It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)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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Have yourself a very merry MuppetÂ? Christmas with this all-new holiday movie starring KermitÂ? the Frog, Miss PiggyÂ? and the whole MuppetÂ? gang Â? plus a celebrity cast featuring David Arquette, Joan Cusack and Whoopi Goldberg, with cameos by Matthew Lillard, William H. Macy, Carson Daly, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rogan, Molly Shannon and the cast of "Scrubs"! 'Tis the night before Christmas and the Muppet Theater is in danger of being torn down. And when bad goes to worse, Kermit begins to believe the world would be a better place if he'd never been born. But don't worry! With heavenly help and hilarious send-ups of just about every holiday movie ever made, Kermit and the Muppets discover what matters most is their love for each other.Featuring show-stopping musical numbers like "Moulin Scrooge!" (starring Miss Piggy as 'Saltine'), this "charming and clever" (The San Diego Union-Tribune) holiday classic will have the whole family laughing!

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