“The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Grade: B+

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Sir Michael Caine delivers one of the best performances of his career (!) in this family-friendly retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale. A few more notes on The Muppet Christmas Carol:

Directing:

Brian Henson (son of master puppeteer Jim) crafts a surprisingly realistic adaptation of 19^th century London, as far as Muppets go. The sets are authentic, the special effects and costume design add to the storytelling and the camerawork is framed like a theater piece, which gives The Muppet Christmas Carol a real sense of time and place.

Acting:

Caine truly acts his ass off as Ebeneezer Scrooge (amidst a cast of Muppets, no less). He didn’t need to go this hard, but he did anyways, and that’s why The Muppet Christmas Carol successfully conveys all the emotions (e.g., empathy; fear; revelation; transformation; etc.) of the Dickens original. The rest of the voice cast is goofy and colorful, which helps make Caine’s performance stand out even more. He really makes this film believable. Did I already mention that the rest of the cast is Muppets?

Writing:

There’s a good reason why Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been a perennial classic for the last 180 years. It’s a timeless story that never gets old, which also makes it hard to come up with a unique interpretation. Henson’s adaptation stays true to the original but also features some additional zaniness (Rizzo the Rat and the Great Gonzo are our fourth-wall breaking narrators). The story itself is so good, however, that the zaniness can start to annoy after a while, as it breaks the dramatic tension that Caine builds up so well.

Music:

Some of the songs are forgettable (“We’re Marley and Marley”), some are fun (“Scrooge”) and some are fulfilling (“It Feels Like Christmas Reprise”). However, The Muppets Christmas Carol is stuck halfway between movie and musical, which means there should’ve been more songs or none at all.

Ending (SPOILERS):

As children’s movies often do, The Muppet Christmas Carol ends with a joyous full-ensemble singalong that features Scrooge discovering the meaning of life amidst his newfound Muppet pals. Caine’s not much of a singer, but that only makes his performance even more authentic. He honestly should’ve garnered some Oscar buzz for this one.

“No cheeses for us meeces.” – The mice

Why The Muppet Christmas Carol gets a B+:

Caine’s acting is worthy of Shakespeare, let alone Dickens, and it’s his fully committed performance that transforms this film from children’s throwaway to compelling holiday favorite. Even though the film is a tad drawn out and overstuffed with typical Muppet zaniness, it’s better than it has any right to be.

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