Customer Reviews

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I would give it 0 stars if possible. The acting was horrible--either the actors didn't act that well or overacted. It was choppy and very unfunny in most parts. And I think the story was just too dark for a muppets movie, especially as it was targeted for kids. I just have to say, though, that in one review, someone said that Miss Piggy was a phone call girl. Well, she wasn't. There was one scene that set you up to think that she was, but when she did answer the phone, she was pretending to be a psychic and wore a big wig to get more into her role. I still strongly dislike this movie, but I just wanted the facts straight.

We were excited to have a new Muppet movie to add to the family collection but 15 minutes into it---even the family Muppet expert was saying, "Wow, this is really bad..." Of course it is to be expected that the characters will change over time, with the passing or retirement of the classic puppeteers, but our disappointment and frustration came from the peculiar writing that seemed so uncharacteristic for our dear Muppets. The sexual comments, jokes and implications were too much for us---and we had no young children in the room.

It felt as though the writers had no idea of who the Muppet characters have been---all these years and so wrote for characters that were completely foreign. We found it sadly tacky, humorless and in some places even ugly. In fact, the best parts were in the bloopers---particularly the wrestling match between Statler & Waldorf---where it seemed that the truer Muppet personalities came through.

I borrowed that Miss Piggy line from one of the bonuses on the DVD. It was too classic to not share.....just like the rest of this movie - silly, heartwarming and great for multi-age groups.

"We are working for a dream!" says Kermit, his heart ready to save the Muppet theatre in time for their Christmas "Moulin Scrooge" extravaganza starring his long-time love Miss Piggy. Standing right in his way is Rachel Bidderman, played with villainous panache by Joan Cusack.

My three and seven-year-olds enjoyed the story-line as much as I, only their highlights were much different than mine. I loved the references to the Gift of the Magi, Burl Ives in Rudolph, It's a Wonderful Life and the line (from the Burl Ives snowman) "but wait - I am a part of the holiday collective consciousness!" Emma, the seven year old, howled when she saw one of the Muppets perpetually stuck to a light-post a la Flick in "A Christmas Story."

William Macy as a "heavenly bureaucrat" is hilarious (loved the line "What's next, are we all going to wear colior?" and David Arquette plays Daniel as a realistic-cartoony character.

There are so many subtle nuances - it is a treat for ALL ages, accessible at whatever level the viewer is in so that parents and children (grandparents, teens, aunts, uncles, etc) can all enjoy it.

The bonus features on the DVD are classic. I rolled on the floor when I saw "Inside Pepe's Theatre", a take off on "Inside the Actor's Studio" - interviewing director Kirk Thatcher. I also loved the Deleted Scene "Baron Von Scrooge".

This is definitely a DVD you will want to have on your shelf to break out for those days during the holiday season. I know I will enjoy it for years to come.

I originally watched this show when it aired on television in 2002. I taped it to watch again and again and was really glad to see it on DVD in time for the holiday season.

Like many people, I grew up on Jim Henson and the Muppets: from Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock to The Muppet Show and The Storyteller and all those great Muppet Movies. I mourned the day Jim Henson died and I was glad that the Muppets have continued to survive after his death.

With that said, IT'S A VERY MERRY MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE isn't quite up to the Muppets of old, but it's getting close and in my opinion is better than MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND or MUPPETS IN SPACE. This movie is a parody of the treasured Christmas classic, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. We are taken back to the Muppet Theatre and years after dismal shows and not much profit, it looks like the Muppets will finally be in the black and have enough money to buy the theatre. Then the big, bad bank lady comes and threatens to take it all away. Kermit is in despair and feels like he has let the whole gang down and thinks the world would be better if he had never been born. Like George Bailey, Kermit gets to see his wish and learns some valuable lessons.

I admit I wasn't happy seeing Whoopie Goldberg play God. However, this is a parody of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and voice overs with twinkling stars would be overkill. I didn't mind the blatant self-promotion by NBC because the Muppets have been blatantly self-promoting themselves for the past 20 years and even when Jim Henson was alive there was a little crossover (every watch "Muppet Babies"?). I also wasn't offended by the scene with Fozzie and the lasers--it seemed more of a tip of the hat to The Looney Toons than anything else. I admit that the tone of the film is darker than most other Muppet projects. However, for the story and message of the film, it all seemed to fit. There are plenty of parodies in the film and lots of Muppet humor on the sly.

Overall, it's a decent Muppet flick and has given me hope that the Muppets of old are on the rise.

