was one of the best renditions of the beloved tale I've ever seen.  Jim Carrey does a fantastic job playing - are you ready for this? - Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge as a Young Boy, Scrooge as a Teenage Boy, Scrooge as a Middle-Aged Man, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come.  It's safe to say that this is Carrey's film, and I must say that what he has pulled off here is nothing short of spell-binding.

Robert Zemeckis has an eye for this kind of thing, as evidenced by his 2004 "The Polar Express."  He knows that he is supposed to handle these beloved stories respectfully, and he does so here.  He is a master at evoking a kind of yesteryear nostalgia that appeals to audiences.  The "animation" (or whatever you call this kind of movie making) works well and is used effectively by Zemeckis.

I was particularly pleased to see that the Christian tone of the original story was preserved throughout.  Not, of course, in any overly-preachy kind of way (that, too, would have done violence to Dickens' story), but in ways that Christians will find encouraging and inspiring.  In today's movie culture, that's no small thing!

Mrs. Richardson and I both thought the film was absolutely fantastic.  Miss Richardson enjoyed it too, she says, but she is less prone to gushing than her overly-sentimental parents.  (I do suspect that adults may find this version more "moving" than children, but I could be wrong.)

I will say that parts of the film are frightening and small children would likely find some elements disturbing.  Overall, however, Zemeckis and Carrey have done something truly wonderful here:  they've breathed life back into one of the greatest Christmas tales ever told.  Go see this movie.  It's a great holiday treat!