Bah, Humbug!
For most FSU students, including myself, The Muppet Christmas Carol premiered in theaters before we were born. Lucky for us, this delightful film’s legacy lives on and can be streamed on Disney+. Featuring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge and Gonzo as Charles Dickens, The Muppet Christmas Carol does not disappoint.
This Muppety retelling of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is a near perfectly faithful adaptation, even using verbatim dialogue from the source material. For anyone not familiar with Dickens’s novel, this film is a fine introduction to the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Gonzo, playing Charles Dickens, hosts alongside Rizzo the Rat as himself to provide witty narration that audiences of all ages can enjoy. The Muppet Christmas Carol handles the source material’s heavy storyline with care and interjects with humor where appropriate. This movie can be watched by a younger audience, but there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
What sets The Muppet Christmas Carol apart from other retellings is its hosts, Gonzo and Rizzo. Not only do they provide humor, but they also act as an outside perspective. Gonzo, as the omniscient storyteller Charles Dickens, plays with the novel’s original narration and its translation into modern understanding. Rizzo is a sort of straight man, reacting as an audience member himself and breaking the fourth wall in metacommentary. These two entertaining hosts have genuinely funny physical humor as they struggle to follow Scrooge throughout the story and outright leave during the more serious visitation of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
This movie’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge is excellent; thank you, Michael Caine. Near the beginning, Rizzo makes comments that the cold seems to follow Scrooge no matter where they go, a hint at the supernatural for those paying attention. Then there is an interesting, sympathetic view of Scrooge, where the townspeople sing, “He goes to extremes to convince us he’s bad, He’s really a victim of fear and of pride, Look close, and there must be a sweet man inside.” These moments are brief, but most adaptations don’t take the time to set up Scrooge’s redemption this way.
The filmmakers seem to know what The Muppet Christmas Carol is and don’t try to stretch it beyond its limits. The jokes are not followed by awkward pauses where they expect moviegoers to laugh, and the large cast of Muppets moves the plot forward instead of crowding the screen for cameos. Kudos to them for creating a beautiful moment where Scrooge stands unamused, surrounded by jovial dancing muppets and having a horrible time.
Moreover, The Muppet Christmas Carol plays with genres in a way that shouldn’t work but does. Gonzo and Rizzo take up most of the film’s comedy, but they don’t shy away from the seriousness of death as a recurrent theme. The movie utilizes small, but significant horror-inspired scenes, notably just before Marley’s ghost appears to warn Scrooge of the three spirits’ soon arrival. Somehow, The Muppet Christmas Carol is also a musical, and the song breaks subtract nothing from this movie’s storytelling and experience.
Watching The Muppet Christmas Carol is a palate cleanser most of us could use. It’s a feel-good movie, something to see with friends before we sell our souls during finals week. Since the story of A Christmas Carol is told with a distinct Muppety flair that engages audiences familiar with its remakes.
Writer: Jay Diaz
Artist: Daly Mann
