Die Muppets Weihnachtsgeschichte

I recently rented this movie for my young son. I never imagined that I'd end up liking it more than he does. If you can get past the fact that most of the cast are muppets, this is actually a terrific version of A Christmas Carol. Michael Caine makes a fine Scrooge, one of the best I've ever seen in fact. I usually hate musicals, but all of the songs in this film are great (and the girl who plays Belle - this girl can SING!) The comedy is mostly provided by Gonzo, narrating as Charles Dickens, and his sidekick Rizzo the Rat. The humor is truly funny and appropriately placed (notice how a very good reason is created for Gonzo and Rizzo to exit during the serious Christmas Yet to Come portion .) This is truly one of those movies "for young and old alike", though it will probably go over the heads of very young children. But anyone who generally likes A Christmas Carol should like this version of it.

I love this movie. I am a big muppet fan, and when this movie came out on video I had to get it. Of course I was in third grade. I watched this movie all the time, and still do around Christmas time. Every December I watch this movie twenty times. Everything about this movie is great. The plot to the music. I especially like the music. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes the Muppets, or the story of The Christmas Carol.

In terms of humor or songs, I can't honestly rank this was high as most of the other Muppet films BUT it may be the most touching version of the Dickens classic story I've ever seen on film.

The lyrics to the last two songs are fantastic: very Christian-like and very profound. Scrooge (Michael Caine), meanwhile, is not portrayed as some screaming maniac as he so often is in other versions. His transformation from cold-hearted tightwad to caring, generous person is done more subtly, too, than in other films. However, to be fair, sometimes the slapstick humor in here gets in the way of the touching story.

The last part of the movie is a lot sentimental drama than Muppet comedy and I found that refreshing. Not much offensive in here, either, making this a good film for little ones as well as older, sentimental folks.

This is a masterpiece. Not because it follows Dickens' marvelous story to the letter, but because it uses the Muppets to take the story to a wonderfully creative level. Michael Caine is Scrooge and he plays him really well. He never flinches at the fact that his clerk is a frog, that Tiny Tim is also a frog, and so on. Jacob Marley is played by those two old guys who carry on a commentary on the Muppet Show. As Scrooges wades through the famous story, meeting the ghosts of past, present, and yet to come, we are starting to believe that what we see on the screen are real characters. There are some wonderful songs that move the plot nicely along. Of course, the Muppets are incredible jokester, punning and dropping one-liners at will. Of course, we have to accept that Scrooge was apprenticed by old Fozziwig at a rubber chicken factory. Make this an annual event at the holidays.

That question pretty much sums up my reaction to "The Muppet Christmas Carol", a hilarious, yet touching film.

What did I like about the movie? Just about everything! Michael Caine made a great Scrooge, and this film showed us, possibly better than just about any other version I've seen, just how Scrooge came to be such a miser (although that could partly be because the versions I saw which really go into Scrooge's childhood were clearly adult versions, which meant they could be more subtle in their explanations). To Caine's eternal credit, he made Scrooge very believable, which is no small feat considering most of his fellow cast members were puppets.

And what about the Muppets? They were also brilliant! Kermit made an excellent Bob Cratchit, loyal and humble, and he had a wonderful tribute to Tiny Tim which also served as a brilliant tribute to Jim Henson. Miss Piggy was a great Mrs. Cratchit, feisty yet very loving toward Bob (the worst of her temper was thankfully muted by the story). Fozzie the Bear was a hilarious Fozziwig, and The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat made a great team, having some of the best lines out there (my favorite is Rizzo's "Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!"). The ghosts were definitely believable (and in the case of the two Marley Brothers, hilarious as well). Incidentally, the original text had only one Marley -- Jacob, but to get the two comedians from the balcony in the story, Robert Marley was added.

Finally, the songs were rather good, with the best one (in my humble opinion) being "When Love is Gone".

So, I firmly recommend "The Muppet Christmas Carol" to one and all.

Belle Book