And that is exactly the silliest thing Michael Caine could have done, and it deserves a standing ovation or three.
Caine is the latest of many human actors (including the great Orson Welles) to fight for screen space with the Muppets, and he sensibly avoids any attempt to go for a laugh. He plays the role straight, and treats the Muppets as if they are real. It is not an easy assignment.
- Roger Ebert
Heard this once said: Caine played his character as a very straight human, while Tim Curry played his character in Muppet’s Treasure Island like he’s himself an unhinged muppet. To the credit of both of these actors, it works perfectly in their respective movies.
Someone described respectful ways of interacting with children similarly — you can bring yourself down to their level, or you can bring them up to yours. Both are respectful, and there’s no “talking down” to anyone.
Bringing them up is real neat
Next thing you know they’re talking all smart!
The Jim Henson Company was excellent at that. They always approached young audiences with respect above all. That’s how Sesame Street works.
Speaking of which, I saw that HBO was pulling out of their deal with Sesame Street. Should we organize like a fundraising drive for that? The idea of Big Bird being off the air…isn’t okay.
Wait they’re not on PBS anymore?
If I understand correctly, it was produced by and broadcast on HBO, and then broadcast on PBS a week later. I guess the number 4 and the letter T weren’t paying the bills.
Bringing yourself to their level is real neat.
Why would you give the child the curse of ripping them from childhood? Why rob yourself the opportunity to revisit the magic of childhood?
Hand them the Scout action figure, grab the Batman, because Rita Repulsa wants to blow up the sun, and only you two can stop her!
Repulsa wants to blow up the sun, and only you two can stop her!
Just want you to know we’re all rooting for you!
I’m not! I WANT to blow up the Sun, and I’ll be helping Rita!
MWHAHAHAA!!
Just so you know, I have a fragile alliance with the heroes because if the sun blows up I won’t be able to take over the Tri-State area!
Now I can’t tell if you’re bringing yourself “down” to their level or bringing them “up” to our dystopian world view.
Manners Maketh Muppetry
According to an interview with Brian Henson, the director, when he reached out to Michael Caine for the role, Caine responded, “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.”
Which was absolutely the right call. If I can borrow a line from Jay Bauman, Ebenezer Scrooge does not sanction this buffoonery. In his eyes (at the beginning of the story at least) hanging decorations and singing and playing and such make everyone looks ridiculous to him.
The whole goddamn story is about Scrooge being a man who takes himself too goddamn seriously.
That’s right Jay.
drunken blinking at the camera
Jay smiles as he relates the tale of Scrooge to the ending of Society
God bless him, one and all.
Completely serious Michael Caine dancing with a giant Muppet
I think we can all agree that, creatively, it worked perfectly.
Who’s the one mofo who disagreed?! That better be a fat thumb, mister!
The great thing about the Muppet movies is that all the characters are treated as if they’re human. It’s like nobody realizes they’re talking to a felt frog.
It’s even better than that - they sometimes acknowledge they’re talking to a frog, or a rat, or even a puppet. It’s just normal.
There’s an exchange in The Great Muppet Caper that goes like:
Human: “You’re a frog, and you’re a dog, and you’re a… um….”
Gonzo: “A whatever.”
I love Porco Rosso. It’s animated and set in the real world with real just pre-WW2 stuff happening in the background. But the main character is a pig who flies a sea plane. Someone mentions a curse once. No one treats this as weird. No one else is an animal. I love it.
I read a fun story about that movie the other day. When they test-marketed it for kids, they asked what the rats did wrong to get coal at the end. Brian Henson and the others hadn’t even made that connection.
I think they could muppetize most movies and come out with bangers
Literally all movies in existence would be improved if there were Muppets in them
they should just release muppet version of movies, like LEGO does with videogames
Muppet Schindler’s List
Elmo as the girl with the red coat
Miss Piggy’s Choice…
Oh shit. Instant classic!
It is the only way I would accept a remake of my favorite, which is the Princess Bride.
Lars Von Trier’s Muppet Antichrist would certainly be something
Counterpoint: Return Of The Jedi
Counter counter point Muppet Palpatine
Mark Hamill remains as Luke, but Vader is a Muppet.
