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List Price: $9.94 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 1289
Released: October 7, 2003 |
| Our Price: $4.50 |
| Used Price: $2.49 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: VHS Tape |
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Editorial Review:
Have yourself a very merry Muppet™ Christmas with this all-new holiday movie starring Kermit™ the Frog, Miss Piggy™ and the whole Muppet™ gang – 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!
Description of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie:
Kermit takes center stage in this hilarious, parody-laden celebration of Muppetry, pulsating with original music, a star-studded cast of human cameos, and a heartwarming story reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life. Joan Cusack plays the deliciously villainous Miss Bitterman, a ruthless banker who succeeds in foreclosing on the Muppet Theatre only days before Kermit's Christmas extravaganza. As Kermit loses his livelihood, he plunges into the "I wish I'd never been born" mind-set instantly recognizable to George Bailey fans. It's going to take some Divine intervention (Whoopi Goldberg is cast as God, no less), plus a little help from a heavenly "Clarence." Despite some moments where the script seems adrift (how hard it must be to live up to the irresistible precedent set by the 1979 premier Muppet Movie) and some humor that borders on risqué, Fozzie and the gang are in fine form. The message is sweet: dreams are as vital to life as loyal friendships are to see them through. (Ages 5 and older) --Lynn Gibson
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Reviews:
Disappointing when compared with Christmas Carol 
2008-12-24 - This muppet version of "It's a Wonderful Life" is passable, but if you are expecting the "magic" of the "Muppet Christmas Carol" you will be sorely disappointed. Frankly, we barely laughed at all when watching this movie. Whoppi Goldberg, who is normally a fine actress, portrayed a very contrived and forced rendition of the Almighty and other characters lacked interest as well. I've seen other reviewers call this film "boring" and overall, I think I would have to agree.
NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!! 
2008-12-23 - We didn't even make it to the end of this movie. Horrific scenes for children, such as beer-bonging egg nog, Kermit frozen to death, emergency room resuscitation, Frog Legs restaurant being observed by a horrified Kermit, and sexual trash talk to mention only a few offensive scenes for as far as we got before I threw this movie in the trash. What were they thinking? Not even funny for adult Muppets fans.
Jim Henson must be rolling over in his grave!
2008-12-21 - I DO NOT EVEN WANT TO RATE THE ITEM!!!! A NEGATIVE 10 IS WHAT I GIVE THIS MOROSE PIECE OF HUMILIATION! After watching this movie, I want to cry and then kill myself. There was nothing funny, memorable, or warming about this movie. True Muppet fans will be disappointed and utterly revolted by this film. This was a complete mockery of OUR Muppets and am embarrassed to say I even watched this film. For the record: THE GREEN FAIRY IS NOT JIM HENSON MATERIAL!!! Shame on you for even making this film!!!
What did I just watch? 
2008-12-10 - Scooter in leather hot pants gyrating in a cage at a rave, while Sam the Eagle trips out on X and plays with glow sticks. Animal doing a two-story beer bong while lying on his back. A gay dance instructor pig slapping Kermit on the behind and telling him he has a "nice tush". Pepe the Prawn getting a license to turn the theater into a topless dancing joint...
This is one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. I would have thought it was someone doing a parody of the Muppets if I didn't know any better. For some reason, someone decided the Muppets needed to go "dark and edgy", and the result is "It's a Very, Very Muppet Christmas Movie".
The story is a basic twist on "It's a Wonderful Life", with Kermit driven to the point of despair by money problems and losing the lease on the Muppet Theater. In a classic George Bailey scene, he screams at all of the assembled Muppets, asking them how they can be so happy in such dismal circumstances, then storms out into the snow...of course, down comes the inept angel (David Arquette) sent by God (Whoopi Goldberg) to show Kermit what the world would be like if he had never been born, only some of what accounts for the scenes mentioned above, but also includes Ms. Piggy as a crazy cat lady who makes her living by...."acting" on the telephone.
Some things just don't need to be "dark and edgy", and The Muppets falls into that category. . On top of the weird storyline, the voice acting is not done by the "classic" puppeteers, and every now and then a character's voice changes mid-scene. If you have any kids, just don't get this. Get the perfect The Muppet Christmas Carol instead. If it ever comes out on DVD, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together would be even better.
Maybe "It's a Very, Very Muppet Christmas Movie" can be appreciated on some sort of hip-neo-post-modern-ironic level, and maybe someone can see something here to enjoy. If you are a Star Wars completest, Yoda make a very brief appearance, and there are a few jokes that work. Me, I was just sad watching it, and seeing how far these beloved characters have fallen.
When are the Muppets not the Muppets? When they're in this movie.
2008-12-10 - The Very Muppet Christmas Movie suffers from "trying too hard" syndrome. It's as though they tried to make this movie "current", instead of just letting it be charming because it's the Muppets.
Some of it works:
* It has some nice star cameos that are well integrated with the Muppets.
* Some of the little physical jokes are classic Muppets.
But a lot of it doesn't work...
* Dave Goelz and Frank Oz didn't do their original voices, so a vast majority of the characters have different voices. Kids won't notice this, but adults and fans of the original Muppets will find this pretty distracting.
* Some of the humor tries to be "modern"... jokes about strip clubs, a male character turning everything a female character says into sexual innuendo, a Muppet shrimp that jokes about "how I like my women", Scooter working as a cage dancer in a nightclub, etc. My kids and I watch the Simpsons, so I'm no angel, but these jokes feel really odd here.
* Too many "current" jokes, like Bunson Honeydew working on "Windows", which is a grease pencil on a glass window.
So if you're looking for the next Muppet Family Christmas (sadly out of print on DVD and going for $100+ on Amazon) or Muppet Christmas Carol (a classic), you will be very, very disappointed.
This is a better one to catch on TV than to buy...