Every Christmas my family watches "Muppet Family Christmas" and "The Muppet's Christmas Carol," so I was looking forward to another Muppet Christmas movie. But I was really disappointed in this one. First of all, for those who dismiss all the inuendos saying that they'll just go over the kid's heads; kids aren't a naive anymore as alot of people would like to think. I work with alot of kids and know that they may not catch all of them, but most would get several. But even if they don't get them, why put them in a family movie in the first place?
Then, I know that the alternate world where Kermit had never been born was supposed to be worse off, but in places it just went too far. Like when Fozzie was a pickpocket, that was ok,(they even got a halfway decent joke out of it.) But seeing Scooter as a cage dancer, that just creeped me out.
And the ending; I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I will let you know that it's one that's unoriginal, and extremely overused.

While I still can't see giving it four stars as a lifelong Muppet fan, it at least merits 3 and a half. "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie", from 2002, is (or was, rather) an all-new, feature-length Muppet TV movie that may not compare to any Muppet bigscreen outing but is still very entertaining and far better than the more recent and mostly botched "Muppet Wizard of Oz". The film is basically a modern Muppet take on "It's a Wonderful Life", a holiday classic that I consider to be possibly the greatest movie ever made. While preparing for their big Christmas show, the Muppets find they are in danger of losing the Muppet Theater (meant to be the same one from the old Muppet Show) to the new owner if they can't make a big payment by midnight on Christmas Eve. They do their best to earn the money by putting on a major show, and we see the expected collection of amusing cameos in the process by stars one wouldn't get overly excited about, but when it seems the Muppets' big debt will be paid off in time to the villainous Rachel Bitterman (hilariously played by Joan Cusack), everything is spoiled by Fozzie's failed attempt to turn over the money. Cue Kermit's "I wish I was never born" moment, and David Arquette as a charmingly naive angel who wishes to help the beloved frog out. Of course, we then get to see how disturbing the world would be if Kermit was never born, most specifically the lives of our favorite Muppet characters.

For all its shortcomings (weak replacements for the original Muppet voices, springtime scenes in Heaven that ruin the Christmassy mood of the film, a sappy song called "Everyone Matters" that makes one long for more traditional Christmas carols, an edgy "Scooter as a cage dancer" gag that is a bit too disturbing, attempting to do too much with too little a budget, Whoopi Goldberg), "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" manages to serve up some gentle laughs throughout and Joan Cusack and David Arquette are a delight. Alright, Whoopi's not too bad either, and even William H. Macy makes an appearance! Bottom line, this is actually a rather enjoyable Christmas movie and I'm happy to own it. Sure, I'd like to have an uncut version of "A Muppet Family Christmas" even more, but it seems like an uncut version of that one will never come out, and don't get me started on the finally released, highly edited version of "The Christmas Toy".

"It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" is presented in its original, fullscreen ratio and has a nice little bunch of extra features. You get the amusing interview "Inside Pepe's Studio", in which Pepe the Prawn, who has a significant role in the film, interviews director Kirk R. Thatcher. There are also some fun bloopers and deleted scenes, and a lot of trailers for other family films on DVD. Muppet Bios, which in this case are really just "fun facts" like imaginary favorite films and such, are also included. "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is not going to top something like "The Muppet Christmas Carol" if you find yourself trying to decide between the two, but it's a fun, modern Muppet holiday film nonetheless, and at least "It's a Wonderful Life" tributes are a little less common than "A Christmas Carol" remakes (don't get me wrong though, I LOVE a good Scrooge flick). Plus, you'll have great fun spotting all the tributes to other Christmas stories too, not to mention tributes to the original "Muppet Movie".

On a final note, it's true that in the attempt made here to be modern, edgy, and adult enough to reach today's audience, the humor lacks much of the innocence that made the Muppets so well-loved, and at times the edginess goes too far. This is something the current stewards of "The Muppets" need to correct, and simply using them to promote Disney Channel shows isn't acceptable either. However, if you know the Muppets, you know they've always been a little edgy and folks shouldn't be expecting Sesame Street here. I can understand being a bit put off and disappointed in the direction some of the jokes take both here and in other recent uses of the characters, but parents often overreact as well. Yes, the Muppets do need to get back on their game and it CAN be done, but this film is still enjoyable entertainment around the holidays that is mostly suitable for anyone.

I too would give this movie a "zero" if I could. I was so saddened to see that even the Muppets are no longer sacred. There was nothing charming about this movie. The sexual innuendo was so offensive I almost turned it off, but I kept hoping it would get better. Clearly whoever wrote this doesn't know who the Muppets really are. I would NEVER let my children watch this movie. My gosh, have we really sunk this far when we can't even let our kids watch the Muppets?