mark-whait Review of The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Timeless Muppets hit the high spots in cheerful classic

[7/10 · 27 December 2010]

This movie gave Caine credence with a whole new market audience - the child / family one. Prior to this, Caine's movies weren't exactly family orientated, at least not for an age group below five, so this is a welcome addition. The 'story' needs no introduction, and as well as being a Christmas classic, has also been remade and redone countless times for the cinema. What will remain unique about this version without doubt are the muppets. I think the muppets still work well, despite advances Hollywood continues to make in terms of animation and new technology. There's just something unique about them and therefore they don't even fall between the two stools of Pixar and the classic Disney style. The muppets will forever remain timeless and a source of fixation for young children, essentially because the cleverness is having them appear in scenes opposite real life actors which gives them credibility and clout. So, what of this movie? Well, Caine is sufficiently nasty and cold hearted as bad old Ebeneezer, perhaps not as menacing as Jack Carter but distinctly unpleasant nevertheless. Caine himself has said in the past that the scripts that interest him the most are when the main character undergoes a huge change, so in that respect he wouldn't get a better one than this. Caine skilfully displays the changes needed, and he is a joy to watch. Unlike most Scrooges, Caine's post-ghost Scrooge is actually more convincing than the original, and his happiness in the final scenes of the movie are heart warming, and yes, he even tries his hand at singing, surely a first. There is also a delightful in-joke, as when Caine / Scrooge makes his way to Bob Cratchit's house on Christmas Day, he passes a shop called 'Micklewhites', which, was, of course, his original surname. Two final things I must share here. I recall when this was first shown on terrestrial television, the Radio Times movie review summed up its piece by using the phrase 'Caine hasn't been this good in ages'. Well, perhaps I am naïve, but nearly twenty years later it was shown on television on Christmas Day and once again I came across the exact same review. I know I shouldn't really expect resident publication film critics to come up with different reviews time and again for movies that are on all the time (The Mummy anyone?), but it really did make me gasp. Well, I did say I was naïve. Oh, and now for the second piece of sacrilege. It's Miss Piggy. Is it just me, or is anyone else irritated by this character? I nearly said 'her' but that would be falling into the trap. I'm talking about the countless times this 'creature' appears on chat shows and the audience and fellow guests whoop in faux delight, regularly claiming to be in the presence of a superstar. Er…no. You're not. She / it is a puppet (ok, muppet). It isn't real! Get over it, and stop this ridiculous myth. I feel the same way about Dame Edna Everage (get over it, it's a bloke dressed up in womens clothes) and don't seem to find anyone prepared to share the same view.