The Muppets – It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Whoopi Goldberg 2004 DVD

It’s time to play the music, light the lights and welcome the Muppets in another of their Christmas specials: where they discover the true meaning of the holiday spirit. In a Muppet version of Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, Kermit assesses what life as a Muppet would have been like without him; well, Miss Piggy would have been running a fake psychic hotline, Sam would have been dancing in a cage at raves and Fozzie would have been living on the streets. All the regulars make an appearance, aided by a galaxy of stars.
Kermit takes centre stage in A Very Muppet Christmas Movie, a 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 recognisable 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 and some humour that borders on the risqu, 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.