It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

The snarky sweetness of the old The Muppet Show is back in the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational Christmas movie in years. Kermit's latest crisis stems from the same marvelous "faults" Kermit's crises always spring from: his generosity, bigheartedness, and propensity to always see the best in the people and creatures around him. This time, the Muppet Theater is being threatened with foreclosure by mortgage holder/banker Rachel Bitterman (Joan Cusack), who gives the gang until Christmas Eve to come up with the money or they're out. The Muppets--Kermit, Miss Piggy, Dr. Teeth, Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Sam Eagle, Fozzie, and others--pull together to put on a money-raising holiday show, riding on the same emotional rollercoaster of love, rage, hope, and despair they always ride, mounting a pop culture rampage along the way that is funny, a bit mean, and just a tad risqué, as they tear through Christmas classics old and new--Burl Ives's snowman, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, the Grinch--with equal measures of respect and irreverence. Non-Christmas pop culture takes a hilarious beating, too: from cell phones to Moulin Rouge, psychic hotlines to Ricky Martin. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 20-minute “Inside Pepe's Studio” behind-the-scenes featurette spoof of Inside the Actor's Studio as hosted by Pepe the King Prawn, eight bloopers (5 min.), eight deleted scenes (7 min.), text Muppet bios, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a holiday winner.] (M. Johanson)[DVD Review—Oct. 12, 2010—Universal, 89 min., PG, $14.98—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 2002's It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie features a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include deleted scenes (8 min.), bloopers (5 min.), and a bonus nine-song holiday CD. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a wonderful holiday film.]