Review of The Muppet Movie (1979) by Doug B — 15 Feb 2013

Except for Being Elmo, I've never watched a documentary or a "making of" for any of the Muppet movies or shows...and I kind of never want to. The magic the puppeteers create on screen is astonishing. The Muppet Movie opens in a theater and the Muppets are seated in the chairs. Anytime you see the Muppets' legs, it's fascinating. Where is the puppeteer? What kind of cramped space are they hiding in? The magic of the meat space special effect is something that's been lost, and the Muppets are one of the few that still carry that torch. The scene where Kermit rides his bike blows my mind. I know in The Great Muppet Caper there's a more famous bike scene, but this one is just as good, and it came first.

As Kermit is deciding to leave the swamp, his reasons for doing so are perfect. He's not leaving for the possibility of money or fame. He just welcomes the opportunity to make people happy. It's a tough decision, as he's happy where he is, but the call to dedicate his life to serving others is too strong, and off he goes.

The Muppet Movie is full of puns, running jokes and visual gags that keep things moving right along. There are lots of memorable lines as well. Fozzie's "They don't look like Presbyterians to me" is one of my favorite movie quotes of all time. The quality and quantity of A-list cameos here is staggering as well. We have Richard Pryor, Elliot Gould, and Steve Martin (in his amazing shorts), not to mention Big Bird and Orson Welles, to name just a few.

The movie really doesn't slow down until Miss Piggy begins her first song. This was my least favorite part of the movie growing up, and I'm sorry to say it remains so. The Miss Piggy scenes slow the film to a crawl, but I will make an exception for her kung-fu scene. That is pretty hilarious, especially when she dons her angry eyes. Gonzo's song also slows the movie down, but really, it's just one ballad too many for my tastes. And for as crazy a character as Gonzo is, him putting on the brakes really seems backwards. The rest of the songs are great though. I had the record of the soundtrack growing up and remember them all.

I'm really happy the Muppets are making a movie comeback, with The Muppets (2011) which I loved, and the upcoming sequel The Muppets...Again! (2014). Revisiting the original film is a great reminder of what these movies did right, and hopefully will continue to do well in the future.