The Muppets Take Manhattan

Jim Henson passed away when I was 7 years old but I did get to see Kermit the Frog on the big screen as performed by Henson due to a charity summer event that a theater chain was holding. They were showing "The Muppets Take Manhattan", which I have seen once before, and my second time was made better because it was on the big screen. This movie was Frank Oz's first solo directorial film and was fittingly nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Original Song Score.

This story has similarities to that of "The Muppet Movie". Instead of Hollywood however, the Muppets are trying to make it on Broadway. Another slight differentiation is that the Muppets can't seem to catch a break. In "The Muppets Take Manhattan", the Muppets play themselves but the film is not a sequel to the two previous films. A similar thing was done with "Muppets from Space". The opening song, "Together Again", was a perfect way to start things off. Oz's use of montage is noteworthy as the Muppets meet with various producers. This is the first Muppet film in which Rizzo the Rat has a major role. With his accent, he is perfect in his part. The Empire State Building scene is quite inspiring but it is made better by the humorous long shot of the building and Kermit's faint voice yelling to the city. As is traditional in a Muppet film, we have a romantic subplot for Kermit and Miss Piggy. I like the gags of Miss Piggy throwing fits during bonding moments of Jenny and Kermit. I will say however that the long shots of Miss Piggy roller-skating looked weird, just like her motorcycling in "The Great Muppet Caper". Miss Piggy sucking her thumb was quite funny after the Muppet Babies scene. I like the character of Ronnie Crawford because he has a big dream too. He is someone that we humans can relate to. I like how at the end of the movie, it is obvious that his father is proud of him. The plot twist of Kermit losing his memory was pretty smart and gave the film some drama. My favorite funny moment in the whole movie is Kermit making fun of the thought of marrying Miss Piggy. He has obviously forgotten Miss Piggy's temper and fighting skills. Jim Henson gives us new special effects in this movie that continue to wow us, even today. Examples include the rats in the kitchen and the Muppet Babies sequence. I enjoyed many of the cameos in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" such as Gates McFadden, John Landis, Liza Minnelli, Mayor Koch and Joan Rivers. I don't know who Gregory Hines is but his cameo was so funny. As with "The Muppet Movie", I failed to recognize Elliot Gould because I am used to him being a lot older. I thought that the horse carriage driver in Central Park looked like Jim Henson and I was right. He disguised himself pretty well. I failed to recognize Oz as a board member though.

Funny enough, this is one of the few Muppet films that doesn't break the fourth wall for comedy purposes. The movie has a great story and utilizes the feeling of 1980's New York quite well. Its similarity to "The Muppet Movie" also helps. This was one of Jim Henson's last feature films performing the Muppets if you count "Follow that Bird". It does contain the last theatrical scene between Kermit and Miss Piggy as performed by Henson and Oz respectively. Thus the final line in the film has a more meaningful subtext to it: "What better way could anything end, hand in hand with a friend."

4 Stars