Review of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011) by Lazara C — 01 Jan 2012

Elmo is one of the most famous characters in the world. Everyone knows Elmo, but most people don't know the man behind Elmo. The first thing about this fascinating and highly entertaining documentary that struck me, was Elmo is played by a big black man.

I would have never, in a million years thought that. I figured Elmo was some small white woman. This is a movie about Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, and his journey to get there. Raised in Baltimore, he fell in love with Sesame Street and puppets, and made it his mission to become a puppeteer.

The story follows him as a child making his own puppets, to how he came to work for Jim Henson, to his worldwide success as Elmo. Clash is entertaining, enlightening, and seems just as genuine as the characters he creates.

You find yourself rooting for him and are happy when he makes it, then feel sad when he talks about the time away from his daughter. You get a peak behind the curtain of the Muppets, and get to see first hand how they perfect their craft and how hard their job is.

If you were ever a fan of the muppets or sesame street, then this is mandatory viewing. This is not only one of the best documentaries I've seen, but it's one of the better movies you will see too.