Review #427: 'The Muppet Movie' (1979)

Maybe it's my age, or maybe it was due to the fact that I was rarely allowed to watch children's television, but my early life was sadly without Jim Henson and his hugely successful creation The Muppets. Because of this, I've always felt somewhat reluctant, and almost undeserving, to tackle the Muppet movies, feeling that my lack of childhood experiences of Kermit, Miss Piggy et al with hamper my enjoyment of them, or I will somehow not 'get it'. Well, after 27 Muppet-free years, Marc swayed me into finally taking the plunge, and, I'm happy to say, The Muppet Movie was an amazing experience, and one that made me feel like I'd known the vast array of characters for years.

After a chance meeting with a Hollywood agent, Kermit the Frog leaves the comfort of his swamp in order to travel to Hollywood for an audition. Yet he is pursued by fast-food chain store owner Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), who sees Kermit as the perfect face to head his advertising campaign to promote his failing French-fries frog legs business. Kermit has other ideas, and after a punch up in the El Sleezo bar, he escapes with Fozzie Bear (a-wacca-wacca!) and his Studebaker. Further down the road he picks up more eager passengers, such as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Great Gonzo, and Miss Piggy, who falls in love with Kermit after winning a beauty pageant.

While the 'origin' movie is quite often the route that TV series take when taking the leap into movies, The Muppet Movie benefits from taking an almost classical take on the road movie. It is not about the destination, but the journey, and the journey is peppered from hilarious set-pieces, satirical swipes, and quite beautifully written (and performed) songs. The Muppets always appealed to all ages, and adults have the pleasure of enjoying many self-reflexive moments and audience awareness (Kermit turns to camera and says "I hope you appreciate I'm doing all my stunts!"), as well as cameos from the likes of James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, Elliot Gould, and Orson Welles.

Amongst all the mayhem, there is also a quite beautiful moment in Gonzo crooning "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", recollecting his past in the sky and desire to return someday. "Rainbow Connection" is also a great song, but my favourite musical moment has to be "Movin' Right Along", gleefully sang by Kermit (on his banjo) and Fozzie - the movie really came to life for me here. It's moments like these that really make this movie special, and something that can hopefully still be cherished by modern consumerism-obsessed children (if they can pull themselves away from their i-Phone). Marc warned me that if this film didn't leave me feeling warm inside then there is no hope for me. Well, thankfully it did, so maybe there's hope for me yet.


Directed by: James Frawley
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Charles Durning
Country: UK/USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #329: 'The Muppets' (2011)

I have previously written about the Muppet 'franchise' when discussing the last great Muppet movie (The Great Muppet Caper (1981)). I had stated the brilliance of the late Jim Henson who began this visual plethora of beautiful characters. At a later stage I will be writing something more personal and fundamentally reflexive of his career, but at this point I will simply comment on this particular film that attempts to combine the love of a new audience with the more ferrel likes of it's original fans.

Since 1984's The Muppets Take Manhattan, the film career of the Muppet's has taken a very slow decline. OK, so the Christmas Carol adaptation was genuinely brilliant (adequately emphasised by repeat Christmas broadcasting), but subsequent films have been incredibly questionable. So after about 12 years in obscurity, the Muppets seem to make a comeback? Well, possibly. It was an absolute joy when I discovered that Nicholas Stoller and Bret McKenzie (of Flight of the Conchords fame) were advertised as being involved. This film, it would seem, would be a film fundamentally aimed at the people that were originally influenced by the band of felt characters.

The story of an oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who wants to overtake the Muppet studios, due to an apparent oil flow under said ground, is a very obvious choice of story arc in the cannon of Muppet movies. This was unfortunately an apparently contentious issue with the always level-headed Fox News (sic). (As a side-line they stated that this film was communist in it's ideological stance - cause it didn't show an evil Obama administration - check the webosphere if you think I'm making this shit up!)

The story of the rebranding of the Muppets is fundamental to the full concept of this film. We see motifs taken from the more interesting films of the cannon. Muppet movies are always self-reflexive, and almost always comment on the fact that what is happening is in fact film making! The crux of this particular film hinges on Walter. He is essentially a Muppet, but has been brought up as the brother of Jason Segal's Gary. Walter, essentially represents the generation that this film represents. What the Muppet franchise holds, is something that was not represented through the 1990's (certainly after the death of Jim Henson).

Every element of this film is entirely made for the audience that firstly succumbed to the wonder back in 1976 (as well as previously through Sesame Street). All good Muppet movies are self-reflexive. They are able to transport the viewer to place that transcends their adult life, bringing them back to a place of absolute comfort. Not only does the presence of a character like Animal bring you back to a child-like state, but it also rekindles your concept of values.

With all The Muppets propensity to good, the fact that the film seems to have a cross-over of independent and mainstream ideas makes the film far more interesting than the usual "kiddie" fodder. I'm guessing that only time will tell if the non-computerised Muppets will endure any further beyond their felt restrictions. For my money, I would rather watch 460 minutes of Kermit, rather than 230 minutes of some computer generated frog-monster!


Directed by: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy

Review #167: 'The Great Muppet Caper' (1981)

In the short life of Jim Henson, he achieved some quite spectacular things. Technically, he took puppetry into a whole different level. A 'creature workshop' was created, and along with other great performers and skilled artists, which developed some amazing effects for such astonishingly elaborate films as The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). The workshop is still, to this day, a fully functioning company, that recently worked on Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (2009). Aside from Henson's more forward thinking for the development of his craft, he has endowed the collective consciousness with a collection of enduring, lovable characters. Jim Henson had been developing a puppetry style for television since the 1950's. However, after the success of the Children's Television Workshop's Sesame Street (1969 - present), he wanted to be able to take creative control over a show featuring his Muppet puppets.

The cultural phenomenon that was The Muppet Show, began in 1976 and ran until 1981. The show was set in a theatre, which was harking back to the days of vaudeville. This element of variety was carried over into the first film, The Muppet Movie (1979), and has also been developed in their second feature, The Great Muppet Caper. Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear are twin brothers who, along with Gonzo, are playing investigative journalists. After being fired from their newspaper, they decide to pursue a story about jewel thieves in England. There they meet a whole host of other Muppet characters, and become embroiled in a mystery involving brother and sister, Nicky and Lady Holiday (Charles Grodin and Diana Rigg). There are some catchy musical numbers, and a Busby Berkley inspired synchronised swimming sequence with Miss Piggy and its centre.

It is testament to the characters that Henson created here. They still endure today. I have many fond memories of the Muppets. This was unfortunately the last great Muppet film. (Here's hoping that this years The Muppets will reinvigorate the franchise.) Caper is a fun film. The characters constantly refer to themselves being in a film (this is a device that Henson used also in The Muppet Movie). There are some decent cameos from John Cleese, Peter Falk and Peter Ustinov (who plays alongside Grouch from Sesame Street):

Ustinov "What are you doing here?".

Grouch "A very short cameo".

Ustinov "Me Too".


Directed by: Jim Henson
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, John Cleese, Peter Ustinov
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy