Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow

I like actor Jay Harrington but I swear he is doing a Clooney imitation through the movie.

I liked this as a casual afternoon movie while taking care of some minor chores that I could do while watching. I was okay with the story having an intermittent narrator. This is not to the level of Gone with the Wind or The Deerhunter nor Indiana Jones or Lara Croft but I found it enjoyable. I have yet to see a Henson production I wouldn't watch, including this one. I can see Jim Henson's influence in the design of some of the characters but it took quite a while before they were introduced. I think it is the first time I heard the word "fugly" used on television. The title is the name of the town where the action takes place and the town's main economic product seems to be turkey which make various appearances through the movie. I will admit some of the themes are a bit predictable, notably a recent divorcée with kids. Mostly, I was relieved that it wasn't another Christmas story! There are way too many of those now, can I hear an "amen" from somebody?

The Emmerson family heads to the quaint town of Turkey Hollow to visit Aunt Cly. Tim and Annie quickly grow bored without the Internet, and soon try to track the Howling Hoodoo, an elusive monster the locals dismiss as a legend. Great movie for the whole family to watch. It's light enough not to scare the younger ones but has enough mystery and a story line to keep the older kids and parents attention. Turkey Hollow was later released on Disney+ on February 10, 2023. Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow is a 2015 Thanksgiving television film created by The Jim Henson Company and aired on Lifetime on November 21, 2015. The film is directed by Kirk R. Wonderful family movie 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🦃

First things first, this is definitely a kids movie, but it's a kids movie that Moms and Dads will find themselves snickering at. I ended up seeing this movie twice over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and appreciated it even more the second time. There are some slapstick moments for the kids, but there are also some very sophisticated one- liners sure to go over the younger heads. Mary Steenburgen is great as usual, and I especially enjoyed her flirtation with the Sheriff. Of course the Monsters are the star of the show. They're ugly and adorable at the same time, and they have fantastic interplay with the child stars. Some of the special effects toward the end are a little cheesy, but overall the movie looks great, with a beautiful forest setting. I found it worthy of the Jim Henson name and a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving!

"Turkey Hollow" includes some legitimate laugh-out-loud moments, a mostly terrific cast, and four memorable "monsters," but it also includes some inexplicable choices. Chief among these is a reliance on toilet humor (literally, in one scene), which feels completely out of place in such a naively cute story. I'm no prude, but hearing these jokes, along with words such as "fugly," in a family Thanksgiving special is strangely jarring.

It's especially noticeable because the show works just fine without these gross asides. The funniest moments all come from the characters themselves. The aunt character's cranky hippie persona feels just right, especially her unexpectedly adorable interactions with the town's sheriff--odd that this subplot is really the best thing in the whole movie.

It's also odd to see Ludacris filling the narrator role usually reserved for Kermit the Frog in Jim Henson productions. Maybe Kermit was busy that week.