The Muppet Christmas Carol

Starring: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz (voice), Steve Whitmire (voice), Jerry Nelson (voice), Frank Oz (voice
Directed by: Brian Henson
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The Muppets tell the story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the plight of miser Ebeneezer Scrooge (Michael Caine).

Review:

Tim: The Muppet franchise started back in 1979, with a good The Muppets. It continued that level of quality with The Great Muppet Caper, although a bit of a shine came off with the only decent Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984. The franchise lay dormant for 8 years, before Brian Henson revived it for this take on Charles Dickens' holiday classic. And, inexplicably, the fourth film in this franchise is by far the best one. The Muppet Christmas Carol may well be the forever pinnacle of this franchise. It's so perfect in so many ways, it shockingly emerges as perhaps the best adaptation of this famous story ever made. And, there's Muppets.

There's so much I love about this film. First off, the concept is brilliant. Why not adapt Dickens' work, but nearly everyone in the film is played by Muppets? The script is incredible- it manages to balance the zany, offbeat humor of the Muppets with a very serious work of literature. The film is humorous, it's chilling at times. This combination of light and dark works in a way I'd never thought possible. Jerry Juhl deserves immense credit for his script. Brian Henson likewise is brilliant in executing this vision. I was amazed at how he balanced everything, especially for the film's younger viewers. They don't shy away from dark, chilling imagery- I still remember feeling frightened at the Ghost of Christmas Future from my own youth. And yet, the movie wisely brings in slapstick humor at all the right places, to cut some of the tension and make the story more accessible for younger audiences. I watched this movie with my family- my wife, 9 year-old son, and 6 year-old daughter. My kids loved it- there were definitely some tough moments, but I watched amazed as the film made it accessible to even younger viewers. My daughter enjoyed it immensely, even if a few parts made her nervous. To have a film like this, that my kids can love and that I still love- that's pretty rare.

The writing is spectacular throughout. There's so many great lines, but I do want to highlight my favorite, and SPOILER (for a novella published in 1843....) it's at the end, when Gonzo delivers the hilarious, gonzo line- "And, Tiny Tim...who did NOT die!" It's so absurd and so beautifully silly. I love it, like I love so much about this film.

Of course, no mention of this film is complete without the admiration and awe that belongs to Michael Caine. Caine famously made one of the all-time great decisions in his performance of Scrooge. He insisted that he was going to treat the role like he was doing Shakespeare- no winking, no Muppet lunacy. The Muppets around him could be humorous and silly, his performance would be rooted in theater, delivered to the best of his ability. I'm still awed by this perspective. It makes the entire film. Why is this movie great? So much of it comes down to Caine delivering one of the great Scrooge performances of all time. He didn't need to go so hard- he could have mailed this in (and a lot of actors would have). Caine is brilliant for this, though. His stern, serious Scrooge is perfect and it makes the movie wonderful- to see him doing his thing, contrasted with Muppet craziness all around him. It's absolutely perfect and by far the best part of this entire film. Caine is a legendary actor, obviously, but this is one of his finest performances.

The rest of the story is told well, and quickly. The movie is only 1 hour and 25 minutes, so Henson never wastes a second- they strip down the story to the essence. Nothing is every rushed, but the movie doesn't waste time. I love this. The tendency had to be there to elongate the movie, to capture everything. The film is for kids, primarily, though- so it's wonderfully accessible and an easy viewing. I didn't expect this, but the role of Gonzo and Rizzo is essential to this film. I've never loved Gonzo as much as I did here. He's more reserved, but the ideal narrator. It must have been tempting to give this role to Kermit. Gonzo is perfect, though. The humorous exchanges with Rizzo are as entertaining as anything of Dickens' source material. They break up the tension, make us laugh, entertain wildly. Their duo is brilliant. Gonzo being the "straight man" to Rizzo's humorous sidekick is a big reason why this movie is brilliant.

Kermit himself gets his due as Bob Cratchit. He gets to interact with Caine, and he gets to tug our heartstrings with Tiny Tim. Kermit is definitely a supporting character here, but he shines brightly. Miss Piggy has always been a bit annoying to me, and her role is even smaller- which is a good thing. The use of the Muppets in this film is genius.

All this is positive, but we also have to praise the film for its wonderful songs. "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas" is a beautiful, catchy song. I just love hearing Kermit sing, and he gets to deliver a standout performance here. "Marley and Marley" is surprisingly catchy. The "Scrooge" intro song is so entertaining, too. "It Feels like Christmas" is excellent, too- I'm basically just naming all the songs now. I find the music in a film like this to be so challenging, and this film absolutely nails it.

As you might expect, I love The Muppet Christmas Carol. It's a brilliant movie, an all-time holiday classic. Brian Henson made his directorial debut in fantastic style. He did his father proud.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan