Mediocre Movie Club Movie Reviews

The Muppet Christmas Carol

12/30/2014

2.76
B-

There is some blatantly cheesy humor here and I love it. - Bryan
The soundtrack is a definite strong point of the movie. - Bobby
I welcome any appearance by Sam the Eagle. - Jon

Initial Review by Bryan

What a pleasant surprise this movie wasn’t vetoed. I’ve seen a few plays and movies of this same story - and I think this one may be #1. However, I’m not sure if I’m being objective - Chelsea forced me to watch this our first year dating - now it’s a tradition.

Most of you seemingly hate musicals so this may fit into that category, but my musical cap is A+ so here we go. There is some blatantly cheesy humor here and I love it - talking melons and econ jokes in the first 60 seconds hooked me. I’ve mentioned not being a fan of talking to the viewer, but I think it works for the narrators here.

The music in this is fantastic. “There goes Mr. Humbug, there goes Mr. Grim...” starts this movie off right. “One more sleep til Christmas” starts a little slow, but it’s so damn happy! “It feels like Christmas” belongs on everyone’s Spotify Xmas playlist.

The puppeteering is spot on. The design of the puppets and their voiceovers are done incredibly well. The I loved the artistry. Michael Cane is a great grump. It was nice to hear him sing at the end - anytime a celebrity opens up to sing I think of Pierce Brosnon in ‘Mama Mia’ and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

A few negatives keep this out of A territory for me. I find Kermit and Miss Piggy irritating in general. The ghost of Christmas past (edit) is incredibly creepy in a bad art decision sort of way. Also, a few of the scenes are a touch too long.

Overall, this is just a happy movie. You can tell it’s made for children, but having watched one too many Daniel Tiger episodes, it never dives into that annoying territory. Also, at 1 hour and 12 minutes it’s a good length. Opening bid is B+. I was B-, but the more I watch it (twice this year) the more small things I catch and the more I hum along.

10:1 says Jon refers to something or someone as undigested beef in the next 30 days.

24 Comments

Drew

12/31/2014 12:40:07 am

This film is not great by any means but like Bryan said, it is a cute film and nothing more than that.

I generally like the Muppets because they usually make me laugh. With this rendition of A Christmas Carol, it did not fail to do that.

Was it a great rendition? That answer is no. This is my second favorite Dickens tale and it has been remade like fifty times but the Muppets is not a top five version. Too much singing and silliness to be taken seriously.

I agree with Bryan on the puppeteering but that is a given. With all the things The Muppets do, one must be at the top of his/her game. I would be stunned if a puppeteer was awful.

So what exactly is the Muppets version? A cute, date, and children's film. That is all I can take away from it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Grade: C+

Sean

12/31/2014 03:05:45 am

Eh?

Bryan predicted a new #1 Christmas Carol and I'm afraid he was wrong.
I'll place it 3rd behind Mickey's Christmas Carol which is even shorter and Scrooged which has Bill Murray. So I'll do a rundown comparing the 3 I guess.

I'm not on the hate musicals list but the music wasn't great for me. The opening number was very good but the other songs didn't really do it for me.

Stadtler and Waldorf are 1 and 1a in my muppet power rankings so great job there. They come up just short of Goofy's Jacob Marley partly because Goofy is my favorite classic Disney character but also because Scrooge McDuck was giddy about seeing Marley and boasting about his avarice. Caine was scared into learning his lesson from the jump and that hurt the scene. Scrooged didn't have Marley but it did have Bobcat Goldthwait and a shotgun. Bobcat was great in that movie.

Ghost of Christmas Past- who doesn't love Jiminy Cricket, and Scrooge foreclosing on Daisy's cottage ouch. The cab driver in Scrooged asn't great but you get a good look at how he became who he was. In Muppets I was distracted trying to figure out who the hell the ghost was, couldn't they make it a muppet?

The ghost of Christmas present was better as the Giant in Mickey's version and the chick who beats the hell out of Bill Murray in Scrooged was better too. This one was dumb.

Christmas future is better in Mickey played by the tough guy heel in many Mickey stories Pete. Scrooged was fun in that Murray first confuses his ghost for a character in his show and has a line about the makeup department. Caine was a blubbering mess but the surrounding characters delighting in his death were ok.

Cratchit family- cmon Mickey and Minnie beat Kermit and Piggy all day everyday. Miss Piggy is obnoxious and a really bad role model for young girls if you want to break her down. They do beat the assistant and her mute kid in Scrooged though.

Scrooge himself, you cant beat Bill Murray, Scrooge McDuck was born to play that role and Michael Caine has been better.

To break down the power rankings 3pts for 1st 1 for 3rd
Scrooge
Scrooged, Mickey, Muppet
Cratchit
Mickey, Muppet, Scrooged
Marley
Mickey, Muppet, Scrooged N/A 0pts
Past
Mickey, Scrooged, Muppets- honorable mention for the Sam the Eagle convo, maybe a bonus point if the picture ever gets posted
Present
Scrooged, Mickey, Muppets
Future,
Mickey, Scrooged, Muppets
Bonus point awarded for Scrooged for Bobcat.

Scrooged 12 points
Mickey16 points
Muppets 8 points, didn't win a single category.

I havent' seen many of the million other adaptations but I imagine Muppets probably holds the 3rd spot since I didn't have objections to sitting through this one but wouldn't want to watch the others.

C+

Bryan

12/31/2014 03:23:43 am

You've inspired me to watch Mickey next year, but I love the ghost of Christmas present in the Muppets.

Bobby

12/31/2014 05:46:47 am

Well, now I'm confused!

"The ghost of Christmas present is incredibly creepy in a bad art decision sort of way."

sean

12/31/2014 06:01:30 am

Mickey is only 25 minutes http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmq7ql_1983-mickey-s-christmas-carol_shortfilms

12/31/2014 08:56:45 am

I'm getting my ghosts confused. The ghost of Christmas past was creepy. The ghost of Christmas present is the one I love.

Shane

1/6/2015 03:48:41 am

You are crazy. I like you, but you're crazy. Kermit is by far superior to Mickey. Mickey is just vanilla. Kermit works as this character because he's always admitted his inferiority. He's probably got low self-esteem, which makes him endearing. He's a nice guy who knows he's not an alpha. Mickey is just a nice guy. There's nothing there.

12/31/2014 05:01:48 am

I heard this is the place to go if reviewing movies is your things. So here I am.

I told Bryan that if I wasn't a slacker and had my veto, The Muppet Christmas Carol would have been show the Annie sized door we have here at MMC. In truth, I'm actually a Jim Henson (Ah, the Dark Crystal!) and Muppets fan, overall. I haven't watched this since sometime in the early to mid 90s, though... I wasn't entire sure what to expect 20+ years later.

We all know the story of A Christmas Carol, as it's been done over time and time again... so I'm not going to delve into any bits of the plot. The Muppet version is represention and gives a fair nod to the appeal and feel of the tale. So, in the end it relies on the presentation, musics, acting/muppets and humor.

Oh, hello, Charles Dic... I mean, Gonzo! I appreciate your back of the hand joke! I also enjoy the continuous bashing of the 4th wall (Sam the Eagle appreciates it as well). Well done, omnipresent storyteller! He and Rizzo are a fine duo, giving us a few good lines and occasionaly humor. I'd prefer them over some current sport commentary tandems.

Songs! This is what musicals are about, so I might as well take a look at each.
- Scrooge gets a solid tune for his introduction. Come on, Mr. Humbug, the lil mouse just wants some cheese! I like the grand entrance and participation from the entire community, as it really states the mass opinion for Scrooge.
-Magic in the Air, you say? Kermit's music ability is lacking all sense of magic, but the rat's, ad other animals, provide an enjoyable backdrop to an otherwise mundane track. I will say, the title and final line ("After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas Day) is fantastic... for children, each year Christmas Eve brings on the most exciting night of sleep they'll ever have!
- Marley and Marley is fantastic from the start.. and that has almost everything to do with it being Statler and Waldorf. Heckling ghosts who can carry a tune.. . yes please. As the Marleys explain what's going on, Scrooge actually asks for comfort... I think that's pretty important, as it's rarely something he'd ever provide. Good set up for what's to come.
- It Feels Like Christmas with the Ghost of Christmas Present. The first real upbeat song we're given as the transition starts to set in... including the small grin and a dance from Scrooge, even though his face still shows his confusion as he still doesn't quite understand, but it gives him hope and a cheery feeling he wasn't aware existed before.
- The Christmas Scat.... Awww, yeah... get it Kermit and Tiny Tim. A quick little interlude, but you gotta like it!
- Bless Us All comes in at the right time. It might be my least favorite song on its own... but within the context of the movie, it's fine. This is something Scrooge has never seen or felt. He's never cared to think the impact his life has had on others. Again, Kermit can't sing well, but he always brings it home at the end of a song!
- Thankful Heart... brings us back around from Scrooge's entrance. Seeing Scrooge at his finest and the reactions of everybody is a great little bit. Also, I love callbacks, and the little mouse got the cheese... Good on you, Scrooge!
- When Love is Found takes us home... bring everybody together for a final sentimental note before transitioning into It Feels Like Christmas again... which is probably the most important song in the movie, especially to Scrooge. Good choice to bring us back to it.

I think the sountrack is a definite strong point of the movie. Each song fit into its spot and gave the audience the proper feeling for the moment or pushed the story in the right direction. There were a few of songs that never made the film... including one from Sam the Eagle. It's a shame we didn't get to experience that.

Scrooge actually smiles within the first 10 minutes? Odd. But, that quickly changes! Michael Caine does a good job of portraying the infamous Ebenezer, but not a great one. I think we could have done with a bit more scrooginess. I'm not surprised, however, that he wasn't a bit darker to start, considering it's a Muppets movie, so that's not really on Caine. He delivered his lines well ("There's more of gravy than a grave about you!" Even the Marley's got a kick out of that pun!), and did the role justice, overall. His expressions throughout really sell the mood and his transformation. I could probably even get behind a start-up campaign for a MMC best actor nomination, knowing that a nomination is all it could amount to. It can't be easy acting with nothing but a bunch of puppets!

Speaking of... the Muppets are... the Muppets. The movie places them in right spots to get the best of their personalities, even if held to relatively small roles. It'll always amuse me to see Animal and a set of drums!

Bobby (cont.)

12/31/2014 05:02:12 am

While there aren't many moments of out loud laughter, there were a collection of moments that kept the mood light and brought a mental giggle about. Most of those occured with Gonzo and Rizzo, though. We definitely could have used some more through out the film.. but at least it wasn't totally lacking.

As you can see, I'm left with a generally positive feeling from The Muppet Christmas Carol. I do wish there was more humor... and that I didn't have to hear Kermit sing at all. I think its biggest problem is that it's just another retelling of a story we've heard so many times. There isn't anything to set it apart from any other, aside from it involving muppets. And that's just not enough to make it a great movie. The music and Caine are enough to make it worth watching, and land it with a solid B grade, for me.

Jon

1/1/2015 03:52:03 pm

This was a weird pick for a bunch of people in their late 20's and early 30's, but I had a good time with it, if only for the running commentary in my head. This is a kids' movie in a way that other Muppets movies aren't, a straight-up telling of a Christmas Carol that doesn't feel the need to entertain adults in the audience. On the one hand, that means no annoying cameos from friendly chimney sweep Zach Galifinakis, but on the other hand, all the jokes are right down the middle. I supplied my own laughs, mainly from the constant voice of the Robot Devil, complaining that Muppet Christmas Carol's lyrics lack subtlety. Every time a lyric explained exactly what a character was thinking or why they are the way they are, I got a laugh instead of a groan, and though it happened a lot, that approach kept this viewing pleasant.

There are some negatives that don't get overshadowed by Futurama references. Some early dialogue is repetitive. Scrooge shouldn't have had to say 'unemployment line' twice in the same conversation, as it just sounded bad. As has been mentioned, the effect on Christmas Past's face is creepy and distracting. The scene of Scrooge and his fiancee breaking up is badly edited, as there's a whole song that's been cut out. In the VHS version, which was in regular rotation in the Kissel household, she sings it, spelling out her motivation, walks away, then cut to Rizzo crying on Gonzo's shoulder. This movie's already under 90 minutes, leaving the song in doesn't hurt anything.

The positives primarily come from goodwill to the characters. I'm always glad to see Animal and Fozzie, and though Gonzo boringly tamps down his excesses, he still gets in some solid lines. Of course, I welcome any appearance by Sam the Eagle. I'll echo the praise of the depiction of Christmas Present, who reminded me of a more vital and appealing Santa. Did he sound like Neil Diamond to anyone else, or do I just not know what Neil Diamond sounds like? Caine was fine, convincing in all the different phases Scrooge has to go through. It's also a great choice to give Beaker, of all characters, the emotional gutpunch of the movie, with his scarf gift to Scrooge at the end.

