![]() ![]() Cratchit’s muttered remark that Scrooge will be as merry on Christmas as a graveyard on a wet Sunday that gets the biggest laugh out of him the whole time. Though he keeps telling Scrooge that they have to leave Fred’s house, he indulges Scrooge when he wants to stay behind just a little longer to watch the games or listen to the music. It’s possible, however, that I’m not being completely fair to Christmas Present from Christmas Carol ’99 in saying that he’s dour and grumpy nearly the whole time. MCC’s Christmas Present soon forgives Scrooge and lets bygones be bygones, and when it comes time for him to fade away, he and Scrooge part on good terms. It’s fine writing and works well on the page, but in this case it isn’t necessary the Ghost of Christmas Present has made his point. Jerry Juhl then wisely omits the rest of the speech about forebearing that wicked cant, the insect on the leaf etc. On the other hand, Christmas Present in Muppet Christmas Carol is almost unfailingly friendly and jovial, and gets one of the best songs in the entire movie:īecause of this, it’s all the more powerful when he does momentarily lose his patience with Scrooge and throws his previous words about decreasing the surplus population back in his face. His Christmas Present seems cheerful enough at first but gets offended when Scrooge off-handedly remarks that 1,800 brothers is a large family to provide for and remains rather dour from then on out. However, his is not my favorite interpretation of the character. As far as I know, this is the only thing I’ve ever seen him in. I know nothing at all about Desmond Barrit, the actor who played Christmas Present in Christmas Carol ’99. As far as I know, the puppet was built specifically for this production and has never been used since, which is really a shame because the character is so delightful. If the Gorgs qualify as Muppets (and they do) then Christmas Present qualifies as well. Though I had some question about whether the Ghost of Christmas Past qualifies as an actual Muppet, I have no question that the Ghost of Christmas Present does. They’ll be missing out on a great gift.Jerry Nelson (voice and puppetry) and Don Austen (body) as the Ghost of Christmas Present in Muppet Christmas Carol It doesn’t have a very high magic quotient, though, and it’s unlikely that kids are going to be asking their parents afterward to read them the Dickens story. He stays in character when he’s warbling, he doesn’t belt out the words Broadway-style, and that gives the film some grace.Īs family films go these days, “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (rated G) is perfectly tolerable. Caine even gets to sing a number, and he’s pleasantly winning. The production design is sometimes ingenious, with skewed angles and storybook stylizations meant to accommodate both the Muppets and the occasional human. ![]() There are a few choice moments, as when Scrooge’s Muppet minions, complaining about the chilliness in their office, break into a tropical dance to placate their boss’s bark. It’s a self-indulgent piece of work that completely loses sight of Emily’s selfless, poignant love for her husband and Tiny Tim. As Emily Cratchit, Miss Piggy doesn’t even bother to pretend she’s playing a part. ![]() Kermit, for example, is irreducibly Kermit as Bob Cratchit, we can sense him straining to erase his own personality and blend Method-style into the part. The problem may be that, for the first time in their movie careers, they are playing characters, and the Muppets have always been sui generis. If Caine is first-rate, the Muppets fare less well. Still, it’s a strange experience watching Caine give a heartfelt rendering of Scrooge amid all the felt and foam and burlap. He understands the comic virtue in underplaying Scrooge’s meanness if he was more outsized and Gothic he’d clash with the Muppets’ whiz-bang jokiness. The Muppets are at their best when they’re anarchic, without all this soggy whimsy.Ĭaine is such a consummate actor that he actually manages to work up some real rapport with these puppets. The treacly score by Miles Goodman, with songs by Paul Williams, doesn’t help. Somewhere along the way-’round about the Ghost of Christmas Past stuff-the magic has fallen out of the story. As Scrooge, get Michael Caine.ĭie-hard Muppet fans may get a boost from the film (citywide) but Dickens lovers will fare less well. The Great Gonzo can play Charles Dickens, who is given the job of narrating the story. Star the Muppets in a movie version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Call it “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” Cast Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Miss Piggy as his wife, Emily. It must have sounded good at story conferences. ![]()
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