It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

Admirable film.

Absolutely Fantastic

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I once saw a bit of this film, and was interested to see the full thing just to see why the critics give it two stars, the result being that I agree. Basically the film begins with Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire) telling all his Muppet chums that they have lost everything, and he ends sitting depressed (and possibly thinking about suicide) on the bench. Meanwhile, in another world (Heaven) angel Daniel (David Arquette, who had already been in Muppets from Space) visits the 'Boss' (Whoopi Goldberg, another reason I wanted to see the film) to show that Kermit really needs help. In the flashbacks, it shows Kermit, Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson, not the original and better Frank Oz), Gonzo (Dave Goelz), Fozzie Bear (also Jacobson), Pepe the Prawn (Bill Barretta) and all the other Muppets have prepared a stage show for many people to see in the Christmas holiday, and it all seems to be going well. But the really mean Rachel Bitterman (Joan Cusack) is determined to either shut the show or the theatre down, and Kermit is doing everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen. Of course, Kermit fails the last time, and Bitterman tells him that they are finished, and she can officially take the theatre. This is where Daniel is sent as Kermit's guardian angel to try and help him, but Kermit is not in the mood, and eventually ends up saying "I wish I was never born". Obviously, you can recognise the spoof of It's a Wonderful Life, with Kermit as the George Bailey, and Cusack as the Mr. Potter, and in the end, obviously Kermit realises how much he means to everyone, and goes back to find the theatre saved as historical landmark. Also starring Whitmire as Rizzo the Rat and Beaker; Goelz as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Waldorf; Barretta as Dr. Teeth, Rowlf the Dog and Swedish Chef; Jacobson as Animal and Yoda (the only character who sounds similar to Oz's version), William H. Macy as Glenn, Matthew Lillard as Luc Fromage, Carson Daly, Molly Shannon; Scrubs' Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Neil Flynn, John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes, Mel Brooks as Joe Snow; Brian Henson as Scooter and Janice; Jerry Nelson as Robin the Frog, Statler, Pops and Floyd Pepper, and Kevin Clash as Sam the Eagle. The most memorable moment for me is the stage spoof of Moulin Rouge, besides that and the well known faces in it, not fantastic. It was nominated the Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for the song "Everyone Matters". The Muppets were number 47 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons. Adequate!

I haven't watched the Muppets in years and was looking for The Muppet Christmas Carol when I came across this version of It's a Wonderful Life. Now, I'm not saying that Kermitcan capture the magic of Jimmy Stewart, and Fozzie certainly is not Uncle Billy, but this was an enjoyable trip down memory lane with some outstanding music, a great song (Everyone Matters), and some really funny bits that referenced other shows.Joan Cusack was marvelous as the mean financier who wanted to drive Kermit and the Muppets out of town. Whoopie Goldberg was a great god figure and she had the ultimate accessory - a coffee shrub that produced hot coffee.The funniest bit for me was the old men Statler and Waldorf. i had forgotten how funny they were.An enjoyable Christmas tale.

This is one of the best Muppet movies that I have seen. It was not as childlike as other Muppet movies. I was older when this movie came out it still made me laugh. I loved all of the characters in this movie because despite was anybody says on the forum, Pepe is so funny to me. Has anybody seen Pepe on Weezer's video ,Gone Fishing? Pepe is hilarious on the New Muppet Show that aired on TGIF in the late 90's. Miss Piggy is still her high-maintenance self. The only thing that had me shocked is Kermit saying, " I wish I have never been born." It was heartbreaking because Kermit has always been my favorite Muppet and always will be. I taped this movie on VHS when it first aired on NBC. I was excited when the premiere came on. Unfortunely, I was about 20 years old when it came out. They need to show this movie at Christmas again on NBC.

If you tire of "It's a Wonderful Life" copycats around Christmas time, then you don't want to watch this...because it's exactly what it is.It's very unoriginal in terms of story (I was hoping for something BUT a Wonderful Life copyoff). Basically the Muppets run a theater (unlike that of Muppets Tonight, since this is a post Muppets Tonight TV film...or should I say 2hour special) in danger of being bankrupted on Christmas. Alongside the muppets is you stereotypical villain: a greedy banker at Christmas time who wants to do nothing but bad things. And a nerdy misfit angel who comes to the rescue. Yeah...uh where's Jim Henson? Oh yeah he's dead. No wonder this was so lame!The only likable elements are the parodies and spoofs. Unfortunately the storyline of this movie was so terrible and so predictable that they were hard to notice and you only care about watching the end to find out (yes, indeed a "Wonderful Life" copyoff crossedover with a bit of "Hey Arnold: The Movie"). If you seen the Hey Arnold movie then you know that the endings to that and this are no different.The lessons taught are bankers are evil, cheerful people around Xmas time are good guys, and life is worth living. I want a new kind of Christmas movie/special for once! Something different! But trust me, this ain't it. Lord knows how NBC got its hand on the Muppets for this temporary amount of time, but I seriously hope that ABC does better with the Muppets with its Oz movie next year. If not, then I demand you take me back to the golden age of Jim Henson...I'm talking about the late 70s and 80s!!!