I do want to talk about Tiny Tim solely as a character, ignoring the fact that this frog is half a pig. The character is manipulative garbage. Sure, Dickens was a great novelist, one of whose concerns was bringing the plight of the poor into the minds of the well-off, but Tiny Tim is a character who only exists to guilt Scrooge and by extension the reader/viewer. All he needed was his own Sarah Maclachlan backing track. The Muppets kind of understand this, with Gonzo's "who did not die" fake-out at the end, but don't do anything with it. That trope of the noble sufferer, who takes their licks and never complains or even frowns, bugs the shit out of me. Even Jesus had his moments of doubt and rage. Cynical digression over.

This was fine. Some laughs, the music isn't unbearable, and the Muppets are inherently charming. I fully expect Bobby to select something much darker to cleanse my palate of this sweet taste. C+

1/1/2015 04:09:27 pm

I'm going to classify this under "Shane-style." Mostly positive review with an non-matching grade.

1/1/2015 04:15:02 pm

The key line is 'This is a kid's movie.' It's not for me.

1/2/2015 03:43:08 am

It's a kids movie which seemed to bring you joy. "I'm just gonna lavish this movie with praise for what it is, then drop a C+ on it."

1/2/2015 03:20:19 pm

It's where the objective review has to meet with a subjective perception. I think he's saying it met its established goals but those goals don't include being enjoyable for 30 year old Jon.

1/3/2015 08:59:59 am

And yet.. it was enjoyable to a 30 year old Jon!

1/3/2015 03:25:56 pm

I don't know, I read it as only enjoyable through a combination of nostalgia and Futurama

1/4/2015 08:44:21 am

This goes back to something Phil said about whether or not a movie is meeting the goals that it set for itself. I'm not interested in that criterion because if a movie is aiming low, like the Muppet Christmas Carol, it doesn't get credit. It was enjoyable and mostly inoffensive, and it wasn't trying to be any more than that. A C+ is not a bad grade.

1/6/2015 03:45:21 am

I like that I have a style!

1/4/2015 06:55:03 am

Does that change the fact that it was enjoyable to a 30 year old Jon? Our personal experiences and tastes are exactly why we enjoy some things and not others, right?

1/5/2015 07:04:05 am

I love The Muppets. Perhaps it's irrational, but I think in general they do an excellent job at satirizing culture while being family friendly. That's not an easy feat to accomplish. So with this movie, I'll view it in the light that it's intended for a family to watch, not only adults. With a movie like that, though, it needs to be for more than the kids. It needs to allow the adult to enjoy it as well. The Lego movie is an example of a movie that nails it. There are countless examples of cartoons that make adults want to kill themselves.

I think A Muppet Christmas Carol does an acceptable job at this. There are some great gags, the music is good enough and Michael Caine is at least fine. Mostly, I'm having a hard time breaking down this movie critically, so I'll switch to bullet points.

Positives:
-Kermit. I just love that character.
-Miss Piggy is fine. She's not a role model. Even as a kid, I was frightened by girls inspired by her. You just knew they were jerks.
-Stadtler and Waldorf are the best. Sometimes when I do insult day on Facebook, I picture them in my head insulting people. Fun game.
-Sam the Eagle

But I also have some complaints.
-Robot Devil's right, some severe lack in subtly in the lyrics.
-Rizzo was pure comic relief and I thought he took away from Gonzo, who is normally a better character.
-Dialogue was indeed choppy.

Shane's Personal Moderator

1/5/2015 07:04:51 am

Hey, numbnuts, you forgot a grade.

1/5/2015 02:25:25 pm

Sam the fucking Eagle

1/5/2015 07:05:08 am

Good call.

B-

Blair

2/4/2015 02:46:47 pm

I LOVE the muppets. They are seemingly for children, but are hilarious and very enjoyable for adults. Win-win. This has been a classic in my household for years. Love the humor, and frankly, I'm a fan of musicals - deal with it.

Completely agree that the Ghost of Christmas Past (why so many capital letters??) is suuuuuuper creepy. Other than that, great performances by the muppets Marley and Marley, Michael Caine, and who could forget, Kermit?? Honorable mention goes to the penguins who slide across the ice and the mice who sing, "no cheeses for us meeces".

This move is an A in my book. WHY NOT MUPPETS?? (Zoidberg?)

The Muppet Christmas Carol

2.76
B-

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The Muppet Christmas Carol

2.76B-

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2.76
B-