Ed's Review Dot Com

National Broadcasting Company (NBC), The Jim Henson Company, Jim Henson Productions,

Steve Whitmire, Dave Goltz, Bill Baretta, Eric Jacobson, David Arquette, Joan Cusack, Matthew Lilliard, William H Macy, Whoppee Goldberg

On Christmas Eve we find Kermit very depressed. He’s lost everything and the famous Muppet Theater is about to be foreclosed upon. An angel, Daniel (David Arquette), upon watching the sad sight, petitions his boss, God? (Whoppee Goldberg) to send someone to interfere and help Kermit feel better. Then via flashback we see the circumstances unfold as to how and why the theater was lost.

I am not sure how I have never seen this movie before. It’s from 2002, so this was a long time ago, but I never have. It seems they recycled the plot in many ways for the most recent film, “The Muppets”. There are many similarities, but this is much earlier in the Muppet’s career, so this would have happened long before the last movie. As in all Muppet films, this one has tons of cameo appearances, and so as not to spoil them, I’ll leave it to you to find them while watching the movie. This is a pretty good Mupett film. It’s nowhere to the level of A Muppet Christmas Carol which is an unbelievably good film, but this is strong, standard Muppet fare. It’s fairly predictable, but the outcome is not the goal. The goal is the journey, as they say, and the snappy one liners, music, and big stage productions, at which the Muppet’s have always excelled. The kids will love this, but so will the parents, and so I feel this is a fabulous family Christmas film, and though you probably won’t want to repeat it over and over like some classics, if you haven’t seen it, it’s sure to be a fun experience.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

The Jim Henson Company, Jim Henson Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Michael Caine, Dave Goetz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, David Rudman, Donald Austen, Jessica Fox, Robert Tygner, Steve Mackintosh, Meredith Braun, Robin Weaver, Raymond Coulthard, Russell martin, Theo Sanders

Charles Dickens (The Great Gonzo, aka. Dave Goetz) narrates and hosts us to view the story of Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) who is a miserly old fellow who abuses his lone employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog, aka. Steve Witmire).   The ghost of his former partners,  the Marley Brothers (Statler and Waldorf, aka. Jerry Nelson and Dave Goelz) who warn him of what will happen if he doesn’t change his ways.  Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future who touch his heart to help him realize the wrongs he has done.

This is such a wonderful version of A Christmas Carol.  This one is part life performance and part puppetry of Jim Henson’s Muppets.  This is typical in Muppet performances where the line between real and unreal is often blurred beyond recognition.  Additionally the often break the 4th wall with the audience and talk directly to the audience.  This causes some of the funniest moments in the film.  The choice of the old hecklers Statler and Waldorf to play the Marley Brothers is brilliant.  Most of the Muppets appear in one role or another throughout the film.  They treat the story with great respect, and it is very close to the original story during all the fun and chaos.  Some of the songs in this movie have stayed with me through all these years, and I love to hear them every Christmas when I pull out the old VHS and watch this one once again.  The patter between Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit (Kermit and Miss Piggy) and the kids is great, and who could play Fezziwig better than Fozzie Bear?   This is just about a perfect retelling of the story and one of my very favorites.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog