The Muppet Movie

There's just something pleasantly memorable about a little green frog singing and playing a banjo in the middle of a swamp. The opening scene is a wonderful introduction for this truly excellent film.

My favorite of the Muppet movies, this has excellent songs, some truly funny running gags and one-liners (and some that are absolute "groaners", but they're still deserving of a chuckle.), and a fun group of Muppets and celebrity cameos. Jim Henson is, and always will be, the definitive voice of Kermit. The film itself is very gentle in tone without getting too syrupy, and truly entertains all the way through.

With all of the "quality" children's programming that comes out these days, I can't help but wonder why more "family" films aren't actually made for the entire family like this film was. This is a real keeper, although it seems a little hard to find at times in the stores.

Jim Henson as Kermit, Dr.Teeth, Rowlf and Waldorf.

Frank Oz as Fozzie, Piggy and Animal.

Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand and Crazy Harry.

Richard Hunt as Janice, Statler,Beaker and Scooter.

Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Dr.Hunnydew and Zoot.

Charles Durning and Mel Brooks.

cameos by Steve Martin, Carol Kane, Orson Welles, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor and others.

This is the first Muppet movie of the billion others that came out, and is also the best, by far! This deals with Kermit the frog going on a trip to Hollywood and meeting the other characters along the way. This movie, along with being already good, has excellent songs performed by the Muppets, including Rainbow Connection, Can You Picture That?, Moving Right Along and others. This movie, unlike the other Muppet flicks, carries a strong sentimental value to me. It's such a nice movie. Also noted is it's many cameos featuring Steve Martin, Mel Brooks and a dozen others. It's really one of the best family films out there today!

my rating-A plus. 109 mins. rated G.

Y'know, it's very interesting watching this... half the people involved with it are now dead...

Anyways, it's been a long time since I've watched anything Muppet related, but this stuff is pure gold. I'm a great fan of puns, and this movie has them quite well placed, but one of the amazing aspects of it is its pacing: it's not really high-speed children's pacing where the filmmakers just randomly decide to move the story along without giving the character's depth, it's just kind of moves along with the characters wherever they want to go.

Kermit the Frog is just an awesome character. His voice and the expressions on his puppet-face are fantastic. But above all, he points out why he's popular--"he can sing and make jokes too!"--but more appropriately why he's so endearing--he, without any effort, inspires everyone to search for their dreams. In the meantime, he also has to deal with himself, which is an uncommon theme in family movies.

It also contains quite an ensemble of comedians making appearances here and there, some to great effect, others to a little less (I think Mel Brook's part was just a bit overplayed, do you?). Some parts of the film are just kind of odd. But it's highly imaginative and takes itself to the same destination from a very different direction.

Moving right along...

--PolarisDiB

In many ways, the perfect movie. The "Incredible Journey" and Horatio Alger tale come together for a positive spin on the usually depressing subject of existentialism. In essence, the travails of the muppets boil down to the finale song of the movie: "Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending." They create their own reality, which has all the trappings of every epic tale: a lofty goal at the end of what is necessarily a obstacle-laden journey; an ever-increasing group of like-minded individuals for camaraderie; a nasty set of villians who are not beyond all redemption; and a big-budget Hollywood ending because, darn it all, they CAN.

Only Jim Henson could pull this off. He walks the line between sentimentality and philosophy without swerving too long or too hard into either. Of course it seems odd that invest such weight into a film starring puppets, but in the end perhaps they are the perfect, uh, puppet to make these points. The movie's atmosphere allows for the pure enjoyment of the Hollywood dream, the "happy" ending, unnecessary cameos, and bursting into song at the drop of a hat. Usually these aspects are anathema to quality in film, but the self-deprecating manner under which the story is delivered makes for guilt-free viewing. One of the few films that can truly be called "suitable for all ages."

The other muppet-related films (including "The Empire Strikes Back"), while palatable, do not touch the simple grace of this film. Take, for instance, the musical number "Hope that Something Better Comes Along," the duet of Kermit and Rowlf. Amusing in its vaudevillian goofiness, yet makes a bitingly crucial point about the motivations behind life choices. Brilliant.

Like all the Muppet movies, this movie is aimed at children. But that doesn't mean it's only for children. Heck, kids probably won't even get most of the jokes. The Muppet Movie is probably the best of the series. This one had a certain charm to it that the others never realized. This movie had great songs and humor for all ages. To think, people thought the Muppets wouldn't succeed on the big screen.