16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Muppets Show Their Age, But Still Entertain, March 10, 2006
I did my footwork before purchasing this disc, so I wasn't expecting a classic - I was merely expecting the Muppets to show up.
And show up they did. It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a decidedly mixed bag which will entertain longtime Muppet fans and impressionable rugrats, but anyone else is going to be mildly amused at best and flat-out bored at worst.
Listed as a 2002 production, the film showcases what's left of the faded energy of the old school Muppets ensemble: Steve Whitmire (as a sharp Kermit), and to a lesser extent, Dave Goelz (as Gonzo in more of a supporting role). The "newcomers" provide life to the cast, but also reveal the that these are not the Muppets of our youth - while Eric Jacobsen does a fantastic job filling in for Frank Oz's roles (Piggy, Fozzy, Sam, Animal, even a cameo by Yoda) and Bill Barreta's Pepe is as sly and funny as ever, other classic characters such as Scooter, Janice, and Rowlf are noticeably different, or even silent altogether. While the differences in the older Muppets are a result of the puppets suffering the death or retirement of their main puppeteers, some of the newer characters are as cringe-inducing as ever. Johnny Fiama, I'm lookin' at you.
The spotty lameness extends to the human roles, though not in places you might expect. David Arquette is surprisingly not completely irritating in his role, and Joanne Cusak is appropriately nasty as the villain. But Whoopi Goldberg makes an uniteresting God (who does make an interesting God?) and Matthew Lillard's turn as a French director, is, well, um, he tried. Yes, he tried.
The film itself (or, the TV Movie itself) is not bad, providing decent pacing, excellent production values, breezy, smart writing, and even some treats for Muppet fans. There are several sweet in-jokes, such as when God rewinds to the beginning of Kermit's story, she stops at the tail end of an interview with -ugh- Carson Daly, and Kermit says "...and that's why I wear this funny green collar!" Kudos for the subtlety of Scooter's lame boast at the theater Christmas party, "My uncle used to own this theater, you know!"
Additionally, a few surprises await, and the only one I'll give away is that Fozzie has an action sequence. Yes, an action sequence. It, like so much else in the film, is decent while hovering perilously close to being bad. But, to its credit, it's something new, and nothing is more new than seeing the hard-luck Muppets of a "Kermit-less" universe, a twisted world where Piggy is a Miss Cleo-like psychic living in a small apartment with twenty cats.
Of final note are the sheer amount of Muppet cameos in the film. Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry and even Beauregard - BEAUREGARD - make appearences, sometimes even with lines. It was a trip to see characters long since retired shake the dust off at least one last time.
All in all, this is worth seeing for the casual Muppet fan, but perhaps only worth owning for those still entranced by talking pieces of felt with googly eyes. For this franchise to survive, they're going to have to take more risks, and It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas is a good first step.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Muppet Twist on a Christmas Classic, December 15, 2003
I'm not really going to go too much into the plot; I will just say it is a modern muppet version of "It's a Wonderful Life" with some other movies thrown in the mix :) This movie has a lot of big names and guest appearances such as Whoppi Goldberg, Joan Cusack, and David Arquette just to name a few, plus all of the muppets! The DVD version also has muppet bios, bloopers, and deleted scenes - although not as entertaining as I had hoped, but still nice little extras. If you love the muppets, I would highly recommend adding this movie to your collection.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's a Muppetful Life, December 11, 2003
The mortgage is coming due on the Muppet Theater. If Kermit and company can pull off a spectacular Christmas show, theyll be able to buy it. Otherwise, itll fall to the evil Miss Bitterman who inherited the bank from her recently deceased father. She wants them to fail so she can demolish the theater for a trendy nightclub. When things go wrong on Christmas Eve, it looks like the gang will be separated for good.
Fortunately, their plight has caught the attention of an angel in Heaven. When God sends DannyL down to help, Kermit wishes hed never been born. The results surprise him. But how can his revelation that he does matter help them out of their situation?
If you think the plot of this movie sounds like another Christmas movie, youd be correct. Still, the gang manages to keep us entertained through the entire story with a fantastic show at the theater and with Fozzies hilarious attempts to get the money to the bank on time to name a couple fun moments. Some of the jokes will go over kids heads, but will make adults laugh out loud. There seems to be a bit too much sexual humor, usually involving Joan Cusacks Miss Bitterman character. Most of it will go over kids heads, but why it needed to be there in a kids movie is beyond me. Speaking of whom, Ms. Cusack is over the top, but in a fun, campy performance that does fit the movie. David Arquette is a tad bumbling as DannyL, but Whoopi is enjoyable as God. And there are more cameos then you can shake a stick at.
I guess my biggest complaint with the movie is that its not as funny as I was expecting. They take parts of the story quite seriously without the trademark gags and puns we expect from the Muppets. Still, its a fun Christmas movie that will be enjoyed for years to come.
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