“No, I am your Father!”
Would it please you to know that Mark Hamil was a guest on an episode of the Muppet Show?
That episode was genius.
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I dunno, I can think of an entire genre where I wouldn’t want to see muppets. But then again, I’m sure there are “people” out there who would.
Documentaries? It’s documentaries, right?
The Mupprix
First 20m of the movie are exactly the same as the original Matrix
The pill is taken, he awakens in his pod
As Fozzie
“Take the red pill, take the blue pill, heck… Take em both!”
Neo nervously takes the blue pill
Doctor Teeth immediately slams the red pill
“Whoa!”
Doctor Teeth pulls two giant pill bottles (red and blue) and starts chugging them both
Camera pans to the ground as extra blue and red pills hit the ground as if spent brass
“Huh. Nothing else yet… … Wait a minute… WHHHOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Doctor Teeth starts vibrating and smoke starts pouring from his ears
“WWWWHHHOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Doctor Teeth phases out of this dimension, disappearing, but you can still hear his voice through the ether
“SSSWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!”
Unconventional pick for Muppet Morpheus: Doctor Teeth
They should do this and get good writers
I’m waiting for the Kill Bill movies with Muppets. Imagine Miss Piggy as Beatrix Kiddo, Muppet version of the Crazy Eighty Eight, or Fozzy playing Buck?
Or, alternatively, a version with muppet versions of the actors, so you have muppetized versions of Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, etc. Either way would be awesome.
I’m still waiting for muppet princess bride
Most movies … excluding erotica.
all movies
Frogs Gone Wild
Stuffin’ the Muppets
Miss Piggy’s Ham Slam
Sesame Seed
Zippy Unzipped
Beaker Does Dallas
Rule 34 means it has to exist because it’s the law.
One night in Grover
Piggy Does Pittsburgh
Fifty shades of green
Best, period.
We see it in the theater each Christmas season.
As if I don’t watch this movie enough throughout the year already (I try to alternate between this one and Muppet Treasure Island)… Time to fire it up again. Merry Christmas, Lemmy! 🎄🎅⛄
Muppets Take Manhattan ftw. I don’t watch many movies but will always stop to watch this one.
so much nostalgia in one movie.
Oh, I just finally watched this for the first time. If your interested, I wrote my thoughts but you can skip that if your just looking for a good Christmas movie then do it. Out of six or so I have watched, this definitely was my favorite.
If you can, find the non-widescreen DVD version.
They left the most important, emotional scene of the film (along with the song they used a “pop” version of for the ending credits anyway) out of the theatrical cut of the film.
It’s the scene where Scrooger gets dumped, and there’s a beautiful duet of Michael Caine singing along with his ex-fiance as his heart breaks and he starts to become human.
Without that scene, he suddenly goes from being the man at the beginning of the film to the much friendlier Scrooge with the Giant.
They put it back in recently!
I’m going to make it my homework tonight. I may have to revise my thoughts as well if it makes a great movie into a perfect one. Thank you very much. 😄
The reason you have to find the non-widescreen version I think is because they released the scene initially for the VHS cut and I don’t think they have a surviving copy of the original non-4:3 cut.
Also: find the soundtrack. There’s a few songs that didn’t make the film. There’s a forgettable Sam Eagle song, but a lovely Bunson and Breaker song with a Beaker solo.
Oh you made a mistake, that 4 at the top is supposed to be a 5
I’ve been told I’ve watched without an essential song included so you may be right!
If you’re watching on Disney+ you need to go in the Extras section for the non theatrical version with one more song :)
It must be better than Jim Carey’s rendition, which is so dark that even when he’s saved, there is no joy to be found.
I totally forgot that exists. I never actually saw it.
We just watched it last night and agreed as a family that we wished we hadn’t.
This doctor saved my life! 4/5
What’s crazy is that this movie was hated when it came out. People had no taste back then
My favorite serious Christmas Carol - The one with Patrick Stewart in it
My favorite silly Christmas Carol - Musical with Kelsey Grammer and Jason Alexander
Have you seen Spirited? I liked Spirited.
great actor, mycocaine
