Bill Murray is massive Miley Cyrus fan

Wait, so what is this? Co-written and directed by Sofia Coppola (who coaxed such a memorable performance from Murray in the 2003 film “Lost in Translation“), the special isn’t as amusing or inventive as one might hope.

Other friends soon joined the party, including Murray’s “SNL” pal Paul Shaffer, his “Scrooged” co-star (and New York Dolls frontman) David Johansen, Coppola’s cousin Jason Schwartzman, “Arrested Development” co-star Michael Cera, former “SNL” comic Maya Rudolph, “Parks and Recreation” alums Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, and Coppola’s husband Thomas Mars and his band Phoenix. Something for everyone, it has to be said.

It is all passably entertaining; Coppola keeps things somewhat morose until Murray passes out drunk and dreams himself into a proper TV variety-show idea of the winter wonderland soundstage: Clooney and Miley Cyrus arrive by sleigh (she belts out a pretty good “Silent Night”) and before you know it the hour has elapsed.

Phoenix wrote a song for the special titled “Alone On Christmas Day” featuring Bill Murray. Murray is supposed to host a live musical spectacular at the Carlyle Hotel, but the biggest blizzard of all time has shut down New York City, and none of his celebrity buds – George Clooney! – has braved the weather.

If you can deal with the solemn, weird asterisk placed on Netflix’s new special – this isn’t exactly a family-friendly hour of TV, with cursing and languid pacing that will send kids scattering – then you may get just enough of what you want out of the proceedings. There are probably quite a few people who’ve wondered what it would be like to spend an evening in a bar with Bill Murray, basking in the actor’s off-kilter sensibilities and listening to him and a few famous friends sing karaoke.

Netflix dropped the A Very Murray Christmas trailer on YouTube.

“I knew Maya could sing but I didn’t know that she could sing like that”. Memberships start at $7.99 a month, but new subscribers can check out the Bill Murray special for free with a one-month trial.

And based on the first wave of reviews, A Very Murray Christmas seems to have no trouble meeting those standards.

So there we meet Bill Murray, sporting a headband with reindeer antlers and rolling his eyes. “I was in that”, replies Murray. More updates and details are expected to come out soon. They’re moments away from that live special, but with the city brought to a standstill, none of the cavalcade of stars – Paul McCartney, Pope Francis, Iggy Azalea, etc. – can make it. Veering between ironic commentary and committed goofball bits, he conjures up the charismatic charm that’s made him such an icon, and uses it to sustain this odd holiday treat. As he off-handedly remarks, en route to his doomed special-within-the-special: “Five cameras-I like our chances of somebody getting it right”.