Review of The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) by Byron B — 15 Nov 2010

It's been so many years since I saw this or any of the original Muppet movies. I just saw it with my nephew and niece. It was kind of disappointing, but I think I had more fun than they did. Their ages put them in a place where maybe they are a little too old and a little too young to appreciate it. Then the celebrity cameos are the sort of things that were always geared toward parents and grandparents anyways.

I had forgotten the Muppets are graduating from college at the beginning. They have a musical that they've been performing to adoring college peer crowds and they decide to take it to New York City. In the Big Apple they realistically have to face showbiz rejection though. The friends break up. It is fun to see the miserable places that each Muppet character goes. Even though they don't fit in in these places where they are separated from their friends the common theme is present of making new friends. Kermit keeps trying to find a way to make his musical dreams come true. Of course this is the other beloved theme of being persistent in pursuing your dreams that Muppet fans like to see. His separation from his friends and his goal is delayed until later in the movie by a tragic car accident. There are several magical visual effects and special songs. A highlight is the "live action" Muppet Babies segment. The big, big, big show stopping number at the end is sweet and romantic, but not the razzmatazz wild number I was hoping to see. Still it was a lot of fun to re-live this classic.