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Often family Christmas movies, while ambitious, often miss the mark with a weak story or bad acting. I was worried that a Muppet Christmas movie would follow in these footsteps. Additionally, some of the previous Muppet movies fell short of the comedic styling that resonated within a generation of kids like myself whom grew up with the Muppet Show. Thankfully I was disappointed on both accounts.

It’s a Very Merry Muppet Movie holds it’s own against the best of the family Christmas movies and in my mind riv...ls, if not surpasses, the best family Christmas flick ever – A Christmas Story. What makes a great family movie? A film that has something that appeals to the kids and their parents alike. This movie delivers on both and actually if there is a criticism to be made – it may appeal more to the adults than the kids with numerous pop culture references that a kid just may not get. For example, the Muppet Christmas production is a very funny parody of Moulin Rouge called Moulin Scrooge. I laughed far more watching that scene than my daughter did.

I had never heard of this movie before and when I first saw it I thought, well here’s a Steve Martin comedy that I’ve never heard of (probably because it is really bad…). However, Steve Martin plays this role straight and in doing so brings a lot of presence to the screen. Leap of faith tells the story of a con man named Reverend Jonas Nightengale who has made a career of separating the poor and uneducated from their money. He is in the midst of a tour when his tour bus breaks down in the backwater town of Rustwater,...Kansas. While awaiting for replacement parts, Nightengale decides to practice his trade with the local townspeople. The local sherrif (Liam Neeson) tries to halt the proceedings and protect his town but his attempts are slowed by Nightengale’s manager (Debra Winger). In addition Nightengale tries to convince a beautiful skeptic (Lolita Davidovich) of his abilities; however her interest is with her young son whom is crippled. As the movie reaches the end, the preacher actually tries to talk the boy out of having faith in his made-up abilities. This leads to a very unexpected climax which is supposed to teach us the real meaning of faith.

Rik Mayall (Drop Dead Fred) and Adrian Edmondson are the stars in this British comedy about two obnoxious loaners at the bottom of the food chain. Follow along with Richie Richard and Eddie Hitler on their quest for love and money as they try out pheromones, dating services and visit the carnival. This DVD collection contains all three seasons of the show for a total of 18 episodes.